Some of you might have guessed that this chapter is heavily based on "life experiences". Be it losing my glasses, running slow, or just plain being chosen last for teams -- been there, done that.

So back in the late 80's, my parents signed me up for a neighborhood girls' softball league. To this day, I'm not sure if it was because my brother was in baseball, my dad wanting at least one of us to be decent at his favorite sport (aside from golf), my mom's idea for us to be well-exercised, or my grandfather's idea to have us both play baseball so he could happily watch from the sidelines.

My team was called the "Burples" - a name chosen by my teammates. (It was a running gag among some of the girls to call out "burples" whenever someone burped out loud... I don't get it either.) Early on, everyone got nicknames. Mine was...

...wait for it...

Scooby-Dum

To top things off, I was #1. It quickly dawned on me that we were numbered not by name -- we were ranked by skill - from worst to best.

Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately?) I don't have my softball team photo with me here, so this drawing will have to do -- as the closest representation I can sketch from memory. ^^;

To this day, I still think we should have been called the "Looney Tunes"...