Back to Baseball

When you're far from home and eager to explore, things that were once considered critical (maybe even essential) for life, seem to lose some importance. Take the baseball playoffs, for example. I feared I'd be one of those guys desperately seeking scores from every possible news source (newspapers, cable television, pubs), but it turned out my fear was unfounded. This leads me to believe that either A) I'm not as big a baseball fan as I thought I was or B) I'm a big, but well-adjusted baseball fan. B is wishful thinking. A is more likely the case.

Last Tuesday afternoon was my first chance to call the family and let them know I had made it to Salzburg. I was calling from a phone booth across from the beautiful Residenz Fountain. The conversation went something like this (sort of)...

Me: We made it here safely.
Mom: That's good.
Me: It's beautiful here. The fountains and cathedrals and architecture. The hills are so green!
Mom: Your sister wants to know if you ran up a hill with your arms wide open singing "The hills are alive!"
Me: Um, no, not yet.
Mom: Did you hear? Both Bay Area teams lost.
Me: Oh, that sucks. By the way, they have amazing statues here. There's one of Mozart right around the corner.
Mom: Your sister says you have to find a hill and sing the song before you leave.
Me: (rolling eyes) Um, yeah.

Yesterday, I finally caught up with other baseball news:

• L.A. lost to St. Louis
• Boston will be facing New York in the ALCS
• Houston advanced after trouncing Atlanta
• Ken Caminiti passed away

Caminiti was a San Jose State alumnus and one of my favorite players while he was with the Astros and Padres. And in case anyone was wondering, I didn't find a hill or sing the song from The Sound of Music. It just didn't seem like the right thing to do.