You lackadaisical, nonchalant mother f’r!

I’ve been called lots of derogatory things over the years but surprisingly two of the adjectives that got me the most angry were “nonchalant” (what does it mean if you are chalant?) and lackadaisical.  Both of these adjectives were used to describe me by my baseball coach when I was 15. 

I was one of the main figures on the team as I was one of our good pitchers and hitters.  As a result I may have carried a bit of attitude that accompanied my baseball skills.  When I wasn’t pitching I played either first base or outfield.  Well one day at practice I was taking grounders at first, after fielding the ball we were supposed to throw to third.  Well the coach hit the ball to me and I threw it over to third.  Well the coach didn’t like the way I made the play and he yelled something about being “lackadaisical”.  Well I didn’t like being called out by the coach in front of the entire team.  It embarrassed me.  So the next grounder that is hit to me I snag and FIRE at the third basement as hard as I could.  The ball could have broken the third baseman’s hand if he caught it wrong, it was smoked.  The coach paused for a second after the throw and then yells out ‘Now THAT’s the way to throw the ball!”

Another time I was playing center field in a game.  A fly ball came out to me and I caught it but I guess somehow it looked like I wasn’t hustling to the ball.  When I came back from the field again the coach gives me an earful, bitching about me looking “nonchalant” out there.  I was like, what the f, I caught the ball…  Well again this got my blood boiling.  Later in the game there was a ball hit deep into the gap that I caught after a long sprint, it easily saved what would could have been a triple or home run.  I followed up by hitting a towering home run into the creek later in the game, probably the longest home run I ever hit.  Nonchalant that you motherf’r.

I always had a love/hate relationship with that coach.  He knew I had talent and potential if for no other reason than I was a tall lefty.  I knew he knew what he was talking about since he was in the Dodger’s minor league system.  He made great efforts to help coach and train me.  He pushed me hard and I resented him for it then.  When I went through my debacle after high school of dropping out of college and walking away from a partial baseball scholarship as a result, I knew he thought I was a stupid piece of shit for doing so.  I actually played under him one more time in Legion ball.  However I had a much smaller role on that team due to arm problems and his general disregard for me.

I have a much greater appreciation of him now than I did then.