The Sock Game
“Can we play catch?” I asked my boyfriend Brice, eager to prove that I can throw and catch a baseball. “I’d love to,” he said. “But…”
I hated ‘buts.’
“But I only have one glove.” I looked at him and frowned. “Isn’t it like a law or something for baseball player to have more than one glove?” He laughed. God, I love his laugh. “No babe, I only need one; my dad has one though!” I rolled my eyes at him. “Yes, because that’s going to help us right now.” He put up his finger, indicating I needed to hold on. He turned around, picked up a sock, and rolled it into a ball. “Let’s play catch,” he said.
Twenty minutes in and we were laughing harder than we ever have together.
“Hey Brice, you play baseball,” I started to say. “You’re supposed to know how to catch.” This time, he was the one rolling his eyes. “In my defense you’re whipping it AND it’s a lot easier to catch a baseball in a glove than a tied up sock,” I laughed, and so did he. We continued throwing it back and forth.
“Why does the catcher get to tell the pitcher what pitch to throw?” I asked him.
“Actually, the pitching coach tells the catcher, who then gives the signal to the pitcher,” he explained.
“Oh…” I said to him. “What do the different signals mean? And how do you throw each pitch?” I asked, actually intrigued in the conversation.
“Well, one finger is a fast ball, two is a curveball, three is a slider, and when you wiggle your fingers, it’s a change up.”
“Oh, cool.”
“Do you really want to know how to throw them?” I nodded my head intently. “Okay,” he continued. “Well, a fast ball is just-”
I cut him off and threw the sock at his chest. “Next!” I interrupted, “because I clearly know how to throw a fastball.” He laughed.
“You’re adorable, you know that?”
“Yes I do,” I started. “Now, how do you throw a curveball?”
“Well, hold your middle finger and pointer finger together and stick your thumb out. Wrap your fingers around the ball and-” I cut him off again. “Sock,” I said.
“What?”
“It’s a sock, not a ball,” I said confidently.
“You’re so ridiculous,” he said smiling. “Anyway, you wrap your fingers around the SOCK, wind up to throw, and release with your middle and pointer fingers facing me. Take it easy though,” he said.
“Oh, I’ve tried to do this before. Emily’s little brother Jack taught me. It hurt my elbow.”
“Oh boy,” he said. “Well, if it means anything, that’s why I said ‘take it easy’. It’s really easy to hurt
your elbow when learning to throw a curveball, that’s why you shouldn’t rush into it. Another reason why it’s good we’re starting with a sock,” he said. “Now, try it.” So I did.
“That didn’t work out too well,” I said to him.
“Relax babe, it was your first try. You’ll get it,” he said and then came over to give me a kiss.
“Have I ever told you that you’re a pretty great kisser?” I asked.
“Nope, I don’t believe you have,” he said smirking, and then kissed me again.
We played catch throwing curveballs for a while. “Do you want to know how to throw a slider now?” he asked.
“Yes please.”
“Well, the truth is, you've already thrown it a few times. A slider is just like a curveball except the way you approach the throw is different so it spins a different way. If you throw straight, it’s a curveball and if you go into the pitch from the side, it’s a slider,” he explained.
I had the sock in my hand so I tried to throw a slider and it worked out really well.
“Oh! I did it! I like that one. That’s my favorite pitch!”
We played catch with a sock in his freshman year college dorm room for over an hour. He taught me all of those pitches, and also how to throw a few different changeups. I don’t remember how to explain them though.
I spent over an hour throwing a sock back and forth with my boyfriend last night in his freshmen year college dorm room and I probably could have done it forever.
I hated ‘buts.’
“But I only have one glove.” I looked at him and frowned. “Isn’t it like a law or something for baseball player to have more than one glove?” He laughed. God, I love his laugh. “No babe, I only need one; my dad has one though!” I rolled my eyes at him. “Yes, because that’s going to help us right now.” He put up his finger, indicating I needed to hold on. He turned around, picked up a sock, and rolled it into a ball. “Let’s play catch,” he said.
Twenty minutes in and we were laughing harder than we ever have together.
“Hey Brice, you play baseball,” I started to say. “You’re supposed to know how to catch.” This time, he was the one rolling his eyes. “In my defense you’re whipping it AND it’s a lot easier to catch a baseball in a glove than a tied up sock,” I laughed, and so did he. We continued throwing it back and forth.
“Why does the catcher get to tell the pitcher what pitch to throw?” I asked him.
“Actually, the pitching coach tells the catcher, who then gives the signal to the pitcher,” he explained.
“Oh…” I said to him. “What do the different signals mean? And how do you throw each pitch?” I asked, actually intrigued in the conversation.
“Well, one finger is a fast ball, two is a curveball, three is a slider, and when you wiggle your fingers, it’s a change up.”
“Oh, cool.”
“Do you really want to know how to throw them?” I nodded my head intently. “Okay,” he continued. “Well, a fast ball is just-”
I cut him off and threw the sock at his chest. “Next!” I interrupted, “because I clearly know how to throw a fastball.” He laughed.
“You’re adorable, you know that?”
“Yes I do,” I started. “Now, how do you throw a curveball?”
“Well, hold your middle finger and pointer finger together and stick your thumb out. Wrap your fingers around the ball and-” I cut him off again. “Sock,” I said.
“What?”
“It’s a sock, not a ball,” I said confidently.
“You’re so ridiculous,” he said smiling. “Anyway, you wrap your fingers around the SOCK, wind up to throw, and release with your middle and pointer fingers facing me. Take it easy though,” he said.
“Oh, I’ve tried to do this before. Emily’s little brother Jack taught me. It hurt my elbow.”
“Oh boy,” he said. “Well, if it means anything, that’s why I said ‘take it easy’. It’s really easy to hurt
your elbow when learning to throw a curveball, that’s why you shouldn’t rush into it. Another reason why it’s good we’re starting with a sock,” he said. “Now, try it.” So I did.
“That didn’t work out too well,” I said to him.
“Relax babe, it was your first try. You’ll get it,” he said and then came over to give me a kiss.
“Have I ever told you that you’re a pretty great kisser?” I asked.
“Nope, I don’t believe you have,” he said smirking, and then kissed me again.
We played catch throwing curveballs for a while. “Do you want to know how to throw a slider now?” he asked.
“Yes please.”
“Well, the truth is, you've already thrown it a few times. A slider is just like a curveball except the way you approach the throw is different so it spins a different way. If you throw straight, it’s a curveball and if you go into the pitch from the side, it’s a slider,” he explained.
I had the sock in my hand so I tried to throw a slider and it worked out really well.
“Oh! I did it! I like that one. That’s my favorite pitch!”
We played catch with a sock in his freshman year college dorm room for over an hour. He taught me all of those pitches, and also how to throw a few different changeups. I don’t remember how to explain them though.
I spent over an hour throwing a sock back and forth with my boyfriend last night in his freshmen year college dorm room and I probably could have done it forever.