Other than music, the only other thing I could surround myself with all day, every day, would be baseball. I love baseball. I mean it's a passion. I could go to a game every day. I don't want to sound like a poetic fairy but I really do dig the sound of the crack of the bat, or the popping of the ball against the mitt. Growing up in Florida, baseball means the warm feeling of the sun on your skin. I'm a pretty laid back person (some will argue that) so I think the flow of the game, the leisurely pace really feels comfortable to me. When you "take in" a game (and that's what you do with baseball, you don't "go" to a game, you "take" it in), there's so much room for conversation and reflection. Anyway, it's baseball time again. I love this time of year. I get the same feeling every season. I feel giddy just like I did when I was 10. My dad is the same way. I can hear it in his voice over the phone. He's jonesin' for a game to start. So am I. Take me away baseball. Take me away from the everyday, the stress and the strife. Let me escape back to my boyhood. Let me remember how carefree and safe things once were. No responsibility except to stay true to your team. Wow, if life could be so simple. But, as Peter Pan found out, that's not the natural way of things. Being Peter Pan will leave you empty and longing. So, let's play ball for just a bit, escape each Spring and Summer, own up to things, and live out the lives we long to live. Have a smile and a Coke and be happy with the realization that the everyday isn't all that bad. Hope springs eternal, both in life and baseball. GO CUBS!!! Take care. Later, Butch