The Unwritten Rule
I hate Pamela Jean Blaze… I fucking hate her… that’s what I’m saying as her left cross hits my chin and I back up, only for my left foot to run out of land and for me to tumble into the dugout, banging my arm hard and breaking it in three places. My season was over and we got beaten in the playoffs… didn’t even make it to the Softball World Series and got to watch USC celebrate another championship victory with their bitch ass all start line-up. Baseball has its rivalries, but softball for us girls is big time and there’s been no rivalry greater than USC (University of Southern California) and UCLA (University of California-Los Angeles) for these last few years. Yeah, we go hard with Cal and Stanford too; I hate them too, but USC is another level of hatred, and it’s not just because they’re right there in Los Angeles with us. It has something to do with the rise in popularity for women’s sports and the arms race for talent.
Jennie Finch and the Olympic softball team certainly added to the popularity of softball and all sorts of players and personalities were coming out of the woodwork, but we at UCLA still held the most championships. We had me (Annie “The Flame” Alvarez, Pitcher #26, 5’4” 126 lbs, Mexican, red hair, brown eyes, and I’m beautiful), our 5’10” 160 lb buttermilk skinned Black Dominican and beautiful first baseman and sometimes left fielder with long flowing black hair and that don’t mess with me silent calm, Angel Domino, we had our catcher the redheaded Jessica “No Gimmicks” Arnold , the dirty blonde freckled 2nd baseman Amy “The Dirty Bird” Fowler, and we had soooo much talent on that team and a coach in the black haired Sierra Mays who was beautiful and demanding. We always won and our fans were the real deal. There are no fans like UCLA fans; they don‘t play with anybody who comes into our house. People want to talk about LSU fans and the other schools in the SEC… fuck them all. When it comes to softball, UCLA runs that shit.
We were rolling and I was enjoying my time, pitching shutouts from my position, second in the rotation… then the Blaze sisters and company showed up at USC. Our school recruited Brandy heavily, because she was a triple threat; she was 6’4” 170 lbs with long wavy red hair and blue eyes and she was built like a playboy model, but it was all natural, but she had a girl next door personality. I call her a triple threat because she didn’t just play center field; she was also a volleyball star and a phenom in soccer. Then there was Pamela Jean, or PJ. 5’5” 140 lbs with short curly blonde hair and blue eyes; she was a pitcher, but she converted to catcher because she could hit so well. There was also one of Brandy’s best friends, this biker chick mechanic named Gwen, with tattoos and long black hair and blue eyes; she was their pitcher. The had Jelena Gonzalez or Jogo, their shortstop, and they had some great pitchers. USC was more of a football school, but by getting these girls and putting that team together that they had, including a happy faced tiny amateur body builder who gave that up, softened up, and became their Kathy Ireland looking 2nd baseman, Alaetra, and a short black haired power hitting third baseman named Beth White, they were trouble. They added a snobby buttermilk skinned Black girl and friend of Angel’s named Monet who was one of their pitchers and was known for talking a lot of shit, and we knew they’re might be fireworks eventually. They had a fat ass coach who looked like John Madden and acted like Buttermaker from “The Bad News Bears;” they were a team of few great players and a bunch of misfits and bitches. But when Ciara, their left fielder got hurt, Alaetra was moved out there and they brought on another star and cousin of PJ and Brandy’s, an annoying 5’5” bitch who looked just like Christina Aguilera named June. I played softball in high school with June; she was a great player, incredibly fast, and an outstanding hitter, but the bitch stubbed her toe during a practice, and cried through the whole session. Then we found out it was just a ploy to get attention. I told her about it, and she made some smart ass remark that I couldn’t hear, so I grabbed her by her collar in the dugout and we had to be separated. I don’t play that shit with prissy bitches either.
So this is what led to that bitch PJ breaking my arm. Nobody on our team has a problem with Brandy; the only problem is that if you don’t walk her, she’ll hit a homerun. The girl set so many records in her first year, it was ridiculous; Angel finished second behind her, and we would go to USC games and watch them. I fucking hate USC so much, but PJ… that bitch. PJ acted just like her mother, that fucking fighter woman Siena Blaze, bad enough, she looks like her. Not only was she a great catcher and a great hitter, she put on a show for the fans. If she hit a homerun, she’d round the bases, pumping her fist or sometimes, she’d even do a cartwheel or a spin. You just don’t do that shit in our sport. And the only reason why she even got such good pitches to hit was because Brandy was batting behind her. I had never met her, but I’d seen her at the bars and at clubs drinking beer. I’d even see her at the same gym I worked out at when I didn’t feel like being on campus and she never shut the hell up. We were the standard bearers for softball; we were the best and when we would face them in a three game series with both teams undefeated coming in. I was going to start that game and I couldn’t wait to stand on the mound and face PJ. Adding insult to injury was the fact that if there was a camera around, PJ would make some comment. They could be playing the University of Washington and this bitch stole three bases in the game and hit two home runs, but when she’s asked about her performance, she says, “I just wish I had done it against UCLA. Bitches.”
So, on a Saturday evening at their softball stadium, the UCLA Lady Bruins met the USC Lady Trojans. I was on the mound warming up before the game and there was a deafening chant of “PJ SUCKS” from our wonderful fans, but since we were on their turf, a wide majority of the fans were in their ugly ass USC cardinal red and gold. UCLA Bruin blue and gold looks a lot better. I could see her mother, father and her other older sister in the crowd and I knew we were going to make a statement against these bitches. But PJ walked out from the home dugout and she spat right on the home field as our fans were booing her. She started egging them on and their fans started cheering “PJ ROCKS!!” It was chaos and the game hadn’t even started. We batted first, but our first two batters went down to Gwen’s pitching. Gwen had a screwball from hell; you just didn’t know which way that damn thing was going to go and I could see Monet in the bullpen laughing. Then Angel came up; Gwen had gotten her ass kicked by Angel back in New Orleans, where they both are from, when Gwen saw Angel talking to her boyfriend, who as it turned out, was Angel’s cousin. Gwen landed one punch and I heard Angel pounded the crap out of her while Monet, who’s friends with Gwen and Angel, stood there and watched. That’s when it happened. Gwen threw a fastball that hit Angel on the shoulder. Now see, it’s one thing to be a bunch of bitches, but hitting one of our batters is taking it too far. Angel took her base, but Jessica grounded out to end the inning. I could here PJ yapping from her catcher’s squat to all four of our first batters… I just hated this trash-talking bitch. I heard she was a very nice person off the field and the best teammate or training buddy you could have, but she didn’t act that way on the field. But no matter, it was my turn to get payback.
First up was Jelena, who almost always got a hit, but I was able to make her chase two sliders and I got her with a sinker on the outside corner that she grounded to first base where Big Bertha Perry was waiting, since we had Angel in the outfield… don‘t laugh. Second up in the lineup is supposed to be PJ, but I didn’t look at the batting order or see who was in the on deck circle when I faced Jelena. When June stepped up to the plate, my anger peaked. Of course! They had changed the batting order because of the injury to Ciara and the addition of June and the order was now Jelena, June, Brandy, then PJ. June and PJ both made me sick, but for different reasons, but this was just too much for me. I felt like a fat kid at an Italian buffet, and the look on her face was just as mean as mine. Okay, come on bitch! June, like Jelena and Brandy, was a switch hitter, both in her lovelife and at the plate. She batted left hander against right handed pitchers and right handed against left handed pitchers. So against me, she was batting right handed. I threw a fastball right down the middle and she blasted it to left field. For a second, I thought I had fucked up completely, but when Angel ran it down and caught it, I looked at June and smiled… two outs, and Brandy coming up.
Brandy was next and the fans got their cameras out to take pictures and all that other shit. Brandy was way ahead of pace to become the all time leader in homeruns, hits, and runs batted in (RBI). Jessica came out of her catcher’s squat and came to the mound to talk to me.
Jessica- What do you think? We’ve got two outs; walk her?
Me- It’s just the first inning. Why are you out here now? Let’s get this bitch out.
Jessica- Okay, but remember, we gotta get them back for Angel. You wanna do it now?
Me- Yeah. Let’s do it now.
I stared angrily at the towering Brandy, all 6’4” of redheaded blue eyed tanned skin beauty, with her perfect breasts, flat stomach, well except for that little pouch below her bellybutton, and her big butt and strong legs. Brandy’s batting stance was like Ken Griffey Jr’s; she stood straight up and held her arms in and even with her shoulders because her power would be coming from her big hips. Anything thrown over the plate was fair game, but she was so patient and cool, yet so intimidating. I wanted to strike her out; I really wanted to take my chance because I know how great of a pitcher I am and I wanted Brandy Blaze on my belt. But there’s an unwritten rule in baseball and softball; actually, there are many unwritten rules, but this one was about to come to the surface. I threw a fastball right at her shoulder. But she stepped back, twisted her body, swung the bat and hit the ball. I remember thinking why the hell she didn’t just get hit and take a base and then, it occurred to me that I was going to be on ESPN tonight… she hit a homerun off a pitch that I threw at her damn shoulder. And it wasn’t any homerun; it was upper deck.
I looked at my catcher and I shook my head from side to side, but all that was erased when PJ stepped to the plate. You just have to shake it off when someone hit’s a homerun off of you. Brandy will go down in history as the greatest female softball player of all time and I had a game to win and a message to send. PJ was left handed, so I knew that being left handed myself, this would be more obvious. As soon as she crouched down and extended her arms outward in her batting stance, I threw one right at her head. I knew she would bring her shoulder up, so I threw a splitter, which would rise over her shoulder and drop right into her face quickly. I laughed because I knew from the noise she made, that I had got her in the mouth and her batting helmet came off too, or maybe she threw it off. She wanted some Bruin love and now, she got it. I saw her drop the bat and put her hands on her hips and look at me. I wasn’t afraid of her; I could hear Jessica telling her, “Take your base, Pammy; don’t start no stuff, won’t be no stuff.” And I saw PJ smile and jog to first base, laughing and telling Jessica, “You need to tell Ann to get her shit under control. I can’t hit ‘em like Brandy.” What the fuck was wrong with this bitch? They hit us first; the unwritten rule is that I’m supposed to hit one of their batters. But I had to get my focus back on the task at hand.
Beth White, the beautiful but cold faced third baseman, with her short black hair and curvy body, stepped up. I had pitched against Beth before and I knew she was a patient power hitter; she didn’t take any chances or chase any pitches. I threw a sinker away and I ducked as Jessica caught the ball and threw it over my head. PJ stole second base, but I heard an “Ahhh!!” as Amy the Dirty Bird was down holding her leg and the ball went over her head to Tasha “Too Tall” Marks, our 6’5” center fielder from Compton. PJ took off running and stole third base and I ran over to see what happened to Amy.
Amy- That bitch PJ!! She slid in with her spikes up!!
I saw Amy’s leg was bleeding from beneath her pants; PJ broke another unwritten rule. Usually when a batter goes for a steal, she slides head first, but this bitch slid feet first and slid with her foot up so that the cleats on the bottom of her shoe could take out Amy. You don’t do shit like that. That’s why I hated that bitch and with two outs, she was in scoring position on third base. I heard Jessica yelling at PJ, “Bitch, I dare you to try to steal home plate!! I fucking dare you!!” But PJ just smiled and stuck her tongue out at our all star catcher, and shouted back, “I’m coming, sweatheart; I’ll be there shortly!”
Amy was tough and she was going to play through the pain. So, that was twice PJ did something and it wasn’t even the end of the inning yet. Then PJ turns and starts taunting Jessie Ross, our third baseman, who’s really short-tempered, and she’s taunting our reserves who are in the dugout. I turned and looked at Beth, who stared back stoically and assumed her batting stance. Then I turned to look at Amy; I picked up the small sandbag and tossed it around in my left hand. Maybe Jessica would give me a signal for something low so I could get Beth to ground out or pop it up. Then I heard the crowd and turned around to see PJ running for home. I threw the ball as hard as I could to Jessica, but she wasn’t even looking for the ball. PJ lowered her shoulder and bulled Jessica over violently, knocking her flat on her back, then stepped over her, touching her foot on the base like she was nothing. I rushed over to see about Jessica immediately as PJ had her back to me. I couldn’t take it anymore; I tackled her from behind and the fight was on.
Tbc…
