Okay, so today I wanted to work on rundowns – you know, when a runner’s stuck between bases like a pickle. Saw this happen in last night’s Jays game and figured, heck, why not practice it myself? Grabbed my glove, found my buddy Mike who owes me a favor, and headed to the local diamond.
Starting Off Real Messy
First thing we did was terrible. Just ran straight at each other like headless chickens playing tag. I’d chase Mike halfway to second base, he’d spin around, I’d panic and throw too early – total garbage. Must’ve overthrew four times straight into center field. Our throws were all wobbly and weak, like tossing wet socks. After 10 minutes, my arm felt like jelly and we hadn’t actually tagged anybody out once.
Switching To The Smart Way
Remembered watching infielders during spring training. They do this slow-motion thing at first. Told Mike “Alright, walk only now – no running”. Felt stupid at first, like playing red light green light with grown men. But then something clicked:
- Started keeping my throws shoulder-high every single time
- Made my feet stop completely before throwing
- Only took three steps max toward the runner before passing him off
Took us three tries just to remember who covers what base without yelling at each other. Nearly whacked Mike in the head with an accidental short toss too. Embarrassing? You bet. Necessary? Absolutely.
Adding Speed Without Losing Brains
Once the walking version didn’t look like clown school anymore, we kicked it up to jogging speed. Key thing here? Never run full speed unless you’re the fielder with the ball. Made Mike run back and forth ten times while I practiced shuffling my feet sideways like crab-walking. Focused on just two things:
- Taking tiny adjustment steps instead of big lunges
- Yelling “GOT IT!” loud enough to hurt ears so we knew who had the ball
After about twenty minutes of this, Mike was dripping sweat cussing at me, but we finally got into a rhythm. My throws stopped sailing into the next county.
The Final Real-Deal Test
Made Mike sprint full tilt from third toward home like he just robbed a bank. Only rule? We’d immediately flip it to whoever had the best angle. First three tries ended with:
- Ball skipping past the catcher into backstop
- Too many throws allowing Mike to dive back safe
- Me getting greedy and chasing too far
But that fourth try? Pure butter. Cornerback pass toward third, quick shuffle, whip throw to Mike covering home – pop right in the glove for the tag. Didn’t even need a spectacular dive or nothin’. Just clean, boring baseball. Exactly how the pros make it look easy.
What Actually Stuck With Me
Finished with dead arms and dusty shoes, but damn if we didn’t get better. Biggest takeaways:
- Slow practice ain’t boring – it’s necessary
- Your feet matter more than your arm during rundowns
- Yelling like a maniac prevents collisions and dropped balls
Still ain’t no big leaguer, but next rec game some poor sap gets trapped between bases? Yeah, he’s toast.
