Nuclear Delight • The Ol' Ball Shame

If there is something I'm worse at than sports, then I'm not sure what it is. Because, man, I'm pretty bad at sports.

I think it stems from a fear of potential injury. I remember once, when I was a small child, I had a group of friends over for a birthday party. One of the events set up there was a small child-sized game of baseball. As the birthday boy, I was stationed at what would've been the pitcher's mound, which positioned me perfectly in the trajectory of the ball's path when one of my friends got a hit. Even though it was a hollow plastic ball, I ended up getting pelted in the face and I'm pretty sure I got a fat lip out of it. Either way, it has emotionally scarred me enough to be one of the few memories I've retained from my childhood.

Fast forward to a few years ago, when I was pitching some wiffle balls to a friend at a different friend's family gathering. Once again, the pitcher's mound proved an inopportune place to stand, as he sent a wiffle ball straight to my chest. While it wasn't as bad as the face incident, adults can bat with decidedly more power than toddlers, and my chest stung for a few minutes afterward. Which reminds me of a separate event a few years prior, where this same friend hit me in the throat with a ping-pong ball on a power strike.

This was a long-winded way of explaining that I generally associate participation in sports with getting beat up in some fashion, which isn't the greatest disposition to have to cultivate the growth of skills in said endeavors. This is why I prefer sleeping; I have sustained significantly fewer injuries in my sleep than while I've been awake. Sleep is safe. Sleep is love.

In other news: I've started up a Patreon page, so you should check it out and maybe consider possibly donating if you're a fan of Nuclear Delight! If you're unfamiliar with Patreon, it's a place where people can lend continued financial support to their favorite creators, even if it's only a dollar each month. And not only will you receive the satisfaction of knowing that you're giving something to those creators, but you will often get some bonus goodies for doing so, too--I'm currently offering rewards ranging from early comic access to online hangout sessions with yours truly. There are more details on the Patreon page, so check it out, and if it's reasonably within your budget, please consider donating. But if you can't or don't want to, that's fine, too: Nuclear Delight will always be free for you to read, and I appreciate even that!