Sam and I did our third straight game together last night....and for the first time in those 3, Sam didn't toss a coach out of the game. After not ejecting anyone since last season, the oldest son got 2 in a row on Sunday and Monday....not that they didn't deserve to get tossed, but you really(well at least most umpires) don't like that part of the game.
On Sunday in a single game at Celina vs Bellefontaine...things were going along smoothly with the visitors leading most of the game...once Celina took charge after a bases loaded double, things changed. The Bellefontaine coaches wanted a call for the Celina hitter missing first base, Sam(who was doing the bases) said "no"...the runs stood and the Bulldogs went up 7-5. Things settled down until the final inning(7 innings in ACME), The Chiefs had runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out....their lead runner gets caught off 2nd base and heads for 3rd, it appears the Celina pitcher throws him out by 5 feet as he slides head first into the bag...Sam calls the runner out, and the head/3rd base coach gets bonkers...yelling, "he missed the tag, you are killing us"...Sam wastes no time and tosses his butt out of the game. I head out from behind the plate, and this coach has a wild look in his eye...I say something to him and then add..."get off the field, what's your problem?"....his assistant gets between us, and takes him off....the game ends on the next pitch. Celina wins 7-5.
Fast forward to Monday night at Van Wert..this time a 9 inning American Legion game against Lima....these are high end games and pretty competitive....midway through it, I'm doing the field, and ring up a Van Wert kid getting picked off at 1st base. The assistant coach at 1st didn't like the call, and yells as I walk back to my "A" position, "That was pathetic"....I return "That's enough"....meanwhile the Lima center fielder adds...."toss him out"...this goes back and fort with basically the coach telling the kid he would "kick his ass"(not using those words, but you get the drift)...well the Lima kids knew how to get to him, and the "conversation" continues into the next inning, between coach, fans, and players...I finally get into the coaches face and tell him"that's enough, you are the adult, it's time to shut up"....after some whining on his part, things settle back down. Come the bottom of the 9th with Van Wert down 10-7 Sam calls a strike on the lead off batter...first base coach starts to bitch, I knew he was on a short rope by this time....the batter strikes out on a check swing, coach complains again(meanwhile the head coach says nothing)....next batter, pitch maybe a bit low, Sam calls a strike, first base coach let's out a yell..., and Sam tosses his butt...he storms off the field, the game ends a short time later, Lima 10-7....2 days 2 coaches thrown out! I have Van Wert about 5 more times, plus Sam and I have the District Tourney at Van Wert....could be interesting.
Last night's game was a pleasure....close game, 7-6 the home team, and nobody tossed out.
The power of blogging
______________________
Sometimes you gotta wonder how many folks read these...sure I get 30 to 80 "hits" a day, but most are just passers by. I basically started this for a on line diary, and never worried about it, same went for the family genealogy site:
But it was nice to see a comment, and get an e-mail about a subject. This past Monday was one of those days....first I receive a e-mail from a man named Gary(G.W.) Houseworth....turns out he found the blog while researching his own name. G.W. lives in Sarasota, Florida, and turns out he is my first cousin Gary's oldest son.....I had not seen G.W. since his dad and I lived together for a few months back in 1974, when Gary(Sr) had moved to Celina...G.W. was 7 or so. He had been researching the family, when he found my 2 sites....so the younger Gary is now on my genealogy e-mail list, and another cousin is found.
Not 15 minutes after I get the message from G.W. I get another from one of his co workers...turns out this co-worker, Mickey, is one of my best friend from my days living in Venice. Mickey and I were pretty close, and I stayed at his house a number of times when we were at Venice Elementary.....I have not seen Mick in over 45 years.....we have a few things in common all these years later, including the love of Civil War history, and a good beer.
So there you have it, through good and boring of the blog, I have made a few contacts, and Monday was as good as it gets....found lost cousin, and found lost childhood friend. For all the garbage, the internet does come in handy and useful in the long run.
More baseball tonight, if the storms hold off...
back later>>>>>>>>>>>>
.jpg)
4 comments:
It's a small world with the internet. What if we had it 25 years ago.
I hear ya about blogging, Pat. It's the same story with me: what started as just an on-line journal for family and a couple of friends has turned into a source of contacts for old friends and such. I've lost count of the number of old USAF buddies (and other folks I've met along the way) that I've gotten back in touch with just because of the blog. And I've made a TON of new friends, too.
That's a Great Good Thing!
That's a wonderful story man. It's cool to see you getting back in touch through the blog. I think I've found some of the best friends of my life through this gig. Love it. Will never stop.
Now that's got to be a rewarding bonus for blogging - to reconnect with a lost relative AND an old friend. That's really cool.
Post a Comment