Dudley's Trip to the Game

Wendy plays softball on Monday evenings in the spring and early summer and sometimes in the fall. The Biohazards, of which she is but one, is her primary team this year. It's exercise, a social outlet, and she likes playing. Muchly. They play two games consecutively on game night. Slow pitch. Co-ed. Seven inning limit with a 10 run slaughter rule, which I think kicks in after the fifth inning. It's all about having fun. (As an aside, she's cute as hell in her softball uniform.)

The games are in the early evening and may as well be on the moon considering how long it takes to get from here to there during rush hour. But it's right near her office so it works out just fine for her. Last Monday were the final "late" night games starting at 8 and 9 pm. Since we could leave home after rush hour on the Beltway, Dudley and I decided to head up to lend our support and see our girl play ball.

As soon as I pulled out his harness (no collar for Dud, he pulls on the leash too much) he started going apeshit. This was expected. And there's nothing more amusing than a basset going apeshit. Unless you are trying to put his harness on of course. Then it's frustrating. He finally sat still long enough for me to put his clothes on and hook up his leash. Off we went. Cosi seemed a bit miffed at being left behind but Detail didn't seem to care. Dud had the back seat all to himself. At the ballfield, we perched on a hill on the first base side of the field. He was aware of Wendy out there playing first base and every time he heard her voice, he'd perk.

A perked basset hound is just about the cutest thing on the face of the earth. He sits up straight, gets an intense look on his face, his ears on high alert. He looks around purposefully to find the source of his perkiness and then stares intently. Cute. Really.

So the Biohazards didn't fare too well that evening. 0-2. The other team had some serious batters, including two guys that hit the ball over the fence three times. Geez. But Wendy played well and was happy to have us there. She kissed me in the parking lot in front of everyone. She kissed Dud too but the kiss I got was better.

Dudley was exhausted by the end of game 2 and slept in the back seat all the way home. It takes a lot of energy to perk, after all. Arriving home, he immediately dragged his tired self to the bed and didn't stir again until morning. It's a hard life, that of a basset.