no bacon on those bananas, gabe!

It was the second inning and the Banana bats had been scorching the Bacon bases!
After three runs, my boys of summer had the bases filled with Bananas and no outs - time for a grand slam, y'all!
Each of the men on - Bill LeRoy, Justin McConnell, and Bryan Encarnacion, on third, second, and first, respectively - had brought a man in - Trenton Nash, Langston Provitt, and Dan Oberst, respectively.
That was some sweet pinball action, it was!

Then the Macon Bacon changed pitchers, from the acquiescent Josh Farmer to the returning strong arm of Braxton Kelly.
Gabe Howell tried for the grand slam - nope.
Out number one for the second inning.
Mike Williams and Austin Schultz followed in his footsteps, to the same sad results.
Out two! Out three! Drats, that pitcher was hard!

But even strong arms eventually tire, especially when it's their first game of the summer.
In the fourth inning, our first hitter was back for the third time and smacked that baseball over the left field wall!!!
Way to go, Gabe!
That tied up the score.
Our pitcher, Jordan Merritt, had begun to flag, too, and gave up four runs earlier that inning, until Dalton Ross relieved him.

By the top of the eighth inning, the score was again tied.
Did I say "again" and mean "still"?
Nope, I said and meant "again".
The home team had scored another three in the bottom of the sixth; the visitors ran in a matching trio for their next at-bat.
When the dust had cleared and #7 took his place to hit in the 8th, the score was locked at 7 to 7, as it had become in the 7th.
Sounds like a joke, right?

All of that changed in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Justin McConnell was on base, with me encouraging someone to "bring him home", as I do.
Then, Gabe stepped up to bat.
"Hit another home run, Gabe",
I shouted as loud as I could...
and that's exactly what he did!!!
Woowsie wow wow!!!
Those two runs cemented the win!
Thanks, Gabe, for making my night!
(smile!)

rutger and alan

I think I've figured out the source of my latest sweet dreams.
Rather, I should say the sources.

As this blog reflects, I've attended quite a few baseball games this month.
In fact, since the 25th of June, I have had thirteen days of baseball.
Two of those dates were for the CPL All-Stars, one was for an exhibition game, but the other ten were regularly-scheduled bouts between the Savannah Bananas and other teams of the Coastal Plains League.
What did they have in common?
At each and every one of those games, at least once during the proceedings, when an opposing team's batter was in the box, the bit from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" would be played in Grayson Stadium.
In the scene, Ferris has just caught a baseball hit way up, into the stands where they're sitting at Wrigley Field.
For the next man at bat, Cameron starts chanting to rattle him.
"Hey, batter batter,
swing,
batter.
He cannot,
he cannot,
he cannot,
he cannot,
he cannot,
swing,
batter."
Nice bit, right?
That 1986 movie has been a favorite since I was 28 years old.
That movie was also my introduction to Alan Ruck, though I would not realize how enamored I am of him until years later, at the 2009 Dragon*Con.
Now, every time I hear this chant, I immediately think of the scene in the movie...
and of Alan Ruck holding my hand and saying my name was beautiful.
(smile)

So, I think maybe that blue-eyed man is partly behind my recent dreams.
Rutger Hauer is the other one.

I have been in love with him ever since 1985.
That's when I first noticed him, as the gallant knight cursed by an evil and lecherous bishop.
I was the same age as Michelle Pfeiffer, the "Ladyhawke" by day to his wolf-man at night.
The two lovers were only able to catch glimpses of each other at dawn and at dusk, as they were transforming into their altered forms.
So very romantic!
I very much enjoyed him in "Buffy The Vampire Slayer", too, several years later. Very nice sense of humor, he had, one just glimpsed in the medieval love story.
Now, Rutger Hauer has died.
Jim broke the news to me on Wednesday, by way of announcing the special screening in his honor.
Even though I know the man was 75, my mental image still has him astride that steed.
I think he would have liked knowing that.
(smile)

as jim croce would say

"Don't you know I had a dream last night
That you were here with me
Lyin' by my side so soft and warm

And we talked a while
And shared a smile
And then we shared the dawn
But when I woke up
Oh, my dream it was gone"

"Dreamin' Again" - yes, that's what I've been doing.
Dreams so wonderful that I tried to jumpstart them by crawling back into bed.
Were they about rapid Roy perhaps, that tattooed race car driver?
No, but I did find out recently that the running bear has a tattoo.
Wait, let me correct that: he just told me that he has three, but the only one I've seen is on the upper part of his right arm. Usually he wears shirts that cover it, but when we went to Moe's for the "Tunnel To Towers" fundraiser, the shirt had short enough sleeves that part of the tattoo was visible. It really threw me for a loop that I've known him for so many years and never knew that about him.
We can only know that which others are willing to share with us.
Nice to still be able to be surprised!

Surprised is certainly what I've been in my dreams of late.
Friday morning I had awakened from being in the company of Johnny Depp. I was somewhere with a large group of people, at night, listening to a band covering Queen tunes. The scene seemed to be on River Street. Then I spotted Johnny Depp, coming down an outside staircase, and our eyes met and held. At the foot of the steps, he had placed his right arm around my waist and I had embraced him with my left arm, so our gaze never faltered. Another woman was held by his left arm, but he did not glance at her.
He said to me, "If we keep meeting like this, people will talk."
"Let them talk, they have no say in what is between us."
"Well then," he said, his laughing eyes matching his smile, "why don't we give them something to truly talk about?"
My response had been quick. "I don't think you could handle a night with me. It's been a while that I've been in need of a lost weekend. Plus, I know how attached I can become. That wouldn't be fair to you."
His arm still around my waist, he pulled me closer for a moment, nodding as he did so, our eyes still locked, still standing in place at the foot of that stone staircase with the wrought-iron railing.
Then, he acknowledged the woman on his left arm and we three proceeded down the cobblestones.
Fireworks were to soon be in the air and we wanted a good place to watch them.
We had settled onto a low stone wall.
He had signaled to someone - an assistant close at hand? - and large pillows were brought for us to sit on.
Meanwhile, the other woman had gone off with some friends.
My ex came up then, with my red leather purse that I had left in the street when I had joined up with the actor.
I'm not sure that I even knew Jeff was in town.
I'm not sure, but the woman may have been his Amy.
All I am sure of is that Johnny Depp and I were again side by side, arms linked, waiting for the fireworks to begin.
- And then I awoke, smile still on my lips.
I tried for an hour to get back into that dream.
(smile)

The dream from which I reluctantly awoke this morning was about a past love.
It was late afternoon, I think, or maybe early evening.
I was out and about, as I usually am, but I'm not sure where.
At a ballgame? At a play? At an improv show?
Suddenly, this smiling man, with a head full of wavy white hair and matching mustache and goatee, is standing before me, locking his dark brown eyes to mine.
Taking me in his arms, he tilts me back and kisses me full on the lips, then brings me upright again and releases me from his embrace.
Stunned - but not angry, just very surprised - I say to him, "Do I know you?"
He replied, "Oh, I think you remember this flyguy."
And I did.
I recognized that voice at once.
"Pete Derby? Is that really you?"
Sure enough, he was that "flyguy CTI" who had been my first boyfriend in Okinawa. He was the one who took me around to the historic sites, to the shrines, to the beaches there. he was the one who bestowed to me his custom-made futon and tatami mats when he had PCS'ed off The Rock.
The last I had heard from him was that he and Eul Jin, the woman he met and married in that next duty station in South Korea, had returned to the States, but that was years ago.
Why was he here now?
His precious pearl had died a year or so ago.
He found the NSGA Hanza group on facebook recently and saw a post I had created there.
He had recognized my name, of course, and looked me up to be sure.
Savannah? That rang a bell.
Taking a chance, he'd come to town.
Taking a chance, he'd found an event I was attending.
Taking a chance, he'd sought me out and kissed me.
I'm so glad he did.
Now, if only I had been able to return to the dream and seen what happened next...

I looked for him on fb, but did not find him.
It would be very nice to see him again and hear of his adventures...

Now, I'm off to see "Kiki's Delivery Service", a thirty-year-old Japanese anime about a flying thirteen-year-old girl.
If I had thought about it in time, I might have contacted the bfe and seen if he wanted to join me.
Hey, it's a joke between us, okay?
(smile)
I wonder what he would think about my sweet dreams?
(Yes, that's another one for the physicist.)
(smile)

see you next year, tanner

Tanner Thomas had told me at the luncheon that this was most likely his last night as a Savannah Banana.
Like Mason Miller, he needed to get back to campus and be ready when Virginia Tech resumes.
I'm glad the entire South Effingham High School Marching Band had turned out for this game, to give us their spirited and fabulous rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner"!
Go, team, go!
I mean, play ball!!!

Tanner Thomas had a whopping five times in the batter's box, but his first and fifth ones were practically magical.
On his first at-bat, in the first inning when he was the fifth batter, he singled and Gabe Howell, the first hitter of the night, came home for the first run for the home team.
What an auspicious start for Tanner!
Then came the eighth inning.
Tanner comes up to the plate for the final time...
and smacks the first pitch!

It goes to the left of first base and is grabbed at...
but the first-baseman misses it!
Too late the pitcher and second-baseman head for it...
and Tanner breezes past them to an unguarded bag!
He then turned toward his teammates, big grin and hands spread in the air...
just magical!
(smile)

So, is this runner our man #4?
No, the Bananas didn't score in that 8th inning, but they didn't need it.
This is from the 5th inning, with Jake Sullivan coming in for the seventh run of the night and the second run of four scored during that mid-game inning.
That's right, by the end of the fifth, the home team had a blistering nine runs on the board.

What about the Florence Redwolves?
Well, they had certainly started strong.
Brandon McIlwain smacked one over the left field wall in the first inning, to make sure folks were paying attention.
The team could not get through the Savannah pitchers, though, until Jack Gowen and Sam Spadafore each gave the visitors another two runs.
Those were in the 7th and 8th innings, but the total of five runs was not enough.

What a good game...
and what a beautiful night for baseball in Savannah!
i thank You, God!

meet & eat with the boys of summer!

Here's Alex Degen, #35, graciously bending his 6'8" frame as I marvel
at his height.
The New Jersey pitcher has been serving as dancing first-base coach during Maceo's absence.
I advised him to continue to be fearless in his dancing!
Woohoo!!!

Bill LeRoy, #1 and a Georgia peach, is a little closer to my height, especially without his cowboy boots.
He's been my favorite catcher for the past two years.
He didn't yet know about the photo of him standing behind home plate, in his catcher's gear and kilt, looking fierce and as if he'd just stepped off a Scottish moor, but he does now.
RAWR!!

A double delight is right here!
That's newcomer Tanner Thomas of Florida to my left and Statesboro native Dalton Ross to my right.
Tanner will most likely play his last game tonight, as Virginia Tech is calling him back.
However, the Georgia pitcher is here for the duration, I hope!
He liked my story about watching him throw T-shirts like he was going to hurl a ball to the outfield!

I had hoped to get a few words with Mike Williams, the Texan hitter with the mean glove in left field.
However, once I brought him over to Mister Willie, my chance was done and I was out of the picture.
No worries, that gave me more time with my nephew Michael!
He was there with his two little blonde ones and with his new girlfriend, Shanna.

This was a little earlier, when we were still munching on ribs and barbequed chicken from The Outback - certainly not our standard ballpark fare!
Berry Aldridge was sitting and talking with Mister Willie, there at the first table.
And who is that in the distance and heading our way?
It's Split, the King of Potassium!
(smile!)
Thanks, Savannah Bananas!

one bad pitcher gonna spoil the whole bunch

Seriously, I don't understand why the Savannah Bananas are still utilizing a pitcher with an ERA of 17.65, I just don't get it.
All of the other pitchers have Earned Run Averages that are less than 4.0, but not this guy.
The best of the bunch, Jordan Merritt and Dustin Saenz, have ERAs that are well below 2.
I guess he must do pretty good for the away games, but he is horrible at home.
On the 11th of this month, as well as last week on the 19th, I watched in horror as he gave up five runs, in each game, causing the Bananas to lose both times.
Tonight, he was back on the mound again, for less than one inning, granting the opposing team his customary five-run gift.
Seriously.
At least the Blowfish had brought their bad pitcher, with ERA of 17.47, tonight, to balance out the match.
Let's run the tape, shall we?

It's the second inning and the bases are filled with - pause for effect - WALKED Bananas.
Yes, that was the beginning of the end for Brady Smith.
He had only allowed one run in the first inning, but, thanks to him pitching to the home team, the Bananas amassed a stunning SIX RUNS in the second.
Not even the mid-inning change of pitchers could affect that outcome.

Not that the Blowfish needed to fret about their five scoreless innings.
For the sixth inning, Jack Conlon came to pitch and the Blowfish batters finally had someone pitching to them!
Now the bases were filled with Blowfish!
And how many runs did they rack up, thanks to #23?
FIVE RUNS, of course, plus one more from the mid-inning relief by Kyle Luigs.

Fortunately, the Bananas had a little safety margin.
In the 4th inning, Tanner Thomas drove in Mike Williams and Austin Schultz, amping up the score to a total of nine runs.
They felt sure of a win until that disastrous sixth inning, when they suddenly found they were only edging out the Lexington County team by three runs!
The Bananas managed to maintain that lead, with each team scoring only once more.

At least Mister Willie had a wonderful time tonight!
He had spotted his long-time baseball-talking pal, Jack, and sent me to fetch him.
(smile)
I don't know when the last time was that I saw Willie talking so much during a game!
They were so busy catching up that they actually missed part of the action on the field.
Amazing! That never happens.

I thoroughly enjoyed that Willie was having an excellent evening with his friend.
Later, when Willie's blood pressure spiked and I had to get a medic for him, I was glad that I had been there to be his legs.
Then, after the game was done and Jacob had come to help Willie down the stairs, I was taken with this difference in their attire.
What an amusing end to the day!
(smile)

he DOES exist!

That's what the running bear had said when he received this photo of Tony.
Kevin and I have missed our movie time this week and had a misunderstanding about the possibility of meeting tonight for a Wacky Wednesday.
I had tried to get him to see a karate movie with me last weekend, "The Art of Self-Defense", but he was busy. (As I did not expect it to be held over a second week, I saw the excellent dark comedy on Sunday afternoon.)
I had told him I had plans on Wednesday for a karate movie at Sentient Bean, as PFS was showing the 1972 Japanese karate film, "Konketsuji Rika".
Apparently, he had scrambled the two together and thought we were still on, but for the wrong film.
That's when he had texted me... about the same conversation we'd had on Saturday.
I responded with his usual to me, "Kevin attends class but does not listen."
Hahahaha hahaha!
I invited him to the 'Bean, but he abstained.
That's when I told him I had to get back to yardwork, as Tony was here with me.
I'd asked Tony on Monday if he could bring me the lawnmower on Wednesday.
Instead, he'd actually come after work to be the lawn mower.
Nice little pun, right?
You're welcome!
Now, I need to get cleaned up before I meet up with the PFS'ers!
Sayonara!

swampdogs barking at grayson!

I had been watching weather reports since yesterday, hoping for the best.
Tonight's game had been one I'd traded to get.
I like to see every team the Bananas play and this was to be my sole opportunity to see the Fayetteville Swampdogs in action.
But would the weather hold?
It did not.

That's not to say the trip out to Grayson Stadium
had been a wasted effort.
Not hardly!
This was Bark In The Park night!
That meant folks were able to trot their dogs -
and miniature ponies - around the bases.
How absolutely appropriate for this game with
the Swampdogs, right?

It made me wonder which came first, the CPL game schedule or the Bananas promotion schedule?
Things that make you go...hmmm!
The jerseys the North Carolina team wore also made
me muse and ponder.
With their white stars on a field of deep blue, as
part of the patriotic design, they would have been perfect for the Catawba Valley Stars last night!

I don't believe Mister Willie cared one way of the other about the uniforms.
He was just glad I'd gotten some ibuprofen for my back, as I had been miserable from it yesterday.
(Tree trimming had aggravated a 31-year-old injury.)
Here he is, getting attention from the crowd, with the Man in the Yellow Tux back in action!

Bruce was there tonight, along with the rest of the
Dad-Bod Cheerleading Squad - and he really liked
the photo I took of them!
Steve was thrilled that I had brought back a camo cap that he had given me last year, for military night.
He'd already given one to a grandchild and needed one more - ta DAH!
(smile)

I was thrilled that the flag bearers were from the
Naval ROTC at Jenkins High School!
That's my alma mater, y'all!
When I attended, I don't even recall an ROTC unit,
much less one that was a contingent of the USN!
They looked mighty sharp out there tonight, too.
Go, Warriors!

As for the game, I had hoped for a pitcher's duel, to speed things along.
Jordan Merritt certainly gave it a shot, striking out
three Swampdogs in the first and another three in the
second innings.
But that second inning, the Bananas' bats were hitting!
The first three each got singles!
With the aid of a wild pitch for "free bases", Tanner Thomas came in for the first run!

Nice first RBI, Dan Oberst!
Then, with Austin on third and Dan on first, Bryan Encarnacion was struck by the pitcher, making the
bases filled with Bananas!
Gabe Howell popped out, but Mike Williams smacked a single, bringing Austin in for run two!
Woohoo! Nice inning... but a bit slow...
and look at that sky.

Thirty minutes later, the Swampdogs had scored two runs to tie the game, the first two Bananas had popped out, and the storm clouds were speeding up their coverage of the sky.
Tanner and Austin T had both been walked when Dan came to bat.
Boom! His double brought Tanner in for the tie-breaker!
That left Austin on third and Dan on second.

Next up was Bryan, of course, following the same batting order which was so successful in the second inning.
His bat drove a long single, allowing both runners to make it home!
Now the Bananas had five runs to the Swampdogs' two.
But look at that sky... just three minutes after the previous photo.
One more out and the inning was done.


The tarp was immediately pulled out to cover the field.
I grabbed Willie and we left, making it almost to the car before the rain came.
We'd been gifted with three innings of good baseball, but those three innings had taken one hour and twenty-seven minutes.
Considering that three innings normally takes about an hour, this game had taken longer than average, but it certainly had not dragged...
and I'd had my chance to watch the Swampdogs play.
i thank You, God.

stars lit up grayson field

I realize that I've given away
the ending of this exhibition game with the Carolina-Virginia Summer League team by posting this photo, but so be it.
The Catawba Valley Stars won the match fair and square and were a mighty fine team to watch in action.
Sure, I had expected some very lovely designs on the jerseys to go with their name...
but I got a good game of baseball and that's what counts!

How had they even come to be in Savannah today?
Well, the Bananas had set up this date to make-up a rained-out game against the Florence Redwolves. Earlier this month, they realized that would not work and the game was finished in Florence.
Meanwhile, the 4000-plus local fans were still expecting either a ballgame... or refunds.
So a ballgame is what we received! (smile)

Perhaps the visitors wondered if the more-heavenly
stars might not have been quite aligned enough.
In the very first inning, they found the bases
filled with Bananas - oh, my!
What to do, what to do?
Well, the first thing they did was change pitchers.
Yep, right in the middle of the first inning.
(I hope Coach Gillum was taking notes.)

That expeditious switch from Puente to Jarvis did
the trick for them.
Langston Provitt was able to cross home plate, thanks
to Austin Thompson, but his run was the only one made
that inning.
Actually, that was the only run the Bananas made, as
the team fronted mostly new players tonight.
(Yes, the Savannah fans noticed that line-up change.)

For the next few innings, nothing came together on
the field for either team.
Then, enter the fifth inning.
This time, the bases were filled with Stars early on,
and stayed that way for a full five minutes.
It was beginning to look as if Brent Faber, Michael Schoettmer, and Dylan Procopio might be destined to
be stranded out there.

Tanner Branden had scored on Procopio's single, so at least the inning wouldn't be scoreless.
And then came a shift in their destiny.
With one out, the sixth Star - Bo Peltier - stepped into the batter's box.
Soon, he was racing to second base... and the Stars on base had safely landed at home, stranded no longer!

The Stars would go on to score again, in the sixth inning, when Luis Ezra came in for their fifth run.
That was the last run scored by either team.
The home team just couldn't make it across home plate.
The ninth inning provided a last opportunity.
Trenton Nash, one of the new boys of summer, was first at bat and hit a solid triple - wow!
And there he stayed, unable to get a way off that bag.

I'm so glad my youngest brother and his lovely wife
were there tonight!
There had been quite a few folks, probably out-of-
towners, who had opted for refunds, so that opened
up seats for purchase - hooray!
That was how they had been able to be there!
I really do enjoy talking baseball with Dood and Laura!

Not that I don't also enjoy doing that with Mister
Willie, but I have ample opportunity to do that with
him on a regular basis.
Speaking of regular, here's that "sexy sax" man!
He was the only member of the Pep Band who was here
for this game.
No Banana-Nanas were there, neither.

Nor were the Man-Nanas present.
(Isn't this a fabulous photo of them?)
The Dancing First-Base Coach, Maceo, was absent, but Alex Degen tried to keep the groove alive there.
The most glaring absence, though, was that of the Man in the Yellow Tux, who left in his stead someone channeling their inner Elton John.
That was okay... I was there for the baseball game...
and I definitely got what I came for.
(smile)

four women

"What A Difference A Day Makes" in "Early Autumn", when there is "A Time For Love".
"I'm So Glad We Had This Time Together"!
And I'm so glad to have heard Cynthia Utterbach singing all these songs, and more, this evening, in the company of the Eric Jones Trio.
She performed the above songs in the styles of several famous women, including Dinah Washington, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, and - surprise, surprise, surprise! - Carol Burnett, respectively.
There were three others included in her revue. One of those, Shirley Horn, was not one I knew, but I did enjoy the slow and sultry "Love Dance". That was easily the most risque song I've ever heard... or maybe my imagination is simply too honed from a life of reading.
(smile)
Billie Holiday, of course, is a woman whose singing I've enjoyed most of my life. "Comes Love" was not one I knew, but no matter when "nothing can be done". (Hey, listen to the song to get my little joke!)
As for Nina Simone, I had not been aware that she wrote songs. I am now. Thanks, Cynthia, for introducing me to "Four Women", a song exploring the vast diversity within the term "black" (which Nina referred to as "negro").
Thanks, also, for sharing this story about the songstress!
What a way to spend a Sunday evening!
Plus, this was my first time at the Mansion on Forsyth's Autograph Room.
I very much liked it - more room to dance and so many mirrors!
(smile)
Usually, the monthly concerts for the Coastal Jazz Association are held across the river, at the Ben Tucker Pavilion. I'm glad this one was here in town!
Plus, this was the fourth of these concerts that I've attended.
That means any others before September 26th will truly be free for me!
There are two scheduled and I already have them on my calendar.
(smile)
Remember when I renewed my CJA membership last fall?
I had been a bit shocked at the sticker price for singles: seventy-five dollars.
That's fifty percent more than someone who is part of a "doublet" pays - ouch.
That cost meant it would require me to attend four "paid" concerts - which are $20 apiece to the public - before reaping any membership rewards.
I have finally reached that point.

I had started off well, driving out to the venue on the golf course for the October event.
Jonathan Baptiste & the Urban Intellectuals were a sextet out of Florida and were surprisingly young.
"I Don't Feel No Ways Tired" was a toe-tapper tune to warm the blood on that cold day!
My favorite, though, was their version of "I'll Fly Away" -
thanks, y'all!
I wish it was recorded somewhere!


Off to a good start with my concert-going, I faltered the next month, missing the Tim Fischer Quartet in November. It isn't that I was busy on that Sunday, I just didn't want to venture forth in the cold.
December did not have a monthly concert.
January did and I was all set to get the new year started with the Mitch Hennes Quartet. However, that was not to be. I didn't return from Auntie Arlene's celebration in Virginia in time for the show.
How about February and the Ben Rosenblum Trio? Frankly, I was overbooked. Mi tres amigas already had me for the one-day-only Oscar shorts that Tomasz had curated.

However, I made sure to be there on the March date!
I was rather excited about GC & The Cuban Cowboys and so were others - their CD sold out before the show!
Such lively music there in South Carolina for this sunny day!
The small room was filled to over-capacity, but I still managed to dance to the beat.
What an excellent finish to my day across the river with my step-mom and nephew Conner!
(smile)

April was a miss, though.
It's not that I don't enjoy the Duke Ellington tribute every spring, because I do. In fact, I try to catch that man's music every chance I get. However, this was my only chance to see the Savannah Stage Company's one-time-only performance of their first musical this year... and I have no clone. That meant Forsyth Park, not South Carolina, for today's destination of the one and only body I have.
(smile)

May was certainly not a miss!
However, I missed out on any photographs because... I left my trusty phone at home.
I had a busy day planned and I was everywhere I should have been and intended to be, so that's the good part.
Attending the concert with saxophonist Tom Scott, backed by local favorites the Howard Paul Trio, was definitely a rewarding experience for me!

June was not meant to be a miss, but it was. I had looked forward to hearing the Joe Alterman Trio, as he looked to be a fun fellow! However, as it turned out, I returned from Florida, but my car did not. I guess I could have called someone for a ride, but who to call? Plus, I would have had to pay for their ticket.

I made it to this one, though, and it was wonderful!
How nice that I have two completely free concerts ahead!
The one in August features the Robert Louis Quartet, here at the Mansion again.
Then, in September, I'll have the 38th Annual Savannah Jazz Festival - woohoo! I especially look forward to Blues Night in Forsyth Park, where Sugar-Ray Rayford will be the main attraction.
(smile)
That'll be free for everyone, so I'll be sure to invite all I know!
I'll be sure to include my brother Smitty - he's a jazz fan, too!
(smile)

farewell fireworks for mason miller

What a beautiful evening for a baseball game!
Earlier had boasted dark clouds and thunder, but
that cleared in plenty of time.
I was there with Mister Willie and Steve and we
were excited to watch the Savannah Bananas take
on the Macon Bacon!
However, the home team had placed Jack Conlon on
the mound to pitch...
seriously?

Had they forgotten how he was responsible for last week's losing game against the Blowfish?
To my surprise, he only allowed the visitors one run in that first inning.
They scored no runs in the second inning, after the cancer survivors' walk around the bases.
Looking good, right?
Then, in the third, Calvin Estrada hit a homerun with
a man on... and Conlon came unraveled.

He gave up five more hits and three more runs before
he was taken off the mound.
The home team tried to rally in the bottom of that fateful third inning, even getting the bases loaded
with Bananas.
That was for naught.
Our boys of summer didn't score until the 7th.

A bad break caused Ethan Baucom to get sidelined, with a new guy coming in his stead at first base.
That fresh player was what the Bananas needed to keep from having a shut-out in front of the home town crowd.
Many had already left, though, as the slow game had dragged out the clock to almost 10 PM.
So, they missed seeing Langston Provitt's double in his first at-bat, and they missed him racing across home plate on Austin Schultz's double.

In the eighth inning, the boys were still trying to gain traction and score, but to no avail.
Then, Mason Miller came up and hit a long ball... that was caught by a Bacon outfielder.
Mason had made it to second base, but he circled off, still running, waving his cap to the fans, all the way to the waiting arms of his teammates.
That was his final at-bat with the team, as he was leaving for school.

But it was not his last, but his penultimate!
When Austin Schultz hit his next double, this time
in the ninth, Austin Thompson and Langston Provitt came on home, bringing the score to three runs.
It looked like a rally was in progress!
The six pitchers the Bananas had burned through
after Conlon to contain the damage had not been
in vain after all!

Mike Williams didn't make it onto base.
Logan Foster didn't fare any better.
It looked as if Austin Schultz might still be stranded
on the yellow second-base bag at game's end.
Then, along came...
Mason Miller!
This truly would be his last at-bat for the Bananas.

Seconds later, his bat made contact!
It was a righteous single and he was safe on first!
Austin was safe at home for that fourth run!
And the boys still had one out left in the game!

Within the next two minutes of that ninth inning,
Mason managed to first steal second base, then
to steal third base.
Wow!!!
Each steal had prompted the "Mama Shark, Daddy
Shark" verses of the popular children's song,
clapped along with gleefully by the remaining
folks in the stands.

And here Mason is, running toward home!
Wow!!!
But, alas, Bill LeRoy's hit ended in an out, so
Mason's final run was not a scoring one.
Nonetheless, what a thrilling finish for his last
game of the summer!

As for we few who had stayed for the entire game -
all three hours and thirty-seven minutes of it -
the fireworks were our reward.
True, the Bacon had topped our Bananas (little joke
to soften the score) by twice as many runs, but the fireworks show still went on for the home folks...
and for Mason Miller, too.
Good luck to you, young man!