We're Born Again

I don't think I can make this today, but I may try anyway and I hope you do, too. We're still a while away from the start of the Single A minor league baseball season at Dodd Stadium but this afternoon at 3:30 Sacred Heart University's Pioneers take on the UConn Huskies. As if sitting in Dodd "not a bad seat in the house" Stadium weren't already a good deal, how's this for a price: zip, zero, nichts. So much for Free Willy. Praise the free baseball and pass the tartar sauce.

I don't know how the Connecticut Tigers made this happen (I sure hope it didn't involve science because I'm terrible in science) but my thanks to them and appreciation to both colleges for working together to get this to happen even if I can't probably make it to the game (dumb old work, whose paycheck makes my dumb old lifestyle possible so maybe not so dumb after all. Just white out everything between the parentheses. Kidding!)

Here's the irony for me, for most of the years the Norwich Navigators, then the Connecticut Defenders then 'We're in a Van and Gone' plied their trade as a Double A franchise, first of the New York Yankees and then, later, the San Francisco Giants, the early season games played to very small (miniscule) crowds. As for why that happened so often, it was like listening to the three bears: 'it's too cold', 'it's too far' and 'I only root for (someone else)'. Crap, Sap, and Pap.

While we whined about weather, more folks would turn out in Portland's Haddock Field for one game of the Sea Dogs than came to the Defenders' entire home stand. As for too far, I always heard this from the folks who organized outings to Fenway and Yankee Stadium because, I guess, both are convenient to Norwich and also so inexpensive you can take not only the whole family but strangers living under highway abutments you meet on your way there. And do not get me started on the wankers who couldn't root for the team which called Dodd home because they were fans of someone else, except when that team's farm club came here to play, they didn't show up then either. Crap, Sap and Pap.

The 'kids' this afternoon are college athletes playing more for the love of the game than a ticket to the show (but a boy can dream, right?). I realize this time of year you take the field with one eye looking at the heavens wondering if the clouds will let you get the game in. Let's hope so because it was worse than a lousy winter, it sucked. A lot. So I don't know about you, but I think we need a little baseball, right this very minute (though I suppose we could wait until this afternoon and not make a spectacle of ourselves).

I'm wondering what happens if I call in "well?" Hypothetically, if you were see me this afternoon at Dodd, I'd appreciate it greatly if you didn't blow it for me. Just nod and then keep walking. I'd owe you one. But only if you bring an extra glove, for the foul balls, okay?

-bill kenny