and Reminiscing! Team Sports

While I was in the Navy I still ran when I could even when we were at sea I would run on the flight deck between flight operations. Because we spent so much time at sea I wanted to find another sport to participate in to stay active and pass the time. They had a basketball league aboard ship that some of my friends in the squadron played in but I had zero talent where basketball was and is concerned. I did play in a donkey basketball game with the Letterman's Club my senior year in high school. Since basketball wasn't an option I went to the first sign up and organization meeting for the boxing team. I walked up, looked around at the muscle bound boxers in my weight class and decided that there was no way I was going to sign up to be hit by them on purpose so that was out. While we were at LeMoore NAS between cruises I did play on the squadron softball team and had a lot of fun with that. The only negative there was that I pulled a quad muscle right before we went to sea and I had to get around aboard ship on crutches. Not fun.

After I married and left the Navy I was still running and doing some races but I also got more involved in team sports. While working for the Los Angeles County Parks I played and coached coed volleyball with my co-workers and I played on a coed softball team with friends and family. I also played for my company softball team when I worked for Spectrol Electronics in City of Industry. I actually worked at Spectrol and Rimgrove Park at the same time.

Participating on the Spectrol team brought an unwanted experience that I wouldn't wish on anyone. I usually made dinner on Friday nights because Jackie worked late at the bank. I was making enchiladas and my hands were covered in red sauce when the doorbell rang, I yelled for the person to come in and told them just a minute while I washed my hands. It turned out to be a private investigator that was there to serve me papers informing me that I was being sued for $750,000 for allegedly breaking a woman's jaw at the softball game that week.

Keeping it short. I didn't. The allegations were that I was warming up a pitcher and when I threw the ball back to him it bounced and hit her in the face breaking her jaw. Let's be clear. It didn't happen. In the first place as I explained to the detective, "I could fire a ball directly at her face and probably not break her jaw much less throw it, have it bounce on grass and then hit her and do any damage. Fortunately my homeowner's insurance lawyers and corporation lawyers handled it and when the truth came out, she had been at the park visiting a boyfriend and when she returned home her husband wasn't pleased, punched her and broke her jaw. I was identified because, "You have dark hair and a mustache". For the record, the majority of the team had dark hair and mustaches.

My wife, Jackie worked at Wells Fargo Bank at the time we lived in Valinda and we socialized with some of her co-workers, one couple in particular, and the husband played rugby. It was an experience that I'm glad I had but didn't play more than one season after a serious of injuries and a reminder now and then from Jackie of the fact that I did not have disability insurance.

Coyote Rugby Club in Action

 When we moved to New Mexico in 1975 I continued running and actually started running more when I became a coach. I still had the opportunity to play softball in a church league though and had fun doing it until there just wasn't time enough to do so. I taught, coached, worked part time in a hardware store, took classes and tried to be a husband and father to my two sons and support their sports. Needless to say, something had to give. It was fun when I played though. Here are some quotes from the Lovington Daily Leader articles when I was playing.

"Jimmy Capps and Dana Anstey lined out four singles each".

"Terry Padilla, Dana Anstey and Grayland Wright all looped four singles".

Terry Padilla and Dana Anstey lined out two singles each".

Anybody sense a theme? I obviously wasn't a power hitter.

"Jackson Avenue managed just five hits off First Christian pitcher Dana Anstey in the opener, but the Baptists were able to capitalize in key situations to score an easy victory. Wayne Williams went all the way for Jackson and scattered seven base raps in taking the mound win. Anstey took the defeat".  This was a double header and we won the second game 5-4 by scoring 5 runs in the last inning. "First Christian came up with five runs to sneak past First Baptist as Anstey drove in Wright with the winning run to end the game".

"The winners scored once in the first inning when Dana Anstey doubled in Terry Padilla...".

"Dana Anstey went all the way for First Christian in socking up the mound victory. Anstey also banged out a triple and two singles to pace First Christian's hitting attack".

Those quotes came from articles over two seasons one was 1980 and I'm not sure if the other was '79 or '81. Adult sports can be a lot of fun.