Artist & Writers Charity Softball Game Reflection: Ken Auletta, Writer

Every Saturday for 35 years a group of us play softball in Sag Harbor. Only one Saturday each summer do we play in the Artists & Writers softball game.

I’ve played in the annual game for about 30 years, half of them as captain of the Writers team. We trash talk each year about how we writers plan to thrash the artists, about how they cheat by smuggling in football players and house painters who can slug a ball 400 feet.

In between winks, we’re united in a belief that no matter how foolish we sometimes look on the field, we’re luring fans to contribute to worthwhile local charities; we’re helping fortify a sense of community on the East End; and we’re laughing with, not at, each other.

After the game, which is usually nail-bitingly close, we repair to a pub together to tip a glass and to wait to learn how much money we raised for our favorite local charities.

Ken Auletta will be back on the field for this year’s game on Saturday, August 20 at Herrick Park in East Hampton. Batting practice starts at noon and the first pitch goes out at 2 p.m. Visit artistswritersgame.org for more info.