Inside the Nahant Softball Stands

A strange thing happens when people are enthusiastic about a certain event. The Championship Series, and all of the playoffs for that matter, have been worth watching, and has been shown by the crowds that flock to the Lowlands Softball Field for the past two weeks. The fans gather in the right field box seats(the only seats) around 5:50 PM and set up thier chair of choice, some like a lawn chair, some like the tri-folds, others just a run-of-the-mill beach chair.

Teams that are in the league gather in groups to discuss how they should be in the finals and how depressing it is, not only to be not playing, but to be watching mens softball in general. In this town, in this year, this means something, a whole lot of something. Unknowns sit alone and try and find a small window of vision through the drunk section headed by the Green Sox and their ardent companions, NFL. Consuming incredible amounts of alcohol some fans in this section are beyond the legal limit by the third inning. Cow-bell ringing, mouth jawing, drunks, who seem like all they have come to do is will the Barbarians to lose.

The Brickyard will draw over three generations of fans, including their children, wives, mothers, and grandparents, who will undoubtedly be sitting in play at tonights game. The Barbarians fans are in attendance, but in disguise, being outnumbered and outwilled. The commisioner arrives at game time with a bundle of new balls that will likely become deposited with the other fossils of balls from years past. Charlie Sanphy, a senior official, arrives late, on an orange vespa scooter, and greets the fans with a tip of his cap and a spit of chew.

Players from years past often show up to check on the status of the league and explain to the faithful crowd how good they were, and their plans for a comeback. Future hall-of-famers like Tony "Scoopy" Lorenza slither through the fans looking to spark conversation and a ballot vote into the hall-of-fame. Unfortunetely for Tony, off the field problems could keep him out of the hall, regardless of whether he has the career hits record.

As the sun sets on the games, and fans scatter towards their cars, the blood that was lost during the games percolates deep into the Lowlands Field soil. As the season comes to an end the blood, sweat, and tears that were shed during the 2007 season will rest until the next year, and the next title.