Baseball Gone Wrong; Baseball Gone Right

I love major league baseball. Love it.I found my love when I lived in Arizona. Bank One Ballpark and the pool were my only respites from the scorching, death-defying heat. Thank you, JB, Erin, and Deana for introducing me to the joy of the seventh inning stretch, cheap seats on the first base line, the crack of the ball against the bat, and the wonders--never-ending--of a Grand Slam.

Oh how I love it. The smells, the people, the cheers, the groans, the excitement, the fireworks. The time to chat. Learning how to keep score (thanks Deana and Aaron). The only time I'll really relish in a hot dog (and at Reams grocery store in Provo. I do not know why I love Reams hot dogs, but I do. Oh I do. And I think they're out of business, which means no hot dogs for me in Utah because there is no real baseball team).I have a new roommate. Ivy just moved here from the metropolis of St. George, Utah. We took her to her first baseball game a couple of weeks ago. It was supposed to be a great game. Really great. The Nationals were playing the Giants, and Randy Johnson was pitching. The Big Unit became a household name for me when I love-love-loved the Diamondbacks that magical summer when they won the World Series (yeah yeah beat THAT Yankees!). He was up for his 300th win and we had great great tickets.

So we ran through the rain to get to the stadium early. And sat there. For 3 hours. In this. We watched the facilities people, sopping wet, sweep water down the drain. We huddled in the concourse, the wind blowing the rain through, flooding the place. Then the rain magically cleared and we sat in wonder, watching and cheering as the field was uncovered, only to be covered back up. More rivers and lakes. Go, go, Noah. We finally left at 10:00 pm, and the game wasn't called until 11:00pm. Poor Ivy. Her first exposure to the magic of baseball. Deluged.

Todd & Annie--and we got along the whole time! A summer baseball miracle!

Never fear. Just three days later, Annie and her boyfriend Todd were in town, and we used our rain tickets to watch a smashing success against the Mets. It was one of those perfect summer evenings--perfect temperature with a fantastic breeze. The full moon came up over the stadium. The Nats were on their very best behavior--they scored a couple of home runs.
And I breathed it all in. I LOVE baseball...