The Dark Cloud

Sometimes, do you ever just feel like there's a dark storm cloud hovering over you, or following you around?

I don't believe in luck per se. That's because I believe God is in full control of my life, good, bad or ugly. It's part of the deal. He saves us by his grace and in return, I don't have to worry about anything that happens in my world because I know He's there watching over me and running things.

But there are times when I have to chuckle when I look back and see how things play out in life. It's part of the fun, actually, of being alive. It also really gives me the sense that God does have a great sense of humor...

Take for instance this weekend. Coby's baseball team had the honor of being invited to play at a one-day, four-team tournament at the Dr Pepper Youth Ballpark in Arlington, which sits just next door to the big Texas Rangers ballpark. That now sits next door to the even bigger new Dallas Cowboys stadium. What a parking nightmare that is going to be in a little over a year.

Anyway, we were guaranteed to play three games Saturday and then would be treated to a Rangers game against the Phillies Saturday night. Haven't been to a Rangers game in a couple of years -- I don't play major league ticket prices to watch minor league baseball -- but with the freebies given to coaches and players and a discounted family price, and seeing as we'd be there all day anyway... we decided to stay for the game.

First, the Stix won both of their pool games to advance to the championship game. Then in the title game, we battled back from being down 4-0 to tie it at 4-4. The Flower Mound Rattlers, who we'd beaten 3-1 in the first game of the day (Coby pitched the first three innings of that one and struck out nine), then scored a couple of unearned runs in the fourth for a 6-4 lead before we brought Coby back into the game.

He shut them out the rest of the way, but we went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position over the final three innings -- including not scoring with the a bases-loaded, no out situation in the last inning. We lost 6-4. And we don't like to lose, especially championship games.

So that didn't exactly create the best of moods. The championship game went long, so by the time we let Coby change clothes and put on his just-purchased Josh Hamilton jersey, and then walked the short distance from the youth ballpark to the big one, it was the bottom of the first inning.

I should have seen it coming. There had been some dark clouds off to the north about the start of the championship game, around 4:45 or so. The wind started gently, then got stronger as the game went on. I've been to the Metroplex area enough to know that storms blow up all the time, but also can miss you entirely despite putting on a fantastic light show.

Apparantly the Rangers know this too. We finally get up to our seats in the upper deck -- freebies come with a price, you know -- just after Michael Young has put one in the seats for a quick two-run homer for the Rangers. We're there about 10 minutes or so before the noise starts to hit us.

Not quite sure how to describe the noise, but it sound like a a freight train in a wind tunnel. The protective fencing at the very top of the upper deck was rattling in the wind, and the steel beams in the overhang clanged and rattled as well. The breeze was now what best could be described as a medium-to-light gale.

Monty and Nona cut out in the second inning, along with about half of our team. Storm was coming, they said, courtesy of the fancy phones they carry with Internet service. My ETBU-issued phone doesn't have those kinds of features, so I'm stuck.

Plus I'm very cheap, thanks to living with Jeannie Beth for what will be 15 years in less than two weeks. That means if I pay a discounted 20 bucks for two Rangers game tickets, I will brave a flash flood or tornado in order to get my money's worth. I was getting the nervous looks too, but I was calm. Maybe a rain delay, in which case we'd go underneath, grab something to eat and enjoy the ballpark. But we'd get this one in. Besides, the patriotic fireworks were part of the package Saturday night, and I don't miss fireworks. Especially, again, since I've already paid for the ticket.

But I also don't enjoy paying six bucks for a ballpark cheeseburger, or five for french fries. So despite the fact my family was bordering on starvation, I urged them to try and hold out for a few innings. My reasoning was simple: if indeed we do get that storm brewing just over our shoulders, we can save money when the game is cancelled and just grab something on the way home. Much, much cheaper.

Along about the fourth inning, I caved. It was slightly sprinkling a few drops, but the lightning appeared to have moved off toward downtown Dallas. Mel-Mel and I went for a concession run. I ordered three cheeseburgers, some cheese fries for Melly and some nachos for Coby, along with a bottle of water. Cost me 33 bucks.

And I kid you not -- I give the lady the money, she hands me our food, I turn around... and a wave of people is streaming for the escalators. The Rangers folks were evacuating the upper deck because of the threat of high winds. One problem for my daughter and I -- I had left by cell phone in the car, and we had no idea where the rest of our family was.

We got lucky and found Jeannie and Coby at the bottom of the escalator, but by then our food was somewhat soggy. Problem with evacuating the upper deck is that the lower decks are covered, meaning there's nowhere to sit. We ended up spending the next four innings or so at a crowded picnic table, watching the game on television. Which I could have done from the nice, dry comfort of my own living room.

Then it rained. And rained. And rained some more. Lightning and thunder were all over the place. But they didn't call out the tarp. They played through the rain. And we continued to watch it all on TV.

About the eighth inning or so -- well after the allotted time to receive a rain check on the ticket -- we ventured back up to the upper deck. The wind had died down enough and they were allowing those remaining who wanted to go back up. Only problem was, they did not switch the escalators back up. We walked up the ramps -- about 10 flights of them, actually -- to get back up to our seats. Jeannie's Achilles tendon has been barking at her for over a week, thanks to her new commitment to marathons. But she pushed through and made it to the top.

We watched the final two innings and saw the Rangers leave the tying and winning runs on base in both frames. Lost 8-6. The Phillies' closer, and former Astro, Brad Lidge, got the save, striking out Hamilton and Milton Bradley on seven pitches to end the game with runners on. It didn't appear to affect Lidge one bit that I was screaming "Albert Pujols" at the top of my lungs from just under the awning of the upper deck, a good 300 yards away. Darn it, now he's mentally tough!

The fireworks show was awesome, as always. Then it was back to the car around 11 p.m., with a 2-hour plus drive ahead then Sunday School early the next morning. Problem was, we hit the remnants of Hurricane Andrew at Terrell, and I couldn't see in front of my headlights until Lindale. No joke. Drove no faster than 40 mph for almost two hours -- unless I was hydroplaning, which would then bump it up to about 90 for a few harrowing seconds.

The kids slept right through it, fortunately. Jeannie was my comfort through the storm, as always, even though she was dead tired and had to get up at the crack of dawn for early service at church. She actually ended up getting about three hours or so of sleep, while the rest of us got about five.

And where was little Abby during all of this, you ask? Spent two nights at Nanny's, and it seemed like two weeks. Not to mention the fact we saw about 100 little toddlers at the ballgame that ripped our hearts out every time we saw them. Loaded with guilt, we bought Abby her own little pink Michael Young jersey, which she'll grow out of by Independence Day most likely.

So we didn't have much luck on the field or in the stands Saturday. But we did make it home in one piece, and rested up somewhat on Sunday. The dark cloud has once again lifted, and the sun is shining.