Late start this morning because last night at about 5:30 a buddy of mine called to see if I wanted to go to the Orioles game with another close friend who lives in Baltimore. After getting a by-her-leave from the missus, I went to my first ballgame in a few years. Many beers, some barbecue, good times (I still love Baltimore, and it’s great to go back). I also had the pleasure of catching a ball. David Dejesus of the Kansas City Royals threw the ball into the stands and, with my legendary cat-like reflexes, I snatched it out of the air with one hand thwarting a throng of lesser mortals. I then gave the ball to a very young boy sitting behind me who looked like he was laying the groundwork for a lifetime of baseball fandom.

It was the best part of my week to see how excited he was to get it.

The game was memorable for another reason. Someone told me this morning that the Royals became only the sixth team in history not to record a single fielding assist — all strikeouts, pop-outs etc. Of course, if I hadn’t been distracted by the beer and Italian sausage, I would have spotted that on my own.

Savor this post. It could be years before I write about baseball again.