Lights Out! and a Day With the "K-Man"

Spent yesterday with Hal and Kasyn at Centerville...daughter-in-law Lisa was working at her office, and Hal was working at home with several on-line meetings to attend do...so I headed down about 7:45, arriving at 9:15am to help out with the K-Man, who turns 6 months next week on the 24th....the pleasant youngster is well above the average when it comes to size and growth in just about every other measure of progress.  Not saying that because he's my grandson, it's just the way it is...things always even out, but Kasyn is well ahead of the curve.

I left  a half hour or so after Lisa arrived home, and headed back to Celina...arriving at mom's about 4:30 to pick up youngest sister Kelly, who has arrived from Florida, and will be staying with us for a week or so before heading to far Upstate New York to meet up with husband Michael.  Mike is a world class Chef from Denmark, who Kelly met while living in DC, where at that time, he was the head Chef for Denmark at the Danish Embassy.  This Summer he will be working at a resort/marina on the St Lawrence River in the upstate.  A newly purchased place, he is starting up the kitchen/dining  portion.

"Lights Out"___

Worked the double header in the District 4 semi finals at Coldwater on Wednesday night...and both games were competitive to say the least.  There was a umpire switch before the games began, as the District Headquarters, moved Garry to Bryan and flipped him with fellow Celina resident veteran Bob Grubaugh who was slated to work up there.   Bob and I worked the Districts and Regional at Elida two years ago, and Bob is usually assigned to the State Tournaments each year he is eligible.  Ed worked the plate for the first game, defending State Champions Minster against Spencerville, while I had the second contest as St. Henry battled Crestview....

Minster, handed the Bearcats a 2-0 first inning lead in the opener, but the Wildcats kept their repeat hopes alive, by coming back for a 4-2 victory....Spencerville left the bases loaded in the 7th as the game ended.


In the night cap, with me working the plate, Crestview fell behind likewise, 2-0 after 5 innings, then scored 2 in the sixth to tie it...they left the bases loaded in the bottom of the 7th and we moved to extra innings.  St Henry went three up and three down in the top, then in the bottom of the inning, the Knights put runners on first and second, but with 2 outs a pop on the infield seemed to have us headed for a 9th inning....that's when the rarity of high schoolers playing under the lights came into effect.


In high school, you seldom play under the lights....weeknight games start at 5pm, most schools don't have lights, and the vast majority are played in daylight...tournament time you get that "under the lights" on occasion, contest, and it can have an diverse effect.  Daylight is different than under the lights baseball....and even with good lighting, like Coldwater's Veterans Field has, you do get a different view...that happened in the 8th inning of Wednesday nights game....


When the Crestview batter popped it up near second base, he slammed his bat down hard, mad at himself, as he sprinted towards first base....lucky for him he was running it out.  The Redskin second baseman immediately lost the ball, and his infield teammates were at a loss also...with 2 outs the runners were moving, and as the ball skipped off the second sackers glove, the winning run crossed the plate, giving Convoy Crestview a 3-2 win, and a date in the District Finals tonight vs defending D4 State Champ, Minster.  The lights indeed were a major player in the final outcome.


Tonight back under the lights...a 7pm start, the sun will be setting, but by games end the lights will again be in play....Bob will have the plate, Ed at first base, and for the first time since 2010 I will be working 3rd base...the game itself, should be a good one!


back later>>>>


Photos-Spent an enjoyable 6 hours with Grandson Kasyn yesterday....and Night Baseball, is always different from day baseball, no matter how you slice it...