Not sure if it’s just me but did Marquee get a new camera? Some of the shots from the sideline focusing on the pitcher looks like it’s got a huge aperture and nice bokeh
I’m not sure if I JUST noticed it or it’s always been this way. Either way I love the shots on the pitchers!
TLDR:
In my second year of recreational softball, I joined a new, mismatched team (assembled by the captain with his friends) expecting a casual beer league. Instead, they’re getting crushed 0-8 against competitive opponents. After shifting my mindset to “just have fun,” i faced repeated toxicity: a teammate yelled at me twice for split-second base-coaching decisions, the captain made a discouraging comment before putting me at an unfamiliar position (SS) and made errors at my usual position, and later overheard more indirect criticism.
I confronted the yeller, addressed the team in a post-game huddle about keeping it fun and supportive, but got little backing from the captain. Now my confidence is shot and I’m debating whether to finish the season.
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This is my second year playing softball in my community. Last year, I had no problems dealing with toxic or overly intense players. This year, however, I joined a brand-new team assembled by the captain. Most of the players joined because they know him personally or from work, and the skill levels vary dramatically: from experienced amateurs to people who barely know the rules.
We all expected a laid-back beer league with low-stakes fun, but the other teams turned out to be surprisingly competitive. We’re currently 0-8 with 4 games left. After the second week, I decided to shift my focus from trying to win to simply enjoying myself. Around that same time, a friend on the team quit after noticing early signs of toxicity.
For a while, none of it really bothered me, until a couple of weeks ago. The trouble started when I volunteered to coach first base after being the last batter of the previous inning. Our least experienced player hit a grounder to third, and the third baseman overthrew first base. I waved our runner around toward second, but because he’s still learning the game, he hesitated for a second. By the time he reached the bag, the ball was waiting, and he was tagged out. I immediately felt bad for the send. Then, from the dugout, one of my teammates yelled at me for the decision. I stayed quiet at the time and tried to shake it off, telling myself it was no big deal and to focus on the next play. But the sting lingered.
The following game, our captain asked me to play SS, a position I rarely play. When I admitted I wasn’t confident and asked to play OF, he replied, “Well, I better not see any dropped balls out there.” His comment crushed my confidence. Sure enough, I ended the game with two errors. To make matters worse, I overheard the same guy who had yelled at me the week before say, “Yeah, that should’ve been an out. You should’ve caught that.”
Later in the blowout (we were down somewhere 0-20), I volunteered to coach third base. With a runner on first, the next batter doubled. I held the runner at third because the ball had already reached the cutoff man. The same teammate immediately started yelling at me again, this time for not sending the runner. That was the breaking point. I snapped and told him this was the second time he’d yelled at me for a split-second call, and if he thought he could do better, he should come out and coach himself.
He walked out of the dugout looking sheepish and tried to backpedal, saying he was “just being competitive” and “yelling in the moment.” He also took a jab at the hat I was wearing from his crosstown rival team. I wasn’t buying any of it. I turned and walked straight back into the dugout.
After the game, I called the team together for a huddle. I apologized for making us look bad on the field, then explained that my goal had shifted to simply having fun. I added that I thought everyone was giving solid effort, especially after coming straight from work. The captain stayed silent the entire time and offered nothing.
On the way to the parking lot, I overheard him talking to the guy who had yelled at me. They were already planning strategies to win next week, and the captain mentioned something about always catching fly balls with two hands “because we’re not major leaguers trying to look cool.” Even though I have no proof he was talking about me, after my two dropped fly balls that night, it felt personal. My confidence took another hit.
Now I’m not sure if I can bring myself to play next week or finish out the season. I just wanted to share my experience and hear how others handle situations like this. Any advice would be appreciated.