The Woodpecker Show

 

It's baseball. How can I say no?

My family doesn't go to see their hometown team, the Fayetteville Woodpeckers.

They've either never been or only been once -- with me.

Well, I bought everyone tickets and we were back at Segra Stadium tonight.

And, as fate would have it, we got more than we bargained for. The Woodpeckers had to complete a suspended game with the Carolina Mudcats, which had just begun as we walked in.

That turned the evening into a doubleheader, with each game running seven innings.

Plus we got a free t-shirt, as it was breast cancer awareness night.

Ah, serendipity, you sweet, crazy girl.

A breast cancer survivors parade was scheduled to go around the perimeter of the field between games. After a little nudging, my niece Kristy decided to join the walk with her brave survivors.

I was proud of her for doing that, and Sean and I rushed to the right field line to cheer her on as she walked by.

On the field, the Peckers (yes, they're known as that) lost the completion of the suspended game but won the regularly scheduled game.

And our seats? Two rows off the field just to the side of home plate. We watched the Mudcats warm up in the on-deck circle all night.

Plus the seats in front of us were empty so Sean and I sat in that row.

I sent a message on Twitter to Andrew Chapman, play-by-play broadcaster for the Woodpeckers, before the game. It took him some time to respond since he was busy getting ready for the games, but he sent a note later on and invited us up to the booth.

We stopped up in the middle innings and were greeted by Andrew and Colin Casey. We watched them call a half inning and chatted before we let them get back to work.

There's a wonderful collection of us in the business who enjoy staying in touch and supporting each other. These guys can be both counted in that group of good people.

A day of bouncing around, with shopping and Waffle House included (of course), has us back home tired and ready for sleep.

Then?

More fun awaits tomorrow.