|
I was picked last I grew up playing baseball every spring and summer. In baseball, your ability is not always measured by your size and strength. I entered the Air Force in March 1981. I arrived at Grand Forks AFB in North Dakota in July. My first week there I decided to play softball. Being 6-foot-1 and 143 pounds, I was a walking flagpole. No one really knew me, and they didn’t think I could play. The friendly trash-talking began. When sides were chosen, I was picked last. I ended up playing short field where I threw out a couple of runners at first base, which opened up a few eyes. It was at the plate where I ended the trash talking. I left my opponents and teammates with their mouths hung open and their heads shaking. My first three at bats were homeruns that bounced off the roof of a roller skating rink that was behind the left field fence. After that game, I was immediately placed on my squadron’s softball team for the remainder of the summer. Whenever my flight decided to play softball, I was the first player picked. Kurt Rau | Lexington | EnergyUnited |
|
