Pitching 'Soft'balls (?) Think, Look Again! Beyond the Obvious...

Idiomatic: Partially covered before here, the almost endless applications of baseball slogans, sayings, idioms to our daily lives, experiences off the field..."You really knocked it out of the park!" versus "You're really out in left field!"..."I didn't even make it to first base on our first date"..."seventh inning stretch"...etc., etc., etc....You have your own favorites, I imagine. This is to partially celebrate the 'official' beginning of the Tokyo Olympics, as women's softball got under way yesterday (actually two days ago now, as I began this post yesterday and got up to stretch myself), in front of empty stands, well, 'barely', as an Asian black bear was seen trying to crash the party, perhaps thinking a team was missing its mascot, bounding away ("and he's outta here!" yelled the ump) before security could formally eject him/her from the game...This, happening concurrently with the ongoing competing forces represented by Mr. Muto ("Tokyo 2020 chief") indicating it's a 'game time decision' (the Olympic Games, that is), while "Mr. IOC", Thomas Bach, indicating that cancellation of the Olympics was and is "never an option"...if they do end up getting cancelled, some locals won't be too happy as Japan beat Australia soundly 8-1 (while the U.S. won its opener against Italy, 2-0 which, of course, is referred to as a "shutout", another term often overheard outside the baseball stadium)... 

Call it as you (don't) see it: "What's the matter ump, you need glasses?!" A common utterance from disgruntled fans, when the umpire calls a ball or strike, when you in the stands or at home viewing the replay on TV think otherwise...can't please everyone, all the time, not if you're the ump...this also comes into play when we view or overhear interviews, presidential press conferences, when we think they are not being pressed far enough by the press..."It's like they're just lobbing him softballs..." At least a twofold commentary, if not a triple error on one play, if you think beyond the obvious -- that is, while obviously calling an error on the reporter, you are also criticizing the president for being let off easy, but also an indirect 'dis' on the sport of softball. But lets look beyond the obvious, for an appreciation of some of the nuances of softball vis a vis 'hardball', the "Big Leagues"...an appreciation of not only the velocity of the pitch being thrown, but the actual reaction time required by the the person standing at home plate, in anticipation of the pitch leaving the pitcher's hand...given the respective distances between the pitcher's mound and home plate, factoring in the speed of the pitchers (as well as who, the pitcher is, and what type of pitch, such as a fast ball versus a curve, versus a 'change-up') and you have a more complex set of dynamics, a narrowing of the gap between the two...as the other old saying goes (this one not really from baseball but apropos here), "the difference may be more apparent than real". Speaking of timing, another thing to appreciate affecting the rhythm of the game, is the time the pitcher takes between pitches...have ya ever noticed (yawn) how long the "big leaguers" take to stroll around the mound (what exactly are they looking for?!) as compared to how quick the 'soft' ballers get the ball back from the catcher, tap their glove, wind up in the cool windmill motion, and let it fly back in the direction of the batter (accompanied by the catcher and umpire for good company)..."these ladies don't fool around!" from one commentator comparing the two...speaking of fooling around, there's also the occasional antics of batters who ask permission from the ump to step outside the 'box' to do whatever rituals keep them centered, that ends with the ump inviting, or even coercing them back 'home', after which they have ten seconds or they earn a strike without even seeing a pitch. All this in the spirit of being a good sport, as well as keeping this otherwise sport that really can pass the time (ergo, "America's Pastime"). Now, if the reporters and the white house staff could just get it together enough to apply all these...

Idioms in da house: Continuing our national nostalgia,  we can, without breaking a sweat,  extend these baseball, softball idioms to the white house press conferences, especially with a president whose reaction times surpass the slowest of curve balls, sometimes termed a "knuckle ball", following a president who reactions frequently included "You knuckle head!" And, similar to the game of baseball, where there are periodic rule changes, it seems as if the terms of engagement between the press and the "Pres" change with each administration...add to this a revolving door of commentators commenting on the comments, and you have a whole new ball game!

Talk about Underhanded, in Brief(s): "No Way, Norway!" was sort of the call of the official, who levied a fine on the Norwegian women's handball team for not baring enough...that is, for not wearing the traditional briefer briefs ("the bottom must not be more than ten centimeters on the sides")...style violation the officials felt deserved a penalty of a whopping $177/player...more than enough for both bottoms and top, one imagines....See what I mean about "Looking beyond the obvious?!" ..."You gotta be kidding ump!"

Not-so-instant Replay, Ejection: Replays of altercations in various sports, trying to identify the instigators versus 'first responders', sometimes result in the guilty party being ejected from the game. In the ongoing Olympics within the Olympics, one marred by controversy after controversy involving many prominent figures who are not participating in any event resembling athletics, the head of the Olympic Organizing Committee yesterday fired the official in charge of the opening ceremony...due to a replay from 23 years ago, in which he mocked the Holocaust. This, about seven months after the actual head of the Tokyo Olympics was forced to resign due to sexist remarks. So, let's see, the official who replaced the ejected official, ejects yet another official...And, while the most of the citizenry of Japan still wants to eject the whole lot of 'em...Just when our First Lady was arriving to enjoy the Game(s)...Opening, closed before it even begins? Soft ball? Hardly!

Keep your eyes and ears open; look beyond the obvious...a whole other Game(s)!