The biggest and worst problem we had was absence of Vacation King, Cambell Queen The selfish, sometime cavalier international playboy not only left us in a lurch by not being in town, but he had also sneakily absconded with certain elements of our catching gear. Without shin guards or a helmet poor Tino and Spencer had to catch all night without gear. Fortunately no one was hurt too badly. And we discovered that although there may in fact be worse catchers on the planet, Spencer did his best to display his reasons for NEVER wanting to be thought of as a catcher EVER again.
Aside from that, the team came out swinging, pitching and played very good defense.
Pitching was VERY good for our first action. I was pleased by the strike throwing and the way the boys competed from the bump. John Peterson started and pitched well in his two innings. Stuart Fairchild rolled through two quality innings and Tino added two quality innings as well.
We hit and swang the bats very well. Spencer was 3-4, Stuart Fairchild hit a long triple and a double, Tino hit a moon shot for a double but later popped up* with the bases loaded and two out. John Peterson hit a double over the head of the left fielder, and after a vicious in-dugout argument over defensive positions with coach Cougan Newcomer David Becker lashed a single. Jimmy Sheldrup beat out an infield single and we got a hit from a potential newcomer Mason Mystery Boy.
On defense I am pretty sure we didn't have an error, we all threw to the right bases and most importantly of all...no one wet their pants, at least not that I was aware of.
* if you, like me, call hitting a screaming line drive right at a startled first baseman a pop up.
And of course I cannot write about a game at Hiawatha without:
By the shores of Gitche Gumee,
By the shining Big-Sea-Water,
Stood the wigwam of Nokomis,
Daughter of the Moon, Nokomis.
Dark behind it rose the forest,
Rose the black and gloomy pine-trees,
Rose the firs with cones upon them;
Bright before it beat the water,
Beat the clear and sunny water,
Beat the shining Big-Sea-Water.
There the wrinkled old Nokomis
Nursed the little Hiawatha,
Rocked him in his linden cradle,
Bedded soft in moss and rushes,
Safely bound with reindeer sinews;
Stilled his fretful wail by saying,
"Hush! the Naked Bear will hear thee!"
Lulled him into slumber, singing,
"Ewa-yea! my little owlet!
Who is this, that lights the wigwam?
With his great eyes lights the wigwam?
Ewa-yea! my little owlet!"
Many things Nokomis taught him
Of the stars that shine in heaven;
Showed him Ishkoodah, the comet, Ishkoodah, with fiery tresses;
Showed the Death-Dance of the spirits,
Warriors with their plumes and war-clubs,
Flaring far away to northward
In the frosty nights of Winter;
Showed the broad white road in heaven,
Pathway of the ghosts, the shadows,
Running straight across the heavens,
Crowded with the ghosts, the shadows.
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