My brother, Britt, and I had tickets to see Alabama and Auburn do battle on the diamond last Tuesday.
It’s rare these days, between family and work, that we get an opportunity to have a brother’s night out, so we were both quite excited to spend an evening at the old ball park.
The paper went out ahead of schedule so I was able to skip away from the job a little early and pick Britt up and head downtown.
The first stop on our journey was the brewery downtown, The Railyard, for a much needed pint before the game.
We then walked across the street to the ball park and found our seats.
It was already raining pretty steady by this point but, always the optimists, we thought they’d just postpone the game a little while.
So, we made our way to the concessions area for some pretzels, peanuts and ice cold adult beverages and watched the rain fall.
After a while, we went into the souvenir shop and, after browsing through the shirts and caps, both walked away with something for the kids.
We went back out into the concourse only to see the rain falling a little harder on the already soaked field and decided we’d have another beverage.
It wasn’t long after that when they called the game and the wild herd started making its way out of the park.
The game was rescheduled for the same time the next night when, of course, Britt and I would be doing our Wednesday duties back at The Railyard.
So, we missed the game and my brother spent more than $40 on a set of tickets that went to waste.
We both got souvenir baseballs that had the original date on them so, I guess that’s something.
Though we missed the ballgame completely, and had our long anticipated Brothers Night Out destroyed, it wasn’t a complete wash.
I find that when I have time to spend, whether it’s at a ballgame or missing a ballgame, that time is never wasted when I’m with my family.
My brother and I missed the ballgame and came home cold and wet but, we had at least a little time together at the ballfield.
Like little boys, the disappointment and frustration hung on our faces like the rain dripping from them so, our wives were there to share our disappointment and help us shake it off.
In another room, our beautiful children were asleep.
And, little did they know, there was a brand new Biscuits shirt waiting for them when they awoke.
Thanks for a grand time brother, it’s certainly one I won’t forget.
Dispatches from the Back Belt World Affairs Desk 