If any of us live through this week of bizarre weather it will be a miracle. Yesterday we were all wearing long sleeves in the cool air. Today we were all turning up our air conditioners on high. Tomorrow looks like another chilly day before we break out the short sleeves again on Thursday. Since we didn't have rain today it seemed a good idea to grab another three mile walk/run. Maybe it's just my age but there sure seemed to be a lack of oxygen during my last few laps. My body usually recovers within a few minutes of finishing my run but today it seemed to take almost an hour.

Let me take a commercial break now. Should this post finally make it up then it will be my second attempt at writing tonight. Earlier I wrote what seemed to be a decent blog post only to have it disappear into nothingness. Maybe the owners of this site are Catholic so it went to a blog purgatory. Regardless, this is my second time to write. Maybe we will cut out some of the other stuff in my memory and just move to the main point. Technology is for the most part a wonderful thing. Sometimes it is just a huge pain in the neck. Now back to our regularly scheduled blog.

October also means the beginning of the post season playoffs in baseball. Eight teams set out tomorrow with their eyes on the ultimate prize of being the champion. There was a one game playoff tonight to see who would get that final spot in the playoffs. The Minnesota Twins played the Detroit Tigers for that final entry. The game was played in Minnesota in the Metrodome which may be the worst place to see a game. My daughter and I got to go to a few games while traveling to visit my dad. Their presence with us made the stadium easier to bear. Next year the Twins move to an outdoor stadium without a roof. Late spring and early fall can be miserable in Minnesota with the weather. The Metrodome may be almost a dump but at least it is enclosed. The game could not be played today if it were outside. Luckily for us baseball fans this one went on with no trouble from the elements outside.

The Twins won in extra innings 6-5. A baseball game usually lasts 9 innings but this one went 12 wonderful innings. Drama was in abundance as these two teams played their hearts out. Over 50,000 people crowded that old stadium for what could have easily been the last baseball game played there. The teams began a little after 4:00 p.m. and concluded long after 8 o'clock. It was one of the best games in my recent memory. It will remain one of my best memories long after the playoffs are over.

It seemed fitting to call my dad late in the game. He lives less than an hour from Minneapolis. He said he and his wife with their dog were engrossed in every pitch. We talked about the game along with the players. My daughter and I also root for the Twins except when they play our Texas Rangers. We get most of the Twins games on satellite so we watch them through the season. It was a fun visit for me. His dad and uncles played the game all over Arkansas and North Louisiana even when he was young. Maybe my passion for the game is inherited. My daughter and I are huge fans of the game. Even my autistic son loves nothing more than going to Rangers Ballpark with us to see "our" team. Maybe someday she will pass her love of the sport to her children as well. Few things would make me any happier.

Baseball truly is a game that bridges generations and families. No other sport has that same almost romantic feel to it. Over 50,000 in Minnesota tonight share a memory of seeing a classic game. My night was better from cheering for a favorite team. A dad and a son talked about a shared passion. God gives us gifts in unexpected places. My hope is you will be receptive to them when they come your way.

Bro. Trey