re: Have you ever made a mistake in sports that haunts you?

I was a 20-something playing co-ed softball -- office teams -- pretty low-level stuff.

One game, I hit a double and was standing on second.

The next batter hit a grounder toward a girl in right field. I looked over and thought "Pfft. that girl won't field it, I'm heading home." She fielded it as I was reaching 3rd.

Next thought "she can't make the throw to home". She shocked me with a cannon arm, and rocketed it towards home. I'm at full steam way past 3rd. I'm at full steam now.

I see the catcher is a very pretty, thin, 100 pound early 20s African American girl. I figured "Pfft. she'll duck out of the way of the throw with me running like a rhino." Nope, she's standing firm awaiting the ball. I'm committed now.

I'm thinking "she'll drop the ball, and get out of the way." Nope, she's guarding the plate, made the catch when I'm 2 steps from home, looking to tag me.

By this point, I'm too close to slide, and full of adrenaline. She's standing firm, and I'm not going to clash heads with her, and instinct took over. I drop my shoulder, and trucked her. She literally went flying, dropping the ball, her glove, and one of her shoes. I thought they'd have to call an ambulance. I'm not a big guy, but I was pretty fast, and hit her perfectly.

Half of her team is tending to her, and then folks came over and were checking on me sympathetically, saying stuff like "it's cool. You couldn't avoid it. Are you ok?" My best buddy who was standing behind the backstop was waiting to shake his head, and quietly say "I knew you were going to do that, you competitive a-hole. You should be ashamed of yourself." He was half smiling, though.

I felt (deservingly) like a piece of shite. I don't know what came over me.

To be fair, she was in the base path.

We won, BTW.