And so I had this idea that the kids, being baseball players and all, would like to do a night at the Barnstormers - onto the field with the players for the national anthem, the “Field of Dreams” thing.
Little did I know.
Amidst schedule changes and personnel changes and last-second phone calls and the absolute ton of work that every mom or dad who ever volunteered for their kid’s sports league or Scouts or whatever knows all too well, the kids went onto the field last night, about 30 of them. And they were thrilled - so much so that four of them who were to go stand with the center fielder just kept on running, running toward the fence until all of us standing by the dugout finally got their attention and waved them back. And the national anthem was sung and the players gave the kids high-fives and then we herded everyone back to their seats, where some were actually interested in the game, and we had a bunch of good teaching moments, or coaching moments. Other players, like my own son, were more interested in having slap-fights with their friends or seeing how far over the wall they could actually lean without falling onto the dirt.
And Cylo came over and hung out for a good 20 minutes, signing baseballs and caps and the kids shirts and the kids arms. And the kids, the teams, hung out, bonded. And the parents thought it was all a good deal because even though the schedules all had to be rearranged at the last moment because of the previous night’s rainout, it was all about the kids anyway - and the kids had a blast.
And so props where props are due. The Barnstormers not only accommodated us but feted us, Cylo made a point of stopping and staying, Rich M. in the group sales office took umpteen panicked phone calls and e-mails from yours truly all in stride, and it all worked out, and it was a very nice night. As it almost always is at the Barnstormers, whether they win or lose - though they did, in fact, manage to win last night’s first game.
The kids are the richer for the experience. And so, I think, is Lancaster.
