Minor league baseball, still a good time

I was fortunate to sit down last night with my son, my old buddy Paul, and one of his friends and his friend's two sons to watch our hometown Salem Avalanche play the Frederick Keys. It was a good game until the 7th inning. My son was dying to go get a hot dog during the 7th inning stretch. This is why I jokingly blamed him for what happened next. Frederick batted around and scored 7 runs, along with a pitching change, made for a long half-inning that blew out what was a tie ballgame after 6 innings. The thing I took away from the game, as far as the game itself, is one of the greatest catches I have ever witnessed live at the ballpark. IN the top of the 9th, the right fielder made a catch on the warning track at full speed, and instantly ran HARD into the wall. He got up after a tumble and recieved a standing ovation form most of the large crowd (reported by The Roanoke Times as 6,299).
Paul and I talked most of the game, and even made a comment jokingly about there being some ballgame interrupting our conversation. I had alot of fun hanging out with that Steeler Dirt Freak. Tonight is the last home game of the season in Salem. It's getting close to football season I guess. My wife asked me the other night if Obama had picked his running back yet, and YES, she does know what a running mate and running back both are.
Next year we invite the Red Sox back to the valley as the parent team. My son will wear all of his Yankee garb, and I guess I will have to stock up on some Orioles gear, thus making it a family distaste for those Red Sox

What civil liberties?

I went to a beautiful music festival last weekend, same one I go to every year. My son (12 years old) and I went up Thursday to a beautiful hillside just outside Terra Alta WV. My wife had declined to go because she was afraid it would be too hot, it was 44 degrees at sunrise Saturday morning. Its the kind of festival where as long as your beer, or whatever you are drinking, isn't in a bottle, and you aren't doing hard drugs, no one will mess with you. Everything is peaceful and laidback. Bands from 4pm to 1am Friday, plus a band in the "barn", which is converted to a bar basically, until 5am. Saturday music was from about 1pm to 1am, again with a band in the barn afterward until 3am.
Well, here is where my rant begins. There is another festival each July just a few mountains over,and it draws big name bands and huge crowds. THe land is not as well groomed, and the crowds are filled with frat-boy partyers and outright crazies that word was caused some trouble, and thus the county, or the state as the case was, decided to just pull everyone for a time on Friday and hassle them. Try and make it a miserable weekend. There wasn't even any probable cause, just pulling people over as they turned into the private drive for the place. Thank you Preston County and/or the West Virginia police departments for putting the onus of other people's issues on these nice folks. Now for anyone who is asking what kind of people are at this location, yes there is some pot-smoking types there, but they are not crazy, belligerent, or generally obnoxious. I guess they think I should take my son to a football game, like say nearby in Morgantown on a single Saturday, for three hours, wade through the glass and litter of a asphalt parking lot, pay $5 at least for a hot dog that the bun is soft from one end to the other if I am darn lucky, and probably $5 for a 16 oz Pepsi, and if we get a souvenier, then I would have spent $50, at least. And I guess there are no people at a game who are drunk, beligernt, or throw crap when a referee gets a call wrong. Now don't get me wrong, I love football games, and would enjoy it. My reasoning is where is it that the football game is more of a wholesome family experience then the festival. I paid $90 at the gate to get in, although I could have early-bird for as little as $60, depending on how soon I order tickets, and my son is free. Yes, any child 15 or under is free. My son eats probably 10 grilled cheese sandwiches from the grill, and at $1.50, plus tipping the remaining 50 cents, I have spent twenty dollars all weekend. And what problem has this caused outside of the possible digestive issues of 10 grilled cheese sandwiches in 2 days? I have never been around a group of people who as a whole clean up after themselves more than this group.
TO Trip, Emily, and the Sunshine Daydream Campground family, thanks once again for a great place, and I hope that the crowd isn't pressured away becasue some group of "authorities" decided to blatently remove people's civil liberties.

Now don't get me started on the Patriot Act.....