Emma and the Astros

So last Sunday found Emma and me at beautiful Minute Maid Park, home of our very own Houston Astros. For those of you who've never been to Houston, it looks like this just about every day of the year, with the temperature in the upper 70s and a slight breeze. Every day.

For those of you from Houston, well, the reality will just be our little secret.

For Emma to enjoy the day, she needed three things - new duds, Blue Bell ice cream, and an Astros win. And just because she could, she included cotton candy - in both blue and pink.

After searching the entire Astros team store, this is the outfit she picked. The shirt had the added bonus of matching the hat.

And the final score? The hometown nine decimated the Los Angeles Dodgers, 12-0. We even hit a grand slam homer!

Emma (and I) can't wait to go back.

A Baseball Career in One Day

Last Saturday, I played in my first (and probably last) game of vintage baseball. This style of baseball is played with the rules from the 1860s. It is similar to slow pitch softball, with a few quirks, like no gloves and getting an out by catching the ball after the first bounce.

The Larry Dierker Chapter of the Society for American Baseball Research fields a vintage team - the Houston Babies. I went to take pictures, but as the team was man short, I reluctantly agreed to play. I had only two thoughts - don't embarrass myself and don't get hurt.

Well, as luck would have it, we won. Here is a team photo taken after the game -

That's me second from the left - the one not wearing baseball pants. (Click picture to see the whole team.)

So, how did I do? From the game summary, 

"McCroskey and Chestnut from Game One were the only two perfect plate day Babies. Each played in a single game – and each went 3 for 3."

So with that I think I'll end my career with a not-to-be-topped 1.000 batting average.