Go Retire Psychiatrist

Well, maybe there’ll be a major league baseball game on the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa—or not, given the rain coming down so far this morning.

We just found out that the Minnesota Twins are scheduled to play the Philadelphia Phillies today, 6:30 PM central time. It’s going to be wet. It’s a special regular-season game in the first of a three-game series between the two teams. Bring your umbrella.

We never saw the movie and we’ve never driven the hour and a half trip to see the Field of Dreams in Dyersville. We’re not big baseball fans, but we appreciate the meaning the game has for Iowa.

I have a couple of memories from when I was a kid regarding baseball, though. When I was a kid, a big brother type guy named Blacky Espinosa took my little brother and I to a Twins game in Minneapolis. Man, it was hot and it was hard to pay attention to the game.

I remember a guy going up and down our side of the stadium, hawking beer. “Beer here; cold beer!” I don’t remember Blacky buying us beer—or Cracker Jacks either. His wife came along and would not have approved. I don’t think she cared for the heat, either.

The other memory was me playing either Little League or Pony League baseball when I was a little older, after the Twins game event. I remember getting smacked in the arm when a teammate was swinging a bat around before going up to the plate. My arm swelled up and if somebody else had smacked me in the other arm the same way, I’d have looked pretty buff for a while from swollen arms.

Our win-loss record was dismal. I don’t remember that we actually won any games. I was always stuck in right field. I was not exactly what you’d call a gifted athlete, if you get my drift.

And I don’t know what the lyrics are for “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” I had to look it up and some people might have an issue with this web article. Go get’em, Twins.