Father and daughter woke up early and loaded their packs with snacks, field guides, sunblock, and water. They took care to lock the door behind them as they went down to the creek for a Fourth of July hike. Mom had to work. The morning was pleasant: overcast, high 60’s, with a soft breeze. A steady trickle of water accompanied them as they made their way amongst tall grasses filled with bugs that took flight as they passed. Nearly two hours went by before they returned home. They were just in time for lunch and a ballgame.
Lunch
The typical food on the Fourth of July usually consists of loads of barbequed meat from hot dogs, to chicken, to ribs, to burgers. With a side of potato salad, a heaping pile of chips, and possibly a slice of watermelon. Following their hike the father and daughter had pizza. That’s right, pepperoni pizza. Not necessarily traditional, but delicious nonetheless. Dad turned on the TV, pizza perched on his lap, and searched for the Giants’ game. Where was it? He thought it began at 12:45? He looked at his daughter, who shrugged and raised her hands near her ears. Then he checked his phone, 3:10 start time. Ugh. He handed the remote to his daughter and told her to put on whatever she wanted. They watched Cars. Not a bad flick, but not baseball.
Video Games
Following pizza and the first 25 minutes of Cars, the daughter wanted to play video games. She was big on Mario Kart. Dad not so reluctantly accepted the challenge. They battled back and forth for the next half an hour, splitting the victories down the middle.
“Alright,” he said, putting the remote on the table, “I’m taking a break.”
Dad fixed himself a coffee, put his feet up, and cracked open a copy of Roger Angell’s Season Ticket. If he couldn’t watch baseball for a few more hours at least he could read about it. Angell had passed away in May of 2022 and Dad had made a pact to read through all of Angell’s baseball writing. In the course of reading Angell’s reflections on the jaunty Earl Weaver, Dad remembered that there was a load of laundry sitting in the dryer just begging to be folded. He checked his watch: 2:26. Perfect. Just in time for pregame.
Folding Laundry With the Giants and D-Backs
The Giants were to play the D-backs for the first time in the 2022 season. They limped into the series carrying with them a four-game losing streak, which included a three-game sweep by the visiting White Sox. They made the trip, licking their wounds, to Arizona following their Sunday 4-to-13 loss to the Sox. Their defense had seen better days, their bullpen was tired, and their offense, other than the charismatic Joc Pederson, was gasping for air. But, even though their backs were against a wall, the Giants were still a team with hope. Baseball, like life, has its ups and downs, and what matters most is facing the downs with a positive attitude, which the Giants seemed to be doing.
The Fourth of July contest took place in the pleasantly air-conditioned Chase Field and the laundry folding took place under a fan in an un-air-conditioned bedroom. Both ventures, the ballgame, and the folding started off promising. But only one was carried to fruition with a positive outcome. The Giants’ defense once again fell apart with a couple of throwing errors from Wilmer Flores and Curt Casali. And their offense, other than a single by Lamonte Wade Jr. that drove in two in the first and a single by David Villar, who also collected his first Major League hit earlier that day, that drove in one, struggle to get anything going against former Giant, Madison Bumgarner.
Putting the Laundry Away With the Giants and D-Backs
But no matter the outcome (Giants 3, D-backs 8) the socks were paired up, the shirts folded, and the pants were hung in the closet with care. The laundry was finished and the game was in the bottom of the sixth. The D-backs were leading 6-3 and although well within reach, it seemed as though the door had already been closed. But no matter. There was baseball on the screen, the laundry was put away, and it was barely approaching midsummer. A lot of baseball left to be played. Nothing could have made Dad happier. Well, maybe a Giants victory and a Dodgers loss could have made the occasion just a little bit merrier.
Main Photo:
Players Mentioned:
Joc Pederson, Wilmer Flores, Curt Casali, David Villar, Madison Bumgarner
