It must mean baseball, the best of all seasons. It's such a big deal that I have planned to grill hot dogs to celebrate the opening of the major league season next weekend. My wife thinks it's kind of crazy because I will be making the hot dogs for ... myself. Me.
Actually, the season has already started. My son and I jumped in our car last weekend for a road trip --- across town where the Northern Colorado Bears were hosting the South Dakota State Jackrabbits in a four-game series. I dressed warmly for the Saturday doubleheader, although I ended up getting a neck-burn in the 75-degree heat. We had barely settled in our seats when SDSU's Zach Rhodes launched a three-run homer over the right-field fence. It was gone from the ping of the bat.
Thus began a rather rugged weekend for the Bears, who at this time last year were showcasing a power-laden lineup. However, a school decision to fire the coach undoubtedly led to the transfer exodus of several players, including one slugger who hit 18 home runs and batted better than .350 last year. Without him and other hitters in the lineup, the Bears succumbed to a four-game sweep at the hands of the Jacks. Perennially a good-hitting team, the Jacks pounded out several home runs and scored 41 runs in the four games, while holding UNC to seven runs. The three-run homer by the lefty-hitting Rhodes was part of a 13-2 win, and then, righthander Steven Bougher fired a four-hit shutout in the nightcap, 2-0. On Sunday, we watched the Bears take another 9-1 shelling. It appears to be that SDSU will field a strong team this year, with strong pitching, good defense and, of course, hitting. The Bears have a task ahead of them, but at least they appeared to be sold on hustle and effort. And there is plenty of time to get hot.
But as baseball lovers know, when you're hot, you're hot. But when you're not ... well, you're not. Two nights later, the Bears had a 3-0 lead over Nebraska in the sixth and lost, 5-4 in the bottom of the ninth when the pitcher plunked the leadoff hitter, who eventually scored on a two-out hit. Like I said, when things aren't going well, they really won't go well in this game. Every little mistake ends of killing you. Eventually, frustration enters in. There is probably already some of that; a UNC coach was tossed from the game Saturday, albeit for a stupid reason: the third-base umpire ruled that a UNC batter hadn't entered the batters box quickly enough, and assessed him a strike. The stupidest rule ever brought the coach out of his shoes and into the face of the umpire. The pointy-headed bureaucrat in blue didn't care that the offending batter was the catcher, who had to scramble out of his equipment to get to the plate.
I'd have gotten run too. And when you're getting beat on the field ... well, it's too much to believe.
About the only good thing I can report is that the inevitable mustard stain on my treasured Twins coat was airbrushed out by my wife. At that point, I was a perfect 46-for-46 lifetime: 46 hot dogs, 46 mustard spills. I haven't figured out that maybe I should eliminate the mustard.
