Regular Yuba Post contributer Jeff Richardson recently completed a successful intramural softball season with the NYU Cinema Studies squad. No doubt due to the proliferation of films about baseball, the Cinema Studies team is always one of the most feared dugouts each spring. This year's team was no different as they finished with a 3-1 record, only losing in the semifinals to eventual champions and eternal jerkwads, The Furries.
Richardson wore the number 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson - the man who broke baseball's color barrier. Seemingly, the pre-1947 color barrier has little to do with a white guy from Michigan playing slow-pitch, intramural softball. HOWEVER, Robinson did play for the Brooklyn Dodgers, while Richardson currently lives in Brooklyn. Even MORE importantly, Jackie Robinson has Jeff Richardson's initials (and not the other way around). MOST importantly, Richardson wore the number 42 on his high school basketball team before he even knew it was Jackie Robinson's number, and was therefore honoring himself more than Robinson, though still honoring Robinson indirectly by honoring himself because Robinson honored Richardson originally by using his initials and his number (and not the other way around). ACTUALLY MOST IMPORTANTLY, Richardson didn't really wear a jersey OR a number, he only had the number 42 on the team's website...
This was Richardson's first attempt at organized baseball/softball since sixth grade little league. This twelve-year gap is a new sporting record for Richardson, eclipsing his previous gap of eleven years set only three months ago when Richardson went downhill skiing for the first time since seventh grade. This fall, Richardson plans to break the record again when he takes up kickboxing, a sport he abandoned in second grade after losing a bloody playground duel to Jeff "Poster" Bohsted (JB watch your shins this October. You've been warned.)
Despite the long break, Richardson's play was better than ever as he led the Cinematologists in runs and RBIs. Don't believe me? Check out the team stats:
http://cinematologists.com/softball/stats/2007.shtml
And don't miss the recap of his game-tying RBI and game-winning run:
http://cinematologists.com/softball/2007/04/cinema_studies_rallies_late_be.shtml
Not everything was stellar for Richardson, however. His defensive play was confined to left field as he repeatedly refused to switch positions due to a fear of the ball and a general extreme cowardice.
The Yuba Post has no photographs of the league. Instead, here is a picture of Richardson skiing:
And here is a picture of a softball:
And this is kickboxing:
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