The Slice: Baserunner was out by an ear

Let’s start with another great moment in Inland Northwest softball.

A friend of mine was playing first base at Underhill Park. “I don’t have the strongest arm in the world,” he said, explaining being at that position.

There was a runner on first when the batter hit a grounder to my friend’s right. He backhanded it and came up throwing, hoping to get the guy headed for second.

His throw caught the runner behind the ear. He went down as if shot with a deer rifle.

Several of the other team’s fans rushed onto the field. “For a minute, it looks like I’m the one who’s going to get hurt,” wrote my friend.

But cooler heads prevailed, as they say. And my friend found himself wondering if maybe he did have a decent arm after all.

From The Slice Blog: Agree or disagree: Just about everyone’s “My worst sunburn” story is pretty entertaining.

I happen to think that is true.

Tell me yours and I’ll tell you mine.

Mere trifle of an item: Last weekend’s round of “You’re not a newcomer if you remember …” prompted lots of follow-ups from readers. One, a mention of Wandermere Lake’s days long ago as a summertime recreation center, made me wonder about something.

You probably knew this. But to the British, “mere” can refer to any expanse of standing water.

So if you found yourself weary of a certain local summertime expression, you could declare that you were “going to the mere.”

Or not.

Trained to remember: “I grew up near a railroad crossing,” wrote Wanda Powers. “Last week I was first in line as a train was crossing the tracks in my old neighborhood. Nothing makes this 60-year-old woman feel more like a kid again than waiting at a railroad crossing, waving at the engineer — and having the engineer wave back.”

Language arts: Wade Griffith wonders if “Paterno” is evolving toward becoming a noun that refers to a dark secret that would change an image or popular perception if revealed.

Follow-up: Several readers who grow heirloom varieties pledged to make sure the elderly North Side woman craving a tasty tomato gets her wish.

Today’s Slice question: How long could you tread water?