Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Take me out to the ball game, especially if my grandson is playing

The following photographs were taken with my iPhone (yes, Virginia, I have an iPhone) on June 4, 2013, at American Legion Field in Canton, Georgia, USA. My oldest grandson, who is 17, plays first base.

My grandson warms up:



Here he is at the plate:



My grandson swings:



This game was painful, not just because American Legion Field is located along the banks of the Etowah River where the entire local population of mosquitoes and ants had chosen the evening of June 4, 2013, to go out strolling with their girlie where the dew is pearly early in the morning but also because my grandson’s team was playing against a much bigger and stronger team.

The other team scored 3 runs in the first inning, 8 runs in the second inning, and 3 more runs in the third inning. At the top of the fourth inning, the score was 14-0.

The good news is that my grandson was credited with an RBI on his team’s first run in the bottom of the sixth inning. The bad news is that my grandson’s team eventually lost the game by the very lopsided score of 18-2.

It goes without saying, of course, that he played first base magnificently throughout.

8 comments:

  1. I thought "first base" was a guitar. And if your grandson has an RBI he should get medical treatment - under Obamacare of course. Did you ever play sports when you were at high school? Please regale us with tales of your achievements - sorry if you have already posted about this - my memory is like a sieve.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yorkshire Pudding:

    1. A guitar might be a "first bass" but not a "first base".
    2. An RBI is a Run Batted In. Baseball thrives on statistics, such as SO (strikeouts), H (hits), R (runs), E (errors) and so forth.
    3. I was not an athlete in high school, just an athletic supporter (pa-dum-dum). I was not a first bass, but I was a first clarinet and also a first alto saxophone, not at the same time, of course.

    Keep those cards and letters coming and the doctor will answer them in the order they are received.

    ReplyDelete
  3. That's what I love about youth baseball ~ there is always something to cheer for: good swing, good try, or the sacrifice out that drove in a run! My son's not really a home run hitter, but he made the only successful bunt on his team this season, and I couldn't have been prouder!

    ReplyDelete
  4. And the game remains the same , does.t it?

    Looks like a big fellow with a decent idea of what he's doing up there.

    Congrats to him

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dear Doctor Plague,
    What is a "bunt"? It sounds rather rude to me.
    Yours etc.
    Y.Pudding (Ignorant Limey)

    ReplyDelete
  6. LightExpectations, my grandson's RBI was not a sacrifice fly that drove in a run, it was an actual, honest-to-goodness grounder! But I agree with what you said!

    Reamus (Michael), yes, the game does remain the same, no matter who is playing it. And my grandson has a more than decent idea of what he's doing up there. You should have seen his stand-up triple a few weeks back during regular high-school season. He's hoping to be offered a baseball scholarship.

    Y. Pudding (Ignorant Limey) , bunt may mean:

    • An offensive technique in baseball, which you may read more about right here
    • A community of the landed gentry and erstwhile nobility from Coastal Karnataka and Northern Kerala, India
    • The middle fat part of a sail, where it is curved
    • An aerobatic maneuver also known as an outside loop
    • A fungal disease of grasses, such as karnal bunt, common bunt, and dwarf bunt

    See also: Bundt cake.

    And bunting may refer to:
    • A surname
    • A group of birds
    • An infant sleeping bag
    • The act of laying down a bunt, a type of offensive play in baseball (q.v.)
    • A lightweight cloth material often used for flags and festive decorations
    • A term of endearment that may also imply "plump" – as in the nursery rhyme "Bye, baby Bunting"

    To expand on just one category, notable people with the surname Bunting include:

    • Arthur Bunting, British rugby league footballer and coach
    • Basil Bunting (1900-1985), British modernist poet
    • Bill Bunting (born 1947), American basketball player
    • Chris Bunting, British comic book writer
    • Christopher Bunting (1925-2005), English cellist
    • Christopher William Bunting (1837-1896), Irish-born Canadian politician
    • Clark Bunting, American television executive
    • David Michael Bunting (born 1960), British poet/musician
    • Edward Bunting (1773-1843), Irish musician
    • Edward L. Bunting (1883-1962), English cricketer
    • Eve Bunting (born 1928), Californian author
    • Hem Bunting (born 1985), Cambodian athlete
    • Jabez Bunting (1779-1858), British preacher
    • Jo Bunting, television producer
    • John Bunting (serial killer) (born 1966), Australian serial killer
    • John Bunting (coach) (born 1950), American football coach
    • Josiah Bunting III (born 1939), American educator
    • La Farrell Bunting (born 1980), American boxer
    • Madeleine Bunting, British journalist
    • Mark Bunting (journalist), Canadian journalist
    • Mary Bunting (1910-1998), American college president
    • Ronald Bunting, British army officer
    • Ronnie Bunting (died 1980), Irish political activist
    • Stephen Bunting (born 1985), British darts player
    • Thomas L. Bunting (1844-1898), American politician

    Fictional characters:
    • Reverend Bunting, character in The Invisible Man

    I hope, Ignorant Limey, I mean Y. Pudding, that I have answered your question to your satisfaction.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Dear Dr Plague,
    I would have preferred a more thorough exploration of the term "bunt" but I know you are a busy man so I appreciate your brief response.
    Thank you.
    Your servant,
    Rastus Y. Pudding

    ReplyDelete
  8. Rastus puts me in mind of a poem my grandmother used to recite:
    Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown,
    Whatcha gonna do when the rent comes round?
    Whatcha gonna say? How ya gonna pay?
    Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown?

    I can't remember what I ate for breakfast yesterday or how to use a debit card at the gas pump, but I sure do remember Grama's interesting teachings!

    ReplyDelete

<b>Always true to you, darlin’, in my fashion</b>

We are bombarded daily by abbreviations in everyday life, abbreviations that are never explained, only assumed to be understood by everyone...