On a Less Serious Note: Defense

I love baseball. I love giving 110% and I love seeing other people give 110%. In fact, I'm the guy who plays second base in one of the city's summer leagues that just can't seem to leave a game without bleeding from somewhere. If the ball is remotely close, I'm diving for it. Sometimes my efforts pay off, sometimes not.

A few weeks ago we were in a close game with a rival team. In the top of the third inning they came up to bat. With two men on and one out, the batter hit a line drive that looked as if it would go perfectly through the infield. Playing second base at the time, I saw the ball come off the bat and immediately took a large step out of my ready stance. I planted my left foot and fully extended my body towards left field. At the peak of my extension, I felt the pull of my glove towards center field as I crashed to the dirt. From the ground, I flipped the ball up to the shortstop standing at second base just a second too late for the double play as the runner had been alert and not advanced more than a few steps. As I got up, I brushed the dirt off the front of my shirt and wiped away some blood from my knee. With one out left, there was more defense to be had.

I love baseball and if I'm relegated to playing slow pitch softball or even cricket until I'm an old man, then so be it. But I love the game. And I love great defense. So here are the best defensive plays in the major leagues for the month of July. Thanks to ESPN, here's the video.