Far from the maddening news

Turning far from the maddening recent news (LGBT orthodoxy demanding "openness and inclusion for all," except those holding different views; Virginia Congressman declaring his $174,000 annual salary doesn't permit a "decent" standard of living; media battle over Obamacare numbers; a taxpayer subsidized private "White Power Conference" exclusively for people of color; and yet another legislator in my home state indicted for criminal behavior), we attended the Friday night baseball game at one of the local universities.

Walking into a superb facility, I felt we had re-entered small town America.  Paying a paltry $6 for a ticket, we walked into the stadium along with families, youngsters, and university students.  Not a bad seat in the house, as the saying goes, in the open seating arrangement we were able to find seats behind the home team dugout and settled in with our friends for a night of baseball.  A hot dog and soda rounded out the early minutes, as we sat and watched the home team players spruce up the infield.  Watching the players man rakes and brooms, it was impressive that they were taking care of their home field.

More people filed in, including a young man wearing a USMC ball cap.  "Semper Fi, Marine," I commented as he and his family walked by.  Smiling broadly, he told us he'd just graduated from Marine Corps Boot Camp that morning.  Outstanding!  (My buddy, another retired Devil Dog, later mused that we should sneak up behind him and shout, "ATTEN HUT," just to see his reaction.  We didn't, of course, but laughed at our insider joke.)

Seated with our very good friends, who've we met decades ago while on active duty in the Marine Corps, we watched the game, ate our hot dogs (that always taste so much better at the ball park), cheered for the home team, and talked and laughed about all matter of things.  High on the list, naturally, were discussions about kids and grandkids.  Laughing between innings, it was as if we were in an island of relaxation and enjoyment.

Young boys ran around, as they are prone to do, chasing the periodic foul balls.  By the way, there were team reps who retrieved the foul balls in exchange for a chit for a free soft drink.  The balls cost and the team can't afford to be letting the foul balls walk out in the pockets of the fans.  Some very serious fans were huddled over their scorebooks, capturing the performance history of the game.

The game was competitive, with plenty of thrills, at least for the home team.  Booming, high long fly outs popped off the aluminum bats.  While not a lot of hits, there were some good plays in the infield and outfield.  One of the home team players crushed what looked to be a fastball and sent it comfortably over the fence in center field, just adjacent to the 410 foot marker.  At the end, our home team won comfortably.  As we were beginning to walk out, the home team gathered in front of their dugout, arms around each other's shoulders, and sang out a rousing fight song, ending with their school's initials.  Superb!  The smiles and enthusiasm they displayed throughout add to the enjoyment.

Yep, far from the maddening news.  Spring evening, baseball, wife, and friends, doesn't get much better than that.