Making the Rounds

I visited our city park tonight, right around sunset, and, as usual this time of year, it was empty. I felt that pang of sadness when I realized that summer is, indeed, heading into its final days.

As in most small towns, the park is the hub of activity here during the summer. Mostly baseball, which was never my favorite sport to cover because of the negative attitudes of far too many parents ... and the heat & humidity ... but mostly the out-of-control parents.

I played only 2 seasons of organized softball, and I really don’t remember any problems with any of the parents. Oh, there probably were some attitudes, but I was oblivious to them, apparently. Plus my mom has always been someone who believes that “you fight your own battles,” so I am quite certain that had I complained about not getting enough playing time or not getting to bat high enough in the lineup or not getting to pitch every game, my mom probably would have told me, “If you don’t quit complaining, you’re not going to get to play, period.”

I remember some of those official games, but I also remember many others, the ones that took place in the backyard or at the park, on non-official game days, or even on the playground at school. The ones in which you got to have ghost runners if there weren’t enough players, you shared your ballglove with your opponents and you kept a running tally of the score until you forgot ... ’cause it really didn’t matter which team won, anyway, ’cause you’d have a whole new team for the game coming up during afternoon recess.

I worry about kids who don’t have a parent or an older sister or brother to play catch with them. I worry about my girlfriend’s grandkids, who seem to enjoy baseball but only want to bat ... not that there’s anything wrong with batting — I mean, I love to bat, too, and I am a pretty darn good switch-hitter, too — but you cannot overstate the importance of being able to throw the ball and catch the ball, also.

And then I kick myself over the times that the kids have wanted to play ball, and I’ve told them I was too tired or it was too hot out.

We’ll be together the day before Labor Day. I think I’ll plan on organizing a game of baseball.

: )

I saw some kind of critter at the park this evening. I think it was a groundhog, but I really don’t know for sure ... and I had no interest in getting out to investigate.

And, of course, there were roses.

I call this last one “Rosebug.”

: )