July 26, 2025
Tulsa Rumblers vs. St. Louis Slingers
The Slingers rented a field with lights to host the visiting Tulsa Tumblers. Everyone was excited. Start time was 6p.
The field left lots to be desired. The fence was gone. The infield was overgrown. There weren’t any posts for the bases. There was no mound. And only half the lights worked. In typical sandlot fashion, we made the most of it. The fence and infield could be overlooked, but we needed bases. What to do? The only thing we could; dig our own holes for the base posts. As for the mound, we were at a loss.
Play ball! The Slingers jumped out to the early lead, but soon fell behind. As the sun started setting, we noticed that the right field lights were off. Both switches were turned on, but all that did was light up the vacant soccer field. We continued to play as it grew darker and darker, then the lights went off at 9pm; the bottom of the 8th. After 10 minutes of fiddling, with both teams standing in the dark field, the game was called.
It wasn’t how we wanted to end a great time, but it was the only call. The Rumblers beat the Slingers.