More Than a Game

continued

Yet what made it unforgettable weren't the usual suspects - two solo home runs, base stealing, or that lightening-fast, double-play with the bases loaded that ended the game in the top of the ninth.

What made this game memorable was the story that unfolded inning by inning as a stranger beside me shared what was happening in the life of his family.

The evening was warm and clear, perfect for baseball. Earlier, I had scored one of the last few parking spots in the lot near the swimming pool. As I walked to the ticket counter, I could see packed stands. I fretted through the long ticket line, worried they'd sell out before my turn. A group of three got in line behind me - a grandfather, father and grandson. The grandfather was memorable - he looked like a slightly-smaller version of the World Wrestling Entertainment super star Big Show, who is seven-feet tall and bald. We nodded to each other. When it was my turn, I got one of the last chair back seats.

No one was sitting in the right place, so it was a complex domino effect of people moving and re-moving until I took my seat, just a few rows down from the rowdy student fans that I enjoy. Soon the extended family from the ticket line joined me. They had the seats to my left.