Throwing the big one back
As I have stated many times in previous posts or in disclaimers, I am not an avid hunter or fisherman. Heck, I'm not even a casual outdoors sportsman to tell you the truth, but recently I experienced the pain and agony that so many avid outdoorsman face when they have to throw the big one back or fail to track down their harvest(Bunnyhuggers are people too you know) on a hunting expedition. How many times have you been in a local tournament and reeled in what you thought was going to be the clincher only to find out that the fish had to be thrown back because of the slot limit? Or how many times have you shot that one perfect trophy deer at dusk and are unable to locate him? If you've been hunting or fishing for any amount of time, then you know exactly what I'm talking about and the aggravation that accompanies such instances. The problem doesn't get any better when you tell pals about it and they all give you the same look that says " Sure you did(Fill in your name)". Not only did you miss the big one, but now your compadres are questioning your integrity(let's face it, everybody has exaggerated here and there when it comes to the outdoors) and you're faced with a daunting decision. Do I continue to tell folks and possibly incur more outrageous looks or do I just keep the story to myself? I can't answer that question for you, that is for each man to decide himself, but I can tell you that I recently attended a NL baseball game between the Houston Astros and the New York Mets in which I caught a homerun ball off the bat of perennial All-Star Outfielder Carlos Beltran. Amid all the jostling for the aforementioned ball, my heart jumped for joy as I knew that I would have sole possession of the Beltran launched ball and a great souvenir for the weekend trip. As I was grinning from ear to ear knowing that the erstwhile projectile was mine forever, my heart sank as I heard the Astro faithful chanting "Throw it back, throw it back!". This is somewhat customary in major league ballparks, especially if the guy used to play for that team and left them for the greener pastures(money). After a quick (terrified)look from my wife(who actually secured the ball with her rear-end), I heaved the ball back onto the field from which it came and tried to enjoy the rest of the game. You notice that I said "tried to enjoy" as I couldn't get over the fact that I just had a great catch in my hand and I had to throw it back. I do indeed know the pain that all you outdoorsman have had to suffer before when throwing the big one back or not being able to find that trophy deer, now if I could just get all my friends to stop looking at me like I was lying.
