Last Day of Winter

It's the last day of winter! Yahoo! As we celebrate the impending free Water ice of the first day of spring at Rita's Water ice, we are also mourning the loss of Buddy's baseball team to the Kansas team last night.

The aforementioned team is in the top 25 in the US and therefore was a formidable foe. With that said, I was able to use the iPad to locate the Kansas radio station broadcasting the game. I turned HGTV onto mute and listened to the game as I watched a London family silently search for a vacation home in Cyprus (pretty land). They chose the house that I would have selected as I intently listened to the broadcast and tried to figure out what the family of 5 were saying to each other. Perhaps next time I can figure out how to use the caption feature on the television.

Anyway, the broadcasters were excellent and I could visualize the game as they spoke. Unfortunately, what I mentally saw was...hit batter....walk...single...passed ball...wild pitch....5-0 by the end of the 2nd inning. The starting pitcher was removed at the bottom of the 3rd inning as the announcers said..."They are warming up a left handed pitcher...we cannot see his number..." Oh boy...is Buddy in this one? Can he stop the bleeding or will the hemorrhage continue?

As the starting ace was removed, a leftie was placed in the game, but it was not Buddy. Sadly, this kid also had a tough time stopping the team and the score grew to 7-0. Three more pitchers entered the game and the team lost 9-0. Can't win 'em all....

As predicted, Buddy called midnight-ish or later (I did not look at the clock). His dad went through the game with him as I listened to both of them laugh. Interesting...laughing after a major league pounding...but nonetheless laughing. It was my turn to speak to the big kid and we chatted about school and his impending projects. I am proud of him as he is looking to the future and not dwelling on a tough loss. The game today is scheduled for 2 pm (or 3...it is Kansas time). I will listen to it again as Buddy stands an excellent chance of entering it since the team ran through a number of pitchers last night including 2 of the 5 southpaws.

Some of the bright spots of the loss abound as I heard the kid laughing and I could hear the play by play on the radio. Besides that, I could not see any other positives regarding the game.

After a successful 10 day southern road trip, the team returned home on Monday morning around 4 am...attended classes, practiced, took tests, submitted papers, and left for Kansas on Thursday around 2pm. They will be home again on Monday morning around 3 or 4 am as they land in an airport 3 hours from campus. Finally, next week, the team will play at home. I am looking forward to traveling to campus to see the team play in their own environment. The kids enjoyed the travel, but I think that it is getting old and making them weary. It is time for them to play in their own stadium with their fans. Can this make a difference? I am not sure, yet I know that when Buddy is sitting the bullpen, spitting seeds from the side of his mouth, the bullpen will be heated...nice....