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My favorite softball field, on which we play several games each season, is
Field #4 at Riverside Park at 108th Street. I like this field for a number
of reasons:
 It was the field where, as a walk-on, I met members of SFTLOI for the first time, several
years ago
It was the field where, in my first "Lawyers' Softball League"
game after I joined my firm as an associate, I faced the team of the guy who
was the Captain of my high school's baseball team (which I failed to make
all four years, prompting me to play intramural softball instead), and hit a
redemptive home run
in my first at-bat as my team went on to victory
It, although in a poor state of repair, is esthetically very
appealing, with the (unfortunately often glare-inducing) Hudson behind and the hills of New Jersey in the
distance, and a promenade beyond and above the field which facilitates
occasional spectators (and/or victims of home runs returning to Earth)
It has a high Fenway-like fence which I can still thankfully reach on
occasion
The following is a brief tour of the facility. You can click on each
thumbnail picture to see a larger image.
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Walking north along the Riverside Park promenade, you see
the various fields (there are four in all) to your left below.
Further to your left is the West Side Highway, then the Hudson, then New
Jersey beyond. Take a deep breath. |
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As you approach the field, the sense of excitement grows
(although it may, in fact, be a touch of vertigo, perhaps coupled with
food poisoning). You begin to
get a sense of the altitude a batted ball must achieve to make it over
the wall. |
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Standing directly over the outfield, keeping an eye out
for the occasional liner headed for your cranium, you discern the
surroundings, the overhanging trees. You may sit on a bench and
enjoy the game from your free "sky-box." |
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At field level, walking away from the highway, you look
through the wire fence to behold the grandeur of the area beyond
(reading this, the words "Get A Life!" may come to
mind). The fence lurks in the far-off, dusty horizon. |
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You step up to the plate (actually, you
step down to it, as there is always a subway-like ditch on either side
which you must climb out of after you hit a ball should you desire to
reach base). Your pulse quickens with excitement. |
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If, as a runner, you get confused and
head straight towards "The Wall," you appreciate the majesty
of the edifice (take that guy's thesaurus away). Hopefully, the
ball you hit will travel further than you have. |
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