A sucker for triples

I hate sounding all mature after five months of trying, but playing has become different. I realize that I took a lot of things for granted back when I played. As a kid I just knew how to play, the skills and the tactics were embedded by years of practice and repetition. They were never a subject of second thoughts. Now most of this knowledge has gone and before I start moving, I have to break up every action in steps. I'm aware that I am playing. Remember? It's my ass again. And there's a checklist of steps stapled to it.
I've always been a sucker for triples. Now that I'm reading about defense, I suddenly realize why. Home runs cause disappointment, but triples cause devastation. In fact, I love them even better now, the elegant hit causes so much hurting.
A home run is a fact of life. It's between the batter and the pitcher and there's nothing the team can do. There's the pitch, there's the crack and there it goes. It's always a boost to the game, but a short lived one. Once the ball is over the fence, the crowd celebrates the player. Home runs are about power. But if you see, say 4 home runs in a game once a season, it becomes... boring.
Like home runs triples are also about results, but they've got this killer extra called 'the play'. No matter where they are hit, they are always long balls. I like them mid high and low. The long ones hardly reach the height of the fences, they shoot right out of the infield but lose speed later on 'till they almost float into the cushions. The low ones keep their speed if they reach the outfield gutters in four, five mighty bounces. Bonus points for touching chalk, double for touching bases.
Let's take an average triple. A line drive up the alley between center and right field, in the gutter. Second base and short stop line up for the play at third. The right fielder throws it to the second, who relays it to third. The runner slides head first and he's just safe. While played by the book, this action leaves another tense situation coming up, an overdose of adrenaline in everybody who saw that triple and six pissed off fielders.
The pitcher is glad that he survived the screaming line drive and realizes he is out of credit. The second baseman blames himself for missing the line drive and for the poor throw at third. The shortstop blames the outfielder for not going through him for the play at three and he just hates second base. The outfielders blame themselves for lining up wrong, 20 feet to the right and it would have been a base hit. Third base missed the tag out because of a bad throw and he is goddamn grumpy. The team is in a shambles. It has become nine individual problems. Triples are about intimidation.
Now isn't this beautiful? One ball, one hit and we have this drama in the making: the pitcher who can't settle for less than a strike out. The batter who senses a two base hit and a heroic rbi. The crowd is still excited while the next batter is coming up. There's shouting from the dugouts. The coaches are gesturing. The batter steps up to the plate and digs his right foot deep into the gravel. Need I go on? There is no such thing as a boring triple and sometimes they last forever.