goodbye, dear Gnats

Admittedly, in years past, I have taken my boys of summer a little for granted, with spotty attendance for the home games.
Not so this year.
This was, after all, their last year here.
True, there will still be baseball at the stadium, but... it will not be the same, of course. "The same, but different", as one of my Lunch Ladies would say.
Last night was the final game of the season. Even though school has begun and I had lecture and lab responsibilities, I was there anyway, hoping to soak up those last innings. Turns out the field was too soggy for play, but I was still allowed to throw a first pitch. Hooray!

[This photo is from the Sand Gnats' facebook page.]

Sure, the Savannah Sand Gnats will be back for a Playoff game on the 11th, but that isn't part of the regular season. That's extra baseball because the boys have played so well this year. They won the first half of the SAL season in the Southern Division, with 39 wins out of 70 games played, guaranteeing them a slot in the Playoffs. (Amazingly, they've done that for five of the last six years.)
To top it off, they made an amazing comeback, including a 19-game winning streak, to also win the second half, with 44 wins (and a tied game) out of 65 games played. That bodes well for them becoming the SAL Champions once more.
How awesome that would be before they are forced to go to Columbia, SC! Up on top, with a BANG!, not a whimper.
However it may turn out, I have certainly enjoyed these twenty years in their company.
And these past five months especially, bittersweet as they may have been at times. I have had to concentrate only on the game at hand as I cheered them on. To allow my thoughts to wander to the finality ahead would have had me in tears at every game.
That's a lot of tears.
The first home game was back in April, ya know.
It's now September and there have been seventy-two home games, though some of those dates were rain-outs in other towns, leading to doubleheaders here. (The southeast has a bit of a rainy season in the summer.)
Again, that's a lot of tears.

Bill and I split the Season Tickets this year. Each of us had thirty home tickets. I gave him all of the Thirsty Thursday tickets and the "Bark in the Park" Sunday ones, too, for him and Tucker. He had all of the Dollar Monday games, too. That way, he had tickets to share with others! After all, who would use an $8 ticket when one buck is all that is needed?
(smile)
He got the Monday and Wednesday tickets for those nights in April, May, and August when I had class and lab. Plus, I gave him the June tickets for those travel days I had already planned to Alabama, North Carolina, and south Florida.
(By the way, I had deliberately chosen the dates in June to coincide with a minimal number of missed games. Planning is good!)

Like I said, we both had thirty home games, not including the two extra games which were played here for rain-outs elsewhere. All in all, there were twelve days that had doubleheaders, either here or away and only two games that did not get played, anywhere, because of rain.
That's pretty amazing, especially when you consider how much rain falls in July and August. I don't know if anyone has kept statistics on such things. I've only taken the time to tabulate it because it was the last summer at Grayson Stadium for my boys.
Bill and I actually made it to four games together this year! His work schedule tends to get in the way, but we hit the ground running for the very first game, and even made it to another game the next week in April! That was it until my birthday in May, when he sprang for box seats on the third base line. July 2 saw us together again, shouting encouragement and telling the Sand Gnats to "get a hit, hit, hit!" And we managed to get in one more time, just a few days ago, during a doubleheader against Augusta, when he joined me for the second game.
That's not to say I went solo to those other games. Oh, no! My first niece and her family joined me several times, as did my karaoke buddy, Sandy. There was even a night there with Live Out Loud!
And on those occasions when I did go stag to the game, I was never alone. I had the company of other regulars, like Mister Willie Smith, Bruce the Riverdog fan, the Tuten Boys (Jack and his dad), Fran Luce and her husband Jim, and, of course, the "Sweet Caroline" girls, Lauri and Lynn Engler. There were other regulars, too, like Candace and her dad, that I knew passing well.
I'm going to miss being with this crowd.
Some I will still see, but others are out of my regular loops. The only time I ever saw those folks was at the games.
Still, we will meet again. We have a Playoff game on the 11th, and perhaps another on the 12th.
I can hardly wait!

stray thoughts about baseball games past

For those who aren't versed in such things, the above photo was taken after a winning game. In this case, the game was played on our turf and we won, so the Sand Gnats players all ran back out onto the field for some congratulatory, glove-knocking, high fives. Woohoo!
Last night was the last game of our first home stand. I was teaching, as that's what I do on Monday and Wednesday evenings, as I have done for twenty years now.
I missed the game.
That led me to looking through the "drafts" folder on my phone, flipping through notes made at games past. For the sake of clearing up some space on my seven-year-old flip phone, those notes are going to be moved here for safe keeping.
Let's just hope I remember where they are!

***** ***** *****

The following were all before the death of my stepbrother, George, in September, 2013. How can I be sure they predate his death?
When I had visited him in the hospital, I shared a baseball joke with him. In return, he shared a joke with me. I still have the punchline in my "drafts" folder.

A balk, a sliding center field catch, a double play - all b4 the 3rd inning!

My boys! My boys! My boys are on fire! 2 runs in the 1st, 2 sliding catches in the 2nd! Then a 3rd run in the 2nd!

Such a pretty catch and throw by SS! Almost like he was dancing!

***** ***** *****

These other lines are from the 2014 baseball season.

Man on third brought in by a balk, third and short dancing under a pop and allowing our man to get a double.
Our guy makes it to third on a wild pitch, but catcher tried to throw him out but threw WILD and our guy picked himself up from his slide into third and ran, making it to home between the catcher's legs, his feet hitting home as the catcher got the ball.
"SAFE!", the umpire called.
Yeah!

My tongue tripped around my eyetooth and I couldn't see what I was saying.

I made Willie speechless! Lol.
We were talking about the SAL hierarchy and I was rattling it off, then turned to him and asked, "Right?"
He laughed and laughed!

of hotdogs and baseball in the air

Here's hoping Thursday will be dry.
The weather, that is.
The stadium certainly will not be!
Unless, of course, the skies fall.
Then Thursday will be wet.
Let's hope not!

This was Fan Appreciation Day for the Sand Gnats.
They had their first game last Thursday, but not here.
Our first home game will be this Thursday.
I hope.
Unless we have heavy rains.


With a hopeful heart, I picked up the season ticket holder package, which I am splitting with my artist friend, Bill. Last year, I had given him his very own package, but I simply did not have the funds to splurge this year. I have already promised him all of the Thursday night games, as well as those on Mondays and Wednesdays this month, while the semester winds down.
To make sure of an equitable split of the season tickets, I also spent the $25 for me to be a Sand Gnats Silver Slugger. In return, I have thirteen tickets to various games, mostly on Sundays and Tuesdays. So, for those games, I gave the season tickets to Bill, so we can both go together. That will be nice!
Then I gave him all of the Monday games. Mondays are the Kroger discount days, so I can get in for just a buck. (He can, too, then allow those tickets to be exchanged for another game. One of the great benefits of season tickets!)
After the split was done, I counted the tickets he was receiving.
Thirty-five.
Exactly half!
Very nice!
The season ticket holder T-shirt, shown above?
That's for the man who's living large!
Me? I have a snazzy, blue, Silver Sluggers T-shirt!

My brother. Ronnie?
I didn't forget about him!
He got two hot dogs,
a bag of tasty chips,
and a bottle of cold water.
After I had dined at the stadium,
I grabbed a "to go" plate
and went in search of him.
He and Sue Crow were sitting outside Barbara's furniture store, having a smoke and enjoying the breeze.
I joined them, too, for about an hour, chatting and catching up.
It's been a really wonderful day!

better living through volunteering

Dear Tony,

Whew! What a busy couple of weeks I've had! The Savannah Music Festival ended on Saturday night.
By that time, I'd worked for 14 of the 17 days!
Incredible!
I had seen 21 shows, worth a total of $917.
Incredible!
I've heard music from Italy, Ukraine, Brazil, South Africa, France, and nearly every state in the USA! Well, that last part may be stretching it a bit - but not if you include all the states that the various band members were from... and I am! :-)
You know, writing this to you is the first time I've sat down and calculated the worth of my volunteer work. $900 in two weeks for part-time is pretty good money.*
And it was fun, too!
And I met so many new people!
Saturday, I had asked on facebook what to do with my time now that the Music Festival was over.
One of my buddies (Jim Casey) said, "Trick question? The Sand Gnats season starts next week."
Yep, he's absolutely right. The problem is, the first home game isn't until the week after that. Yep, the boys are starting late this year, April 16th. Hopefully that means the nights won't be so cold out there!

with my love!

*if I were to have received the money instead if the free music - but no taxes to pay on the music! Woohoo!

final farewells to fellow beach lovers

Farewell to you, Panda Ann.
Why attach that sobriquet to her given name?
She would have it no other way.
Of that, I am certain.
She chose to be known as Panda, ostensibly because of the huge tattoo on her left side.
Or was it on her right?
She had revealed it one night at the post-Philo Cafe-discussion at Chili's, but that was long enough ago that the details are lost to me.
Perhaps her wardrobe was carefully chosen to reflect that choice in her new identity.
She was always sporting the black hat with her dark clothes.
When did she get the tattoo?
I don't recall ever knowing that.
Was the work done here in town?
Somehow, I doubt it.
I think it more likely that it was done overseas.
Ann Kropf Unemori.
Now, her ashes will travel to Sandusky, Ohio. (That is also the home of the Merry-Go-Round Museum which I visited during my Midwest-Canada Adventure in 2012.)
Her presence will remain here, though, in the form of her son and two daughters. Two of the three have been active in the philosophy group for the past few years. At last Monday's meeting at Savannah Coffee Roasters, her son even proposed a topic that she had requested of him for the coming Monday's discussion. Now, he will chair the upcoming meeting, as her topic was elected by those of us present.
What topic, you may ask?
"What impossible thing has occurred that you never thought would happen?"
I wonder if Daniel will have an answer from her to share with us. I imagine he will, since she had requested that he broach the subject.
I wonder if her answer will involve dying at age 55 while both of your parents are still alive.
Regardless, that should make for a lively round of ideas. I would imagine, though, that the term "impossible" may need to be defined first.
(smile)
Some of her other favorite topics? "Is it better for your enemies to lose or for you to win?" "Who will be left alive when the aliens come?" "Is revenge best served cold or hot?"
Ah, yes, her contrariness will be missed.
And how did I know about her fondness for the beach?
Her son told me.
On Monday, as the six of us (me, Cedric, Connie, Gwen, Ellen, and Daniel) were continuing in each others company at Chili's, as is our wont, he was talking about his mom and her last few days. He related that Cedric had brought his guitar to Hospice and played "Amazing Grace" as the last song. He said how much that song had meant to all of them.
He also spoke of a kindness on the part of the team transferring his mom from the hospital to Hospice. When they asked if there was anywhere she wanted to go, she had responded that she would like to see the ocean, as it had been a while. So, down to Tybee they went. They didn't stay long, but they did set her up so she could enjoy the view one more time.
That was very good of them.
I know she appreciated it greatly.

Marlin was a beach lover, too.
She had found Tybee to her liking thirty years ago and decreed it as her new home.
Living down there and dancing on the sand certainly agreed with her.
I had no idea she was 75 years old.
That's almost Mama's age.
I had thought she was just a few years older than me.
This photo shows how wrong I was about that.
I had snapped it as part of several to commemorate the occasion at the August 11, 2009, ballgame. Dr. Cedric Stratton, the British contingent of Philo Cafe, was to sing the national anthem in his rich baritone and some of us fellow philosophers had come out for morale support.
None of us knew that Carl Fleischaker, the former sailor sitting beside her, would be dead in just three short months.
Marlin took his death very hard. She was especially hurt that the news took so long to get to her. She even quit coming to the philosophy group for a couple of years.
Now, she's gone, too.
Marlin Jeanette Brown-Gordon.
The news about her traveled to interested parties much faster. She would have been pleased about that improvement in communication.
(See? Facebook is good for something, after all.)
I will miss seeing you at the Sand Gnats' games, your mass of platinum curls bowed over the score sheet, your Pink In The Park jersey announcing your presence behind home plate and three rows in front of Mister Willie on the green-painted wooden bleachers.

I will miss both of these women.
I wish I could have known them better.

good for Savannah!

The headline in yesterday's local newspaper proclaimed the latest concerning my lovely boys of summer.
City seeks Gnats' 2016 plans
Would Hardball Capital, owner of the Savannah Sand Gnats, be making use of Grayson Stadium for their spring and summer season in 2016?

You may be wondering why there would even be a question about that. After all, the Gnats have held court in that historic place in Daffin Park for... well... as long as they have been in existence. And before them, the Savannah Braves and Savannah Cardinals played baseball there within its walls.
Many other teams have held their sports competitions there, too. It's even played host to wrestlers and Willie Nelson and beer fests, too.
But, back to the Sand Gnats.
Their current owner (of the past two or three years), maker of the money, is John Katz. He wanted the taxpayers of Savannah to build a new baseball stadium for him and has been lobbying for that ever since he arrived here.
Ludicrous, right?
And he wanted the stadium to be built downtown, to draw in more tourists.
Even more ludicrous.
And the cost of this new stadium would be greater than $10,000,000.
Most ludicrous of all.
For one, organized baseball has better than one hundred years of history here and much of that has occurred at Grayson Stadium. If he were truly interested in having baseball on the agenda of history buffs, then what better location could be dreamt of than this one?
For two, the Truman Parkway has made access from downtown to midtown very easy. Tourists can pop onto the Parkway from several places downtown (Bay Street, Liberty Street, and President Street) and be at the ballpark within twenty minutes or so, thanks to the Victory Street exit. Parking would be a cinch, too, and absolutely free.
For three, the majority of attendees at the baseball games are locals, such as myself. Why steal funds from my pocket to build a new locale when I am already supporting these boys of summer?
Sure, the stadium needs some renovations, like new locker rooms, for one. But, as I recall, those were on the list of items to be addressed several years ago, when the City of Savannah approved the needed funds. Only some of those improvements were actually performed. Why not complete the repairs and changes?
A new stadium, located downtown, is not the answer.
My gratitude to my representatives in the Savannah City Council for not caving to the demands of this man.
Now the ball is in his hands.
Will he choose to keep the team here? Or will he opt to sell it, as have those other owners of the past two decades, who fled Savannah after they were denied a new stadium?
Same dilemma, new people.
It can hardly be called "news", can it?
Real news would be if the owner were to build a new sports complex out of his own pocket and then move the team to that new locale. Would fans follow?
But that isn't going to happen. Spend their own money???
No fat Katz do such things.
Meanwhile, I plan to enjoy my boys of summer this year.
We'll see about the summer of 2016 when it gets a bit closer.

farewell to Arthur

There he is, sitting in his personal seat at Grayson Stadium.
That's right - his seat.
You can see the metal nameplate peeking out behind him.
Good seat, too, right behind homeplate, up high enough in the bleachers to catch a nice breeze from the overhead fans on a hot summer night at the Sand Gnats' games.
He and Willie Smith, Jr., have been such faithful fans of Savannah baseball that they were rewarded with permanent seats there at the historic landmark.
This morning, Mister Willie spoke at Arthur's funeral.
Willie had called me on Thursday. Arthur's granddaughter, Jennifer, had just called him to tell him Arthur had died. So, as I usually share the space on those wooden bleachers with these two old men, Willie called me to share the sad news.
The Savannah newspaper didn't even have the obituary yet. The funeral notice didn't appear in the paper until yesterday.
That didn't give folks much time to arrange to be at the 11:00 AM funeral on a Saturday morning, this close to Christmas.
Even so, the church was full.
Arthur was that loved by all who knew him.
How very sad that he is gone.
I will miss his ready smile and easy-going sense of humor.
I do hope Jennifer will still make use of his seat this coming season.
Otherwise, it will be a constant reminder of the loss of this good man.

batter up!

Summer must be drawing to a close.

Proof positive?

This morning,
we Season Ticket Holders
gathered at the ballpark
for Batting Practice
with the Savannah Sand Gnats,
the 2013 SAL Champions.

Yep, one last hurrah for us and the boys of summer!

Some folks brought their gloves.
Some brought their own bats.
I brought my sweet, silly self!

Hey, I'm no ball player! Not even close!
(smile)
That poor pitcher had to throw several balls before my Louisville Slugger actually made contact. Even so, the ball skittered off the bat and onto the righthand rim of the batting cage, sending its foul tip over toward the first base fence.
But I was thrilled! Contact!!!
Then he threw several more pitches to me.
Swoosh! Swoosh!! SWOOSH!!!
Then, lo and behold, I managed to tap one over the pitcher's head!!!
Woohoo!
Elation!!!
And with that, I was done.
D. O. N. E.
Done!
Best to go out on a high note, n'est-ce pas?
(Think "pop fly" and you'll get it...)

Funny, right?
hahahahaa!!!

We were then treated to a wonderful game,
enjoying the breeze
from the overhead fans
while the boys
sweated it out
on the field,
in that hot sun.
Honestly, I don't know
how the umpires could bear it,
out in that sun for the entire game.
At least the Gnats and the Drive were able to take refuge in the shade of the dugouts when they were not on the field.

And, when all was
said and done,
the Sand Gnats emerged
victorious!
Woohoo!
Little kids lined up
at the third base gate
were eager to take the field,
then, and run those same bases.
Me?
I was off to a film festival!

the t-shirt with me on it

At today's doubleheader, I wore my hair in a single ponytail.
And I wore the Savannah Sand Gnats' T-shirt that features me.
That's right - me.
Perhaps a close-up will help.

Can you see me now?
Let me help. First, look just above the "19" in the "Est. 1903" line below the picture. See the little boy standing in the aisle? Okay, look directly to his left. See the woman in the purple top, the one who looks like she is sitting right behind the pole?
That's me.
I wish I could tell you when that photograph on the T-shirt was taken. I recall the guy setting up the camera to take shots of the field. I recall that little boy coming down the aisle and standing by me. Then, the next thing I know, this T-shirt appears as a giveaway one night, to the first thousand fans, and I got one. As I looked at it, I realized I was looking at myself.
Just so you know, that is pretty awesome, to realize that someone captured you in a moment in time when you were relaxed and enjoying yourself. Truly, it is such an awesome gift for an anonymous stranger to have given to me.
Now, I document it here.
The shirt is at least ten years old. Actually, I'm fairly certain it was part of the "100 Years of Savannah Baseball at Grayson Stadium" celebration in 2003. So, it's eleven years old and fading with each wash and dry cycle.
I've tried to wear it sparingly in the past, to extend the life of the artwork. How silly, to deprive myself of wearing an article of clothing that brings me joy and good memories!
I intend to wear. it. out.
Just like Mister Willie does.

are you ready for some baseball???

I was!
I had my hair up in double ponytails, to offset the summer heat!
I had my favorite summer top on!
Chicken Tender Platter, topped with dill pickle chips?
Check!
$1 soda in my Season Ticket Holder cup?
Check!
Woohoo!!!
Go Gnats!!!

So, up into the General Admission wooden bleachers I went, to sit and cheer with Mister Willie.
Woohoo!!!
Sadly, the game never even got started tonight.
I should have realized something was amiss when I saw that none of the players, ours or Lexington's, were warming up on the field.
About fifteen minutes before start time, this was the sight.

Not a good sign.
They were already pulling the tarp over the infield and the game had not even begun.
The announcer said a lightning storm was coming, so the game would be delayed until it passed.
Okay! Fireworks by Mother Nature, as a preview to the post-game, Saturday night, fiReWOrKs! That would be cool!

Yeah.
That didn't happen.
When the rain finally did begin, almost an hour past start time, no lightning accompanied it.
Just rain, lots and lots and LOTS of rain.
The tarp gleamed and light reflected off the puddles to the right, to the left, in the outfield - everywhere.
Yes, I'm sure the ducks of Daffin Park were elated at the new little lakes in Grayson Stadium.
The Sand Gnats' fans? Were they elated?
No, not so much.
We had been looking forward to a summer evening outdoors, watching talented young men playing America's pastime, with fireworks to delight us at the end of our adventure in baseball.

That worked out okay, though.
They finally called the game just before 8 pm, after two hours of fans just hanging out together.
I took Mister Willie home, then headed off for my $5, 5-topping pizza.
This time, my cheeseless, thin crust, pie had chicken breast, spinach, diced Roma tomatoes, pineapple, and chopped artichoke hearts. Sooo very tasty!!! And he rain had cooled the house off enough that I could even turn on the oven and bake it! Woohoo!
How did I get a $13 pizza for only $5? The boys had scored the requisite five runs last night for the deal at Papa Murphy's. Actually, the boys won with a score of exactly five runs, allowing the Legends to only make one run.
We'll see how the teams do for tomorrow's doubleheader.
Maybe more pizza is in my future!

i got a ping pong ball!

Honestly, that's what I texted to my friend Bill, along with the above picture.
That was the start of this fabulously fun evening at the ballpark!
You see, it was Forrest Gump Night with the Sand Gnats, in honor of the movie's 20th anniversary. I had been sure to arrive super-early so I would be one of the lucky 500 in the "Life is Like a Box of Chocolates" Giveaway. Success!
And when I opened my little 'gift', did I find chocolate? A free game ticket? A magical feather to grant access to the rest of the games this season?
Others did.
I got a ping pong ball.
Reminds me of poor Charlie Brown getting rocks in his trick-or-treat bag!
Hahaha haha!
Truly, I was delighted!

Here's Gnate T. Gnat,
taking a moment
to sit with Forrest Gump.
Notice that
SAL Championship ring
our beloved mascot is wearing!

Here's Mister
Willie Smith, Jr.,
taking a load off his frame
to greet Forrest Gump.
He's flashing his
SAL Championship ring
that the Sand Gnats gave him!

And of course yours truly
took advantage
of the situation
to sit with Forrest Gump!
See him pointing at my
as-yet unopened
'box of chocolate'?

Forrest Gump
gets ready
to throw that
first pitch...

... and he goes into the wind-up...

Success!
The pitch made
perfect contact
with the catcher's mitt!
Play ball!!!

Here he is,
in the dugout,
awaiting his turn at bat.
(Sadly, he did not
get called up.)
LOL!

Here's Forrest Gump
racing Gnate
around the bases!
Run, Forrest, run!

Come back, Forrest,
come back!
You're going
the wrong way!

He fared very well
at Gump Trivia, though!
(I did pretty well
at that, too,
down in Daytona Beach!)

Forrest and Gnate
had fun together
at the third-base gate,
greeting kids!

Forrest even
autographed some baseballs
for the kids...
and maybe for a few adults, too!

And here we have
Gnate chatting up
Forrest and Lt. Dan!
Just so you know,
that isn't really Lt. Dan,
but our very own Catfish,
Lifetime Season Ticket Holder
for the Sand Gnats!

The sky was gorgeous, too!
I decided
to do a time-lapse
of the sunset,
starting now...

Baseball at night - such a delight!

mister willie, baseball, and thriller

" Now is the time
for you and I to cuddle close together, yeah

All through the night
I'll save you from the terror on the screen

I'll make you see"

" That this is thriller,
thriller night

'Cause I can thrill you more than any ghost would ever dare try"

"Thriller,
thriller night

So let me hold you tight and share a
Killer,
diller,
chiller,
thriller
here tonight"

Because the baseball game was called to a halt tonight - after three innings of continuous rain - I found myself home earlier than anticipated, but too late to go to a movie at the cinema.
No worries!
One of my favorites, with Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo - mRrreRrr - seemed to have recently started, so I settled in to half-watch "13 Going On 30" while putting away the laundry from earlier.
Then I realized... I had NOT missed my favorite part of the movie!!!
Hooray!!!!

What a great evening it had been!
I had spoken to Willie earlier in the day.
Might I be going to the game tonight?
If so, could I pick him up along the way?
"Yes" and "yes" were my replies.
When I had arrived near six PM, he was in fine form, cheerful and ready for some baseball.
Alrighty then!!!
let's go!!!

Perhaps he knew it would be a shorter evening, too, allowing him an early return home for the fine dinner his Sweetheart had awaiting him.
Plus, the Gnats won tonight!
Yeah, it probably was because he was there to encourage them.
(smile!)
You betcha!

here's lookin' at you, kid

So, there I was the the ballpark, watching the Gnats play their final game of this home stand, along with 4013 other fans.
Yeah, you heard correctly.
The game was SOLD OUT.
No surprise there. In addition to it being Drunk Night, this was the final home game of the 4th of July weekend, so there would be fiReWOrKs. That means lots of families with kids, in addition to the usual crowd of cheap beer drinkers.
No, Mister Willie was not in attendance. He had ceiling work being done and didn't want to leave Sweetheart alone with that mess. Laurie and Lynn were up in Pennsylvania, so Gnate would have to sing "Sweet Caroline" without their foam-finger dancing. But Bruce, the Riverdog fan, was there. Jack was, too, in the company of his sweetie, Joyce Ann. So I had plenty of folk there that I knew.
Plus, my first niece and her foster son joined me just in time for the last inning and the fiReWOrKs!
So, as I said, there I was enjoying the game. And the incredible crowd.
And, suddenly, I saw that even in the sky above, there was at least one other watching the game with me.
I don't recognize the face, do you?
I'm thinking the face was that of a being from another world.
Then again, I saw "Earth To Echo" yesterday and that made quite an impression on me. I was actually at the cinema for another movie, but that one had unexpectedly left early, so the attendant switched me up for this one.
Good call.
Yes, it did make me cry. Movies that highlight the importance of friendship, like in "Monsters, Inc.", always make me cry.
Remember, friends are the family you choose.
It's good when the circles overlap and you have family members who are also friends.
Maybe that was the message tonight.

down and down i go, round and round i go

You might expect a lovely Sunday afternoon game to be fairly leisurely.
You might, but you would have been soooo wrong today!
If ever a baseball game was a rollercoaster, this one was it! A theme park could have sold tickets for it as a new ride!
Well... maybe not quite... but you know what I mean, right?
No, of course you don't.
This Sand Gnats' game was one for the history books!
Right from the very start, we all knew something was up.
Our pitcher was loading the bases with Rome Braves.
I kid you not.
Ricky Knapp must have missed the memo about this being a game, not a practice session. He hit the first and third men up, walked the one in-between, and then walked the fourth man, to give the Braves their first run of the day. They ended up with a score of five runs and a single hit.
That bears repeating: five runs and a single hit.
Incredible.
The Sand Gnats played great offensively. Of the 8 innings they batted, they scored runs in all but two.
They also played great defense.
But it's hard to mount any defense against runs that are walked in.
As they were in the first and ninth innings. Yep, Paul Paez was walking runs in, too.
Very sad.
I guess the good news is that the Braves' pitching crew had a bonehead, too. In the bottom of the fifth, one of the Gnats was hit and three were walked, with a few hits sprinkled around.

Then, with Patrick Biondi and Champ Stuart put on base by the pitcher,
and Dominic Smith on first on his single,
Matt Oberste sailed one over the left field wall for a Grand Slam!!!
How about that!?!?!

The Gnats finished the inning with a total of eight runs. That brought their score to an unheard-of 14 runs.
Wow!
And they kept the Braves from garnering more than their six runs until the top of the ninth, when Paez was given a turn at the pitcher's mound. He gave them another six runs, doubling their score.
Thank God the pitching coach finally pulled him before he had a chance to pitch for the 8th Brave that inning.
Yeah, that's what I said: the eighth Brave. With zero outs.
What a rollercoaster!!!
Down, down down, in the top of the first, then bottoming out, followed by rounding curves and straightaways. Then, up, up, up!!! Whee!!! Rounding a curve at the peak, catching a short straight stretch of track, then down, down, down again!!!
Whew!
Nice to ride once, but let's not do that again, okay?