Taking the Good with the Bad

Now into the first week of April, college and high school sports are ramping up big time.
Scheduling early season sporting events in this part of the country usually is an act of optimistic futility.
But for a change, Mother Nature is being pretty cooperative with all the record warmth and dry conditions that have dominated most of March and now, into early April.
I'm a pretty casual baseball and softball fan but as a photographer, it can be pretty pleasant duty.
On the best days, I'm outside soaking up the spring sunshine and getting paid to do it. Sure, there's that pesky duty of having to come back with a photo or two.
But on the worst days, days when the the wind carries a chill or worse, a snowflake or two and teams still play, it becomes a Job with a capital J.
Even the players themselves will confess that playing a game in cold weather is not very enjoyable.
I can remember from my old high school days that smacking a ball with cold hands wrapped around a frigid bat can sting pretty good .
Two weeks ago, I was covering a Bethany women's softball game. The weather had taken an uncharacteristic turn to more normal March weather and at game time, a cold wind was howling in from left field and low clouds carried the threat of rain.
And sure enough, barely into the first inning, a wind-driven cold rain mixed with a bit of hail began to fall.
The game soon was halted and teams retreated to the shelter of their dugouts, fans to their cars.
The game resumed 10 minutes later but the damage was done. Soaked from the earlier downpour and exposed to the wind, I was chilled through and through and fervently hoping some kind of action, no matter how minor, would happen so I could get back to the office.
Fortunately, there was a play at home plate in the bottom of the first inning that would suffice.
The softball gods were smiling on this photographer, even if Mother Nature was not.