• But in here it's so delightful - thoughts on Obama and the weather
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• Funny Because It's True (yet again)
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• ZOMG! Radioactive coal sludge will kill us all! (updated)
• Quick points on the auto industry bailout
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Independence Day Blogging

Okay, I am nearly two weeks late in sharing this, but please bear with me.

I took the kids to their first ever baseball game on July 5. Not just their first ever professional game, but their first ever baseball game of any kind. And it included post-game fireworks.

This may not seem like a big deal to some people, and really by itself it isn't. But baseball is a part of the American tradition, and even as it becomes less important than other pasttimes, it still holds a special place for me. Maybe I make too much of it because I got to see a lot of AAA games when I was a kid. (My father was with the hospital that ran the First Aid station for the Buffalo Bisons, and he often took us to the games he worked.) Or maybe it's because I played league baseball longer than I played any other organized sport. Or maybe it's because I've also had a chance to see fireworks after a game in Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Philadelphia over the years. Probably it's all of these reasons.

So I've meant to do this for years. I'd love to make this an annual tradition for the family, but the future of the Richmond Braves is up in the air (the team may be moving to Gwinnett County, Ga). I don't know if we'll ever get to do this again, but I am willing to look into incorporating it into a trip to visit friends or family in another city. We'll see.

All I know is that the whole family had a great time... even if the kids had to cover their ears during the finale.

This here's what America's all about.