Houston and Home Runs

Monday night I talked to Ceil about going to Houston, and she gave me the go ahead. I got in Tuesday to work to find an email from his coach…not the expected Friday game but tournament games Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. I went ahead with the trip…it wouldn’t hurt to miss one of Will’s 60 games.

Wednesday am I walked in the airport at 5:50 for my 7:15 flight, and the security lines were back to the middle of the atrium. Made it to the B20 gate at 6:40. Didn’t push back until 7:40. Had an empty seat next to me on the plane, so I got out the laptop and polished up my emotional dumping piece on travel ball that I wrote in April…last night I posted it to the blog.

Great seats at the Astros game. The guy I’m training took his wife, who is a big fan. They’re pretty quiet, but aren’t big Clemens or Pettite fans. Found the lot where I had a parking pass, on the opposite side of the stadium from a bunch of fan stuff outside…so I didn’t walk around there, instead entering the park at 5:50. Didn’t bother trying to sell the fourth ticket. Walked around to the LF porch for Oakland’s BP…only a few balls were hit there, but I never got up from my seat. Walked around some more, and didn’t make it to my seat until the anthem was played. Robert and wife were already there. Row 9 on the outfield side of the 3B dugout.

Before every inning 3B coach Rene Lachman would toss a kid a ball. Jason Kendall got 3 hits, including his first HR of the year, barely into that LF porch. A few weeks ago in the pregame Pete ran down all the players who had yet to homer, and said Kendall was always on the list. Didn’t see the dugout scuffle between the angry Astros reliever who had blown the game and the starter, though I had a good view of the dugout. During the stretch, after “Take Me Out..,” they play “Deep in the Heart of Texas.”

After dinner last night I called home but no one answered at 10:30. No surprise…Ceil was going out with friends, Anna and Matthew were at the Earharts, and Will had his game. Cell phone was busy, so I called Will’s coach. He gave me the news…Will homered in his first at bat, a first-pitch drive of over 300 feet. Later Will told me he got 2 other hits and was robbed of a third. As I had suspected, he pitched and allowed no runs, struck out 5 or 6. They won 8 – 1.