As I mentioned in a blog Monday, I'm participating in a "celebrity" home run derby Thursday, with benefits going to the YMCA. AirTran is donating $10,000 for me to join nine other media types in this derby for a very good cause.

And I'm nervous as all get out.

While I'm confident I could smoke a few fastballs from "pitcher" Davey Nelson, I'm less confident in my ability to crank a slow-pitch softball over Helfaer Field's 200-ft. fences. So, with less than 24 hours until the competition, I dragged Todd, an old friend and general well-wisher to the batting cages today.

The results were comical.

We drove to New Berlin, home of Mike Hegan's Field of Dreams. Of course, we didn't call first, and they were closed, so we drove to Waukesha's Swing Time, 1601 E. Main St., and stepped into the cages.

I put in $10 for 150 pitches of fast-pitch and slow-pitch softball. There's no way to tell what would and wouldn't be a homer, but I'm confident I got some good wood on several pitches. Whether I can string together any long balls during live pitching, among the heckles of my media colleagues, remains to be seen.

Of course, the session ended a little strangely. On my last token, I got beamed in the face by an errant ricochet from a fastball that Todd hit in the stall next to mine (no, I wasn't wearing a helmet). Dazed, throbbing and just a little bit bloodied, I stood back in to take my final hacks.

So, here I am. My arms feel a little rubbery, my cheek is numb and a little bruised, but I can, in fact, hit a softball.

Tomorrow, I will repeat my mantra: Wait for the ball to come to me. Don't overswing, but make sure to hit with a slight uppercut. And either wear or helmet or at the very least, watch out for the ricochet.

Update: The derby was postponed due to rain. When it's rescheduled, I'll post a follow-up blog. Back to the batting cages!