I think it would be fun to share some of the comical things that happen in the course of our Baseball Experience so I encourage you to share the lighter side stories you may have experienced. I will offer you my Potato Story.
I was in AA ball years ago. We were on the road & the opposing team had an older, non prospect backup catcher at the end of his career. Teams are filled with guys like this who are just characters, love the game & know they have no shot but just can't stop playing & may have a Manager in the system who just loves them & keeps bringing them back.
Anyway, this guy is behind the plate one night & we (the relievers) are down the left field line bullpen. It's about the 7th inning in a blowout game & we are trading baseballs to kids in the stands who will bring us a hotdog. We have a runner on 3rd with 2 outs. LH hitter at the plate & pitch is a FB away. Catcher pops up & guns a pickoff throw to 3rd base & just launches it over 3B head. Runner trots home easily. The "Ball" comes rolling down to our bullpen bench & is just covered with dirt like a snowball rolled in mud. Our LF races over to get it but nobody else on base so no play really. We look at the "ball" & it is not a ball but actually a peeled potato.
Meanwhile there is all this commotion at home plate. The catcher has the real "ball" & has tagged the runner coming home & declared him out. Managers are out. Umpires collect the "potato decoy " & after much debate declare the runner safe.
Apparently, the catcher had peeled the potato, stuck it in his back pocket, received the pitch while pulling out the spud & launched the spud as a decoy to get the runner to come home for the tag.
He was released the following day but this dude went out in style & we all loved him for it!
