Adding injury to injury

My left ankle, the one that's caused me so much trouble this year, was already reinforced by sturdy slabs of plastic. This weekend's tournament would be a big test for the plastic and for my recovery. In the first game, we lost a man to an injury and I bummed support for my other ankle which must have been compensating. Other than a forearm to my jaw, the first game provided only minor aches and pains all around. I would not be so fortunate in the second game. Late in the first half, my right calf cramped up. I was left writhing on the field. After an infusion of bananas and Gatorade, I was able to return to the game. I played for a while, even grabbing a Callahan (defensive score) at one point. Then my left calf decided to get in on the cramping. More writhing ensued. We lost the second game and I went on to play a few points in the third game. My right hamstring decided to join in on the fun. I was running out of body parts to cramp.

I thought I was done for the day, but I really didn't want to be. My team needed me. We were playing a fresh young team with lots of subs. At this point, we had no male subs. I paced the sidelines, massaged my legs, drank the juice and crammed bananas and salty chips past my sore jaw. The team was holding off the opponent, but it wasn't easy. Every so often, I'd try a little jog to see how I was feeling. There wasn't much improvement. I was jogging down the sideline just before halftime. I jogged past a large dog. I'd passed him at least twice before, but this time he jumped up and bit me in the side. Other than the terror I initially felt at having a 100 pound beast lunging at my unformed love handles, it just stung a little. Still, I felt a little strange, because after all, A DOG BIT ME!?!

I couldn't play. I had teeth marks on my side. My team was hanging on for dear life. I felt bad. Powerless. Bitten. A few more points went by. I jogged lightly in the other direction and noticed that my leg pain had gone away. Just as a test, I hopped up a little. No twinging in the calves. I sped up. I felt fine. On the next point I announced that I was good for a point or two if anyone needed a rest. My teammates were happy to take me up on the offer. I scored a few, made some defensive plays and we wrapped up the victory. In the vein of spiderman, perhaps the bite had given me superpowers.

Or rabies.