Friday, May 10, 2024

Quick up and back trip to Arlington for the first day of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) state baseball and softball tournaments.

Went primarily for two purposes:

1.) To see my good friend Mike Jackson's Shiner St. Paul Catholic softball team take on Hallettsville Sacred Heart and, 

2.) To see a baseball game at another ballpark, Clay Gould Ballpark, which is the home field for the University of Texas-Arlington Mavericks.

I had previously seen a college softball game at the softball venue, Allen Saxe Field, back in 2020, just before the start of the pandemic.

The Lady Cardinals lost to an Indianette team that hit four home runs, including two three-run dingers, by a score of 16 to 6.

It is always great to visit with Mike.  I had the opportunity to meet his wife Tracy for the first time ever.  She and their son, Maverick, had actually say in the team area in what is normally the UTA radio booth, which is a place where TAPPS administrator Robert Huckabee said I could sit.

I said in other places that TAPPS treats me well and I'm grateful for that.

I left, went and checked off another Half Price Books in South Arlington - my 12th - and got lunch at a Whataburger along S. Cooper, my 235th.

I came back to the ballpark area and had to park at the overflow lot near Maverick Stadium.  No big deal, but navigating through the carpool line at the elementary school to get there was an experience.

The third baseball game of the day - at 4:30 p.m. - was a rematch between St. Paul and Sacred Heart.

The boys avenged the loss of the female classmates and defeated the Indians, 5-1, giving up a run in the 7th to spoil the shutout.

There were a number of places I would have liked to have run a race without having to go further north, including Hewitt and Madisonville, but hotels in Waco, Bryan-College Station and even Huntsville were all booked up and the prices way up because of graduations at Baylor, Texas A&M and Sam Houston State.

It was a long drive home, getting back to the house close to midnight and not getting to put my head down until about 12:40 a.m.

Grateful for safe travels, always.