Friday, October 21, 2011

Three Beautiful Things 10/20/11: Lively WR 121, Sixteen Ton-Billy Mac's Retreat, Cards Break Cardinal Cut Off Rule

1.  I was happy and a bit fired up by how my two sections of WR 121 tore into passages that stood out to them as particularly important in "Buffalo for the Broken Heart".  By the time my four hours of conducting class ended, I was beaming -- and wrung out from fielding so much good discussion.

2.  It's been a draining week.  I'm sure it's the aftermath of losing Snug.  I welcomed a retreat into the sanctuary of Sixteen Tons.  Emily was working the taps and it was fun yakking back and forth.  Oakshire had a beer I'd never tasted before on tap:   Big Black Jack Imperial Chocolate Pumpkin Porter.  I loved it.  The best bonus:  the Deke joined me.  We yakked it up for a while before heading over to Billy Mac's to eat and gab some more with friends.  Great prime rib sandwich.  Superb company.  The retreat continued.  I was beaming.

3.  The top of the ninth inning of Game 2 of the 2011 World Series re-invigorated my love of baseball.  Kinsler dunks a lawn dart into shallow left center field.  He steals second, safe by a hand, despite Yolina's bullet to the bag.  Andrus singles, but his hit doesn't score Kinsler BUT the Cards botch the cut off and Andrus advances to second.  The Rangers will not get another hit this game, but on the strength of two pretty lazy fly balls, the first by Hamilton, to right field, not only driving home Kinsler, but advancing Andrus, the second by Young, scoring Andrus, the Rangers win.  A dinky single, a bold stolen base, a solid single, a botched cutoff, and two fly balls.  Chicks dig the long ball?  I dig the ball small.  I wish I could have watched this last inning with Dad.  When he coached our IOOF Little League team, he stressed, like no other Little League coach in Kellogg, the cut off.  Keep throws low.  Cut off throws and don't let runners have bases they don't earn.  The Cards broke the Cardinal Cut Off Rule and it cost them Game 2.  I haven't decided who I want to win this World Series.  Tonight it was fun to not have a rooting interest and to watch this small ball drama unfold.

No comments: