Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Another Summer Gone

I'm sad to see another baseball season is coming to an end. But it has been a fantastic summer! My family went to a dozen or so Intimidators games and a few Charlotte Knights games as well. It seems that every other game had a cool moment. I won a prize package on Father's Day and we won pizza twice at Kannapolis. At a Knights game Caleb was picked to compete in a between-inning bicycle race down the baselines to home plate. His starting point was about ten feet from Paul Konerko, in Charlotte on a rehad assignment, and he won the race -- the prize was four tickets to any Knights game. Caleb was more excited about passing the players' locker room than being on the field with big league players.

Several times during the season I became absorbed by the game, hearing nothing but the sounds on the field: the forceful exhale of the pitcher as he hurls the ball toward the plate, the thump of the catcher's mit snaring the speeding sphere, or the crack of the bat. How anyone admire the "clink" of aluminum I can NEVER understand. Baseball is an organic game -- dirt infield, grassy outfield, wooden bats, cowhide covered ball, leather gloves, and at one-time wool or cotton uniforms. Baseball is a timeless game to me, at least in some respects. In the quiet moments between pitches or while following a well hit, long fly ball, I could feel my father's presence.

We'll be counting the days until next season....

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