June 18, 2009. Chevy Chase, Md. Baseball.

We have never watched before, but this year we are watching the NCAA baseball playoffs. Every night since we have been home, we have watched an hour or so of a game on TV. Last night we almost saw Virginia beat Arkansas, to advance to the final playoffs, but with to outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, Arkansas tied the score with two runs, then went on to win in the eleventh inning. It was a great game, except Ken and I gave up on Virginia when they had several bone headed running errors in the last innings, so we went to bed at the end of the ninth inning. These games are very well played, but the players are still at college so are prone to unpredictable actions. I think that is why Ken has enjoyed these games. You never know what will happen next. Most of the time, Ken does not watch baseball either in person or on TV, but not this time. We are enjoying the games and are tonight are rooting for North Carolina.

We first started to watch when we arrived home from Mississippi and Ken was sorting the mail while he watched a game. As we were home all Saturday evening and all day long on Sunday, we watched several games, at least an hour or so of each game, and then we got hooked for the rest of the week. My custom is to cheer for the team that is geographically located closer to where I am or either boys families. So I cheered for Old Miss until they were eliminated, then Virginia, then North Carolina. LSU probably has the best team, but as we go to the farm tomorrow, where we have no TV and no computer, we may never know who will win. But we have enjoyed these games these past few days. I of course, love to watch baseball, with all the complications of the strategy. The skill level is so high that I am always impressed with the concentration. Ken has never played softball so is not much aware what is happening on the field. But I played softball for a long time and I coached my teams when I taught PE in Toronto. I loved the game and I still do.