Married To Baseball

Room Service.

Jailyn~

"I'm ordering us room service," Christian comments, grabbing the phone and menu provided in our hotel room. Nodding, I turn my attention back to our TV as he goes to place the order. We've got an early flight back to Milwaukee tomorrow; neither of us feels too compelled to go out for the night on our last night in Boston. The lingering excitement that the All-Star game brings also plays a part in our decision to stay in.

Christian starts talking on the phone, pulling my attention for another moment as he heads into the bedroom of our suite, winking at me before closing the door behind him. He's up to something. Whatever it is, I'm sure it's harmless. Looking back to the TV, I continue watching my team's game stream. They've got just about a month before the World Softball Series, and with the rate the girls have been playing, we've got a spot because we're the host country. The only bright spot we've got is Carly finally getting more recognition. Even with the team underperforming and looking absolutely lost, Carly's holding her own with the highest batting average in the league. While I've always known she's incredible, it's nice to see her getting the spotlight a little bit, especially when you factor in that she's batting over .500.

Plenty of other girls are producing and having productive seasons, but everyone seems to never have it together to make it work as a whole. As individual as this sport can be, it still takes nine people to field the team. Sydney and Carly are both pretty consistent occasionally, there's an off day or two, but that's going to happen to anyone. Natasha has settled into her role a little better than that first game but still seems apprehensive at the plate. Taylor has been good as a pitcher; it's just hard not to compare her to Monica or Cat. She's good, but she's nowhere near where the two of them were when I got to witness them. Lynayah is also pretty new, but she's got a ton of potential; she just needs to quit letting little mistakes throw off her whole game. She and Taylor have had a couple of fantastic games already; they just need to stay consistent and trust each other a little more.

After just shy of two innings, Christain makes his reappearance. "What did you order that took you that long?" I ask, watching him as he makes his way back to join me on the couch.

"You'll see," He replies, chuckling at my attitude before glancing at the TV, "You carried that team."

Rolling my eyes, I shake my head, knowing he's referencing our 0-5 score, "They've got no consistency outside of Carly and Syd. Either the team has a good day, or one person does and everyone else just expects that to be enough."

"Well, yeah," Christian laughs, "The last four and a half years it was more than enough with you." Once again, rolling my eyes, I try not to get annoyed that there's some truth to that. Yeah, we won a lot of games, but the last year it wasn't because we were playing well. "You being gone might actually be a good thing for them in the long run. Obviously, it sucks for you, but maybe they'll figure out the fundamentals again."

"I guess," I reply, "It's just a lot more outside pressure on me when I come back."

Christian scoffs, chuckling to himself, "As if the general public's opinion has mattered to you. Smile Back being your walk-up takes away that argument." It's hard not to laugh at his point; it's valid, to say the least. "Have I ever told you how much I love your ego on the field, by the way?"

"Probably," I laugh, knowing I can get a little cocky when competing, "You probably see that side more than anyone else, though."

"Maybe," Christian agrees, "Still hot, though."

"You're so dumb," I laugh, grinning at my husband as his hand squeezes my leg while he laughs with me. "Did they say how long it'd take for the food to get here?"