Hey batter, batter, batter!

OK, so no one was saying that or any other obnoxious chant. And that was a good thing.

The fact there were no bases to run and score was not being kept was even better. The swing and misses; no one was counting those either.

Welcome to the world of batting cages. Going there was an early birthday present from Sue. It’s something I have wanted to do—swing for the fences even if no fences were in sight.

Kae Reed ready to demonstrate her batting abilities. (Image: Sue Wood)

I’ve been watching Grey’s Anatomy and a couple times they went to batting cages to release their stress. I can certainly see how it would be cathartic. A healthy way to get out aggressions.

On this particular day we were there to have fun, see if we could make contact, and have a few laughs.

We took the advice of the employee at Aces Ball Club in Santa Rosa when it came to selecting various settings. We knew to opt for softballs instead of baseballs as that’s the sport we’ve both played.

The worker said to go with slow pitch—also, all we’ve ever played. My last round I did fast pitch at Sue’s urging. I picked the slowest speed, which I think was 30-something miles per hour. I picked middle of the plate, but it was so low it took more of a golf swing to make contact.

The difference between slow and fast pitch was phenomenal. I did OK after not making contact the first two or three balls. Watch the ball and good things can happen—just like in tennis.

I could see how batting cages could be a good solo activity, with one friend or a group activity.

In our world of overstimulation this was simple. No video screen to say where the ball might have landed (infield fly, over the fence, etc.), what the exit velocity was, or any details.

It was just the ball (via machine) and one of us swinging the bat trying to make contact. That’s one of the things I liked about it—the simplicity, the return to basics, being in the moment, being focused.