la_rainette | Baseball and chewing gum

Would somebody please tell me what it is that makes baseball so fascinating to people? We had lunch at a Sports Restaurant yesterday, the kind of place where you can follow whichever sport you want provided you have a swivel-chair (or else, OW your neck): 3 TV sets, with baseball, basketball or hockey.

Since

darthfox explained to me Why People Run in Baseball, I thought I'd share my newly acquired knowledge with Husband. So we watched in bemused wonder several batters stand by and let the ball fly past them, or swing ineffectually and be replaced, and no-one ran, and at some point Husband asked: "Is anything actually going to happen anytime soon?", and then they broke up for commercials and our food had arrived anyway.

No wonder Froglet, who was born on the day the Patience and Stillness Fairy was on strike, finds baseball boring.

Then Tadpole slid under the table and exclaimed in wonder: "ooooh, mommy, look" pointing at something hidden under the table. My much abused neck no longer felt up to the challenge, so I just felt for said thing with my hand.

OK, I know that was stupid. You'd think I would have learned my lesson by now. I mean, Tadpole being that delighted is never a good sign. Anyway. My fingers found a smooth, cool, hard thingy that had to be the sad remains of a much chewed piece of gum. I recoiled in horror. Froglet dropped down to her knees and beamed in wonder: "Ooooh, mommy, there is pink, and blue, and green, and white, and all the colors of the rainbow and it is so pretty!. And I think it's gum because it looks kinda chewed. I can see teeth marks"

I ran all the way to the washroom, holding my contaminated hand as far as I could from my body.

Baseball practice tomorrow, first match next Wednesday. I can't wait.