To remove or not to remove? That is the question.

Lastnights baseball game wrapped up ball season until next spring. We have been following Chris in school ball and summer ball for the last six months. Summer ball season was a whirlwind. Somehow I managed to squeeze in Kevin's wedding right in the middle. We played about 70 games in the last 6 weeks. I am exhausted....and I'm just the spectator. Chris must be completely wiped out. He was the ace in the rotation this summer. He pitched really well. I told Stacie that I have been sitting at games so long that the camp chair I take to the games would need to be surgically removed from my butt. She told me that I should consider keeping it there. She so wisely pointed out that I would never have to sit in the uncomfortable pews at church and I would never have to search for a seat. I think she may be on to something. If I get tired at the open house this friday I can just sit for awhile. So, maybe the surgery won't be necessary. I enjoyed every single minute of watching Chris play....but I am weary. It has been a long hot summer.

All Star Game

I sat down tonight to enjoy some baseball as I prepared to watch the annual All Star Game. I was not prepared for the tears that began to stream down my face. The All Star Game is held this year in Yankee Stadium. This stadium will soon be torn down as the Yankees move to their new stadium. I am an avid baseball fan. I got the love of the game from my father who was a Yankee fan through and through. As a young man my father traveled back east with my great grandfather and he watched a game at Yankee Stadium and Mickey Mantle was playing. My dad was hooked. He loved his Yankees. I grew up watching the great baseball players play on that field. Tonight there was a tribute to All Stars past and they had the greatest collection of all stars on a field at one time. They were all out in their positions....stars like Cal Ripkin Jr. and Yogi Berra. I started to get choked up when the camera moved to right field and Reggie Jackson tipped his hat. My dad loved watching Mr. October play the game. Well, the starting right fielder for the American League is my favortie player Ichiro from the Seattle Mariners. When he ran out to take the field and shook hands with Reggie Jackson I could not stop the tears from flowing. My dad would have loved to see this game tonight. To watch the greats from the past greet the greats from today.....and to watch it in the house that Ruth built would have been awesome for him. I suddenly missed my father terribly. I so wished he would have been here to see this game before they tear down the stadium he loved so much. He would have had a twinkle in his eye and a huge smile on his face. It is quite fitting that the night my father passed away ten years ago his beloved Yankees were playing my favorite Seattle Mariners. The Yankees won that night....and I commented...."they had angels in the outfield." It is also ironic that he passed away from ALS...also named for the Yankee great Lou Gehrig. I love you dad...and I love that you passed your love of the game onto me. There is nothing like enjoying a hotdog and some garlic fries and hearing the crack of the bat as the ball explodes over center field.

4th of July at the ballfield

What do most people do on the fourth of July? They have a barbeque and hang out with friends and family. Well, I hung out out with my hubby at the ball field all weekend. We spent our fourth in Lewiston, Idaho....the closest place I have ever found to hell. The temperature at game time on Thursday was 107 degrees. We put up the shade tarp we have but it didn't do much since the sun had already been beating down on the asphalt for a few hours. I spent most of the game spraying myself with water and using a little fan to try to keep cool. It didn't work very well. It was just miserable. Thank heavens for a change in game times the next few days and we were able to survive the heat. Our team didn't fair very well but Chris had a great tournament. His on base percentage was ridiculously high. He had some great hits...a few extra base ones including a triple. We did manage to watch the fireworks from our hotel. We were up on a hill so we got a great view of all the city fireworks in Lewiston and Clarkston. We are happy to be home tonight and then off again for more ball tomorrow. I am excited for the season to come to an end. I am getting a bit weary. Baseball in our house lasts from March to August. We have seen a lot of games. I love every minute of watching Chris play but it does get rather exhausting traveling to all these games.