there is something bittersweet about the last baseball game of the year.
yes, there are still eight teams playing, and one of them is my beloved atlanta braves. but living in houston and having watched the astros throw away the nl central pennant on saturday meant that yesterday was my last chance to take in a game this year. my last chance to smell the grass and the hot dogs and hear the crowd cheering and watch the balls flying. i savored it.
after two innings, the roof cracked open and the sun streamed in. there was a light breeze, and the weather was perfect. for a moment, i almost mistook the day for an afternoon in april, at the beginning of the season, with endless possibilities.
it was happy. it was sad. i already can’t wait for april, when i get to go back to the ballpark. in the meantime, i’ll be glued to the tv for the postseason and suffer through the winter.
though i realized yesterday that i will be out of the country for a solid 9 days, during which time the league champions will be decided and the world series will start. i will definitely be stopping at an internet cafe (or five) in greece to get baseball playoff updates.
in other baseball news, the final standings in my “all-star” fantasy baseball league are: ron, ME!, randy, jeremy, chris, edgar and jason (tie), and kevin. i finished second! that’s my best finish yet in the 3 years we’ve played, after i finished 3rd the first year and either 3rd or 4th last year. i finished seventh in the NL-only league. i’m quite happy with both finishes, even the 7th place (out of 10), as i was the only new person in the league this year and therefore was the only one without keepers. finishing anything other than last is a success.
i tweaked my groin again in soccer last night. ow.