Take Me Out...

I adore and live for my girls. The sun doesn't set each night until they fall aslppe, and it doesn't truly rise until they awaken. They're terrific girls, if I do say so myself. But alas, they're not baseball fans.

Baseball was my first sports love. I learned to play when I was 7, and played little league until I was 12. I made my high school's jv and varsity teams, and quit in the 11th grade because my stoner friends were ostracized by the jocks on the team. I still regret quitting. I was a serviceable first baseman --the perfect position for a lefty like me, and one who was SLOW.

Of course, as I fell for baseball, my hometown team the Mets had one of the most memorable seasons, 1969, in the history of the sport. I still recall the starting lineup of that team (even though Dr. Barry and I debated whether Ken Boswell was the 2nd baseman. He was.)

Football has replaced baseball as my favorite sport, again due to circumstance. While I was at college, the Hurricanes rose to become the best team of the 80s (and early 2000s) and Canes football became a big part of my dear friends' great times together.

Well, I still enjoy baseball, and last night I went with Dr. Barry and his boys to see the Marlins. The MArlins are a loveable team --lowest payroll in the Majors, and still fighting for a pennant! Last night they got shelled by the Astros, but it didn't matter.

We watched intently, and talked, and talked to Scott and Josh about games of yore. Scott, nearly 13, has become a true student of the game, and showed me a deep understanding of strategy.

It was hot, and we all sweated, but we had a terrific time. Barry and I regaled his boys with tales about watching Canes baseball in the early 80s, when he should have been home studying instead (I was an English major and didn't have to study so much).

Another college friend, Norman, was sitting behind us with HIS 3 sons. I remember when his oldest was born --he's now in his 20s. His middle boy is in college, and his youngest a rising high school senior, like D2.

So, my girls weren't a part of it, but I still had a wonderful time with some borrowed sons.

And Hurricanes football is right around the corner...