Dennisball 7/11/05

It's been raining hard. We're in the purple 6"+ area of the rain totals map and the spillway is roaring. We've played three games of the tournament, have had one formal protest, and anticipate another when the weather permits resumption of play. There could be a third (if it was up to me, there would be). I work hard to be an impartial observer, a part of the team of tournament officials, but it's been painful to watch. The whole story would make a great blog entry, but it will have to wait for publication. I picked #2 up at the train station Saturday night as the first waves of heavy rain came through, not long after the two opening games of the tournament ended. I should probably say he came home for a visit, but the fact is, I just wanted him home. Hurricane Dennis was looming and I was reading the NOAA data online. New Orleans was well in the cone and I knew I couldn't afford to buy him a plane ticket at the last minute if the storm headed his way, so, Thursday night, I booked him on Amtrak. It's an amazing bargain and a fabulous way to travel. It would've cost a whole lot more on Friday. It was hard to go to work this morning. Monday and still pouring, although we got enough of a break in the weather to squeak in one game on Sunday afternoon. It was just so nice, the rain and the lush green around the spillway's mist roaring inside, with the sleeping boys home, and I was tired from a weekend stressed by people behaving badly on every side of the matter. The dog had no intention of walking, so I didn't dare feed her, but left a note for the boys and trudged reluctantly to work, late and wet. The draw of a quiet rainy day at home with my kids was very strong. Still, I'm happy to have tonight at home alone, with the boys out with friends, our fields too wet for play, and the homerun derby on TV.