Reigning CMA Female Vocalist of the Year Carrie Underwood will perform at 2008 CMA Music Festival in Nashville, Friday, June 6, as part of the Nightly Concerts on the VAULT Concert Stage at LP Field.. Photographer: Andrew Eccles, courtesy of Arista Nashville. Provided by Country Music Association.
June 5, 2008 — Given that her signature song has a line about taking a "Louisville slugger to both headlights," it’s appropriate that Carrie Underwood was the lead-off batter for the Grand Ole Opry Live team at yesterday’s 18th annual City of Hope Celebrity Softball Challenge at Nashville’s Greer Stadium.
"I’ve got a lot of practice with a bat one way or another the last couple years," she said before the game.
It wasn’t enough, however, to overcome Blair Garner’s After Midnight team, which won by a score of 8-1 behind the pitching of Jo Dee Messina. Jo Dee walked Carrie in the first inning, but had a shutout going into the final inning, ultimately earning Player of the Game honors. Joe Nichols made a nice play on a one-hopper at shortstop, Sara Evans caught a foul pop-up along the third-base line, and Jake Owen — not only does he make hit records, he can hit a softball. He drilled a triple past a diving left fielder and added a line-drive single over third later in the game.
The best news for all was that the game went without an injury. There was certainly some concern about that before the national anthem was ever sung.
"I’m probably gonna get hit in the face with the ball, and we’re moving into wedding season," Sara noted.
In fact, the stars already had a litany of old bumps and bruises from previous softball and baseball experiences. Keith Anderson tore a rotator cuff in a tryout for the Kansas City Royals; Joe Nichols broke an elbow and a knee, in addition to tearing muscles and tendons; and Phil Vassar actually cracked two ribs when he played in the City of Hope event four years ago.
"This is a sign of getting old," shortstop Chris Cagle asserted. "This morning I went to put on my cleats, and I think I pulled some cartilage in my ribs. I don’t know what I did. I reached down, and it was just like, ‘Bink!’ And it kind of freaked me out."
In one of the plays that came closest to potential damage, "American Gladiator" Hollywood Yates slid into home just before an attempted tag by GAC host Storme Warren, who was catching with a pink — yes, a pink! — glove. Storme’s own glove disappeared, and in its place, he was given a pink, child-size glove by a woman dressed as Minnie Pearl. The price tag was not attached. And Storme was unharmed by Hollywood’s run-scoring slide.
One artist did suffer an injury in a completely different softball game this week. Carolina Rain’s Marvin Evatt tore shoulder ligaments when he slid into first base during the Cops and Jocks charity game on Tuesday. The injury was bad enough that he was taken to a local hospital. After X-rays, he went back to the field and performed with the band. He’s also expected to join the group in a Riverstages concert during the CMA Music Festival on Sunday.