Baseball Marathon

After spending a rainy July 4th in Centerville with Hal and family...Friday it was back to Mercer County and the remaining weekend spent on the Baseball Diamonds.  With the recent weather it was in doubt if or how many games we would get in.

My single game in the ACME Sectional on Friday Night turned into a double header starting at 6pm...my young partner Damon worked the Parkway/Celina game behind the plate a 3-0 win for the Panthers in the first elimination contest....I handled the duties in the second as St. Henry eliminated Parkway with a 5-1 win....I was home at 11pm, time for a couple of cold ones and then some sleep before heading to Van Wert for the finals of that Van Wert County District Tournament.

It was raining mostly a drizzle throughout the morning and early afternoon....I worked the plate in the opener as Crestview forced a second game with a 10-2 win over Jefferson out of Delphos....in the second game, with Todd from out association working the dish, Jefferson took a 5-3 lead into the fifth when the skies opened up and filled the Smiley Park Diamond with enough water to cancel the game until yesterday...I headed home and rested up for another double header scheduled for Sunday at Rockford...and that double would basically turn into a triple!

Arriving at the Parkway Diamond in Rockford, I hooked up with my old buddy Jim and agreed I would work the Junior ACME winners bracket final between Coldwater and Van Wert....that turned into a long day for me...13 innings, with both teams making enough base running blunders to fill a score card up...finally, Coldwater put 4 runs across the plate in the top of the 13th and held on to end the 3 hour 50 minute marathon with a 6-2 win.  Over the years I have worked a couple of 14 inning games behind the plate, including a Spring Sectional game, but neither lasted as long, time wise, as yesterday's encounter.  Exhausted we took a half hour off, and then proceeded to work the losers bracket elimination final between Crestview and St. Henry...the Knights from Convoy Crestview held on for a 8-4 win to oust the Redskins as the thunder could be heard in the background....then as we headed for the parking lot, the rains came, once again, marking the 12 straight day we have had precipitation in the area.

This will bring my remaining games down to a handful....tonight at Miller City where Bullet Bob and I will work a Putnam County Semi Final...already got Bob doing the plate....yesterday did me in.   Then I will wait for my State ACME and Junior ACME assignments as I finally finish off the baseball season, with a full month to relax, do some weeding, shrub cutting, and garage painting at my own pace before football season arrives about the 20th of August for out first scrimmage games.....I have already pretty well decided that this season and next will be my last two years working football.  Baseball, I am in for the long haul, until I cannot see or stand, basketball is the wild car, I enjoy the winter exercises, but it is a wear and tear on the body...so roundball, and how long I decide to work it remains up in the air...for now I will enjoy what time I have working out at a pretty high level, at the ripe old age of 64....70 Anyone?

With the game tonight, if the rain stays away, I will likely have at least 10 days off before the State....today Patricia and I have the Grandson K~Man, while his mom opens up a new Autism Treatment office in Wapak and Hal is traveling to Toledo for some consultation for his Autism Behavior Group....I will head out for Miller City, some 55 miles north and east about 4:15....

back later>>>>