Alright, let’s talk about this Cape League Standings thing, whatever that is. Sounds fancy, like somethin’ the city folks yap about. But I’ll try to make sense of it, just like I do with them tangled-up chicken wires.
So, from what I gather, this Cape League, it’s about baseball. You know, that game with the stick and the ball? City boys love it. Apparently, these young fellas, college boys they say, they come to this Cape Cod place in the summer to play ball. Seems like a waste of good sunshine to me, should be helpin’ with the harvest, but hey, to each their own.
Now, this “standings” part, that’s just a fancy word for who’s winnin’ and who’s losin’. Like keepin’ score, but with more numbers and such. They play a whole bunch of games, somethin’ like 44 they say. That’s a lot of runnin’ around in the heat, if you ask me.
- They got this “regular season” thing. That’s just when they play all them games, I guess.
- Then they got this “postseason,” where the best teams fight it out. Sounds like a cockfight, but with bats and balls.
- And they got these “quarterfinals” and “semifinals,” more fancy words for who’s movin’ on and who’s goin’ home.
This league, it ain’t new. They been doin’ this since, well, since before I was born, and that’s sayin’ somethin’. They say it started way back in 1923, but some folks say even earlier, like 1885. That’s a long time to be hittin’ balls and runnin’ around.
Now, these boys, they ain’t just any boys. They say they’re the best college players in the whole country. Their coaches, they send ‘em to this Cape League to get better. I reckon it’s like sendin’ a calf to pasture to fatten it up. These boys, they’re tryin’ to get to the “major leagues,” whatever that is. Sounds like a big deal, like sellin’ your prize-winning pumpkin at the county fair. They say a whole bunch of these fellas end up playin’ on TV, makin’ big money. More money than I ever seen in my life, I bet.
So, this “Cape League Standings,” it tells you who’s on top. Who’s winnin’ the most games, who’s hittin’ the ball the farthest, and who’s pitchin’ the fastest. It’s important for these boys, ’cause if they do good, they get noticed. They get closer to that “major league” dream. It’s like plantin’ a seed and hopin’ it grows into a big ol’ watermelon.
They keep track of all sorts of things, not just wins and losses. They got statistics, they call ’em. Like how many times a fella hits the ball, how many times he runs around them bases, and how many times he makes the other fellas miss the ball. It’s all numbers and figgerin’. Makes my head spin, just thinkin’ about it.
This year, they say the Harwich Mariners won the whole shebang. They beat the Bourne Braves. See, they even got names for their teams, like them city folks do for their dogs. Mariners and Braves, sounds like somethin’ out of a storybook. Anyway, Harwich, they won the championship. That means they was the best team this year. They get a fancy cup, I guess, and bragging rights. Probably a whole lot of patting on the back and hollerin’. Like when we win the blue ribbon at the pie contest, but bigger, I reckon.
And get this, they got something called “Pitcher of the Week”. Sounds like someone’s good at throwin’ that ball. Every week they pick the fella who did the best job hurlin’ that ball. Just like pickin’ the best tomato from the garden every week. This year they were talkin’ about week seven in August. Probably means the fella threw the ball real hard and the other fellas couldn’t hit it. Makes sense to me, hard to hit somethin’ you can’t see comin’.
They have a big tryout too, to see who gets to play in the league. It’s in a place called Wareham. Coaches gotta recommend their players, kinda like vouching for them, sayin’ “yep, this boy’s good enough”. And the boys gotta follow some rules, can’t be playin’ in other leagues at the same time or somethin’. Seems mighty complicated, just to hit a ball and run around, but I guess that’s how they do things in the city.
So, that’s the gist of it, as far as I can tell. This Cape League Standings, it’s just a way of keepin’ track of who’s winnin’ and losin’ in this summer baseball thing. It’s important to those boys and their coaches, and I guess it’s important to the folks who like to watch ‘em play. Me? I’d rather be watchin’ my tomatoes grow. But hey, to each their own, right? They play their games, and I’ll tend my garden, and that’s just the way it is.
