Yesterday (Friday, that is)

It was quite a day yesterday.

I went down to McFadden's Sports Bar on the North Shore (yes, I surrender; I will now call anything in the PNC Park/Heinz Field/Rivers Casino area the "North Shore") and spent the afternoon watching NCAA basketball games with Highmark friends Fred Shugars, Karen Ashby, Duane Lukitch, John Carney, and Gale Suwalski. It was really a fun afternoon watching the game and reconnecting with some old friends.

I parked in the Heinz Field parking lot right by the painted home plate marker from Exposition Park. My car, actually, was on the third base line. Yes, I did stand at home plate and imagined myself digging in against Cy Young in the 1903 World Series. A tip of the ol' ball cap to Dan Bonk, Len Martin, and other SABR members who put in the time and effort to research and locate these positions back in 1990's. As North Shore development continues, I hope that these historic sites are not lost.

Then there were the games themselves last night. All those upsets - Norfolk State, Ohio U., Lehigh. Talk about the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. That was the very essence of it.

However, the absolute highlight of the day took place while Marilyn and I were enjoying fine dining at a local McDonald's. While sitting there we were spotted and greeted by a young lady who was in the teen group at one of our recent Caring Place sessions. She told us what she's been up to, how she will be starting college in the fall, how she involved herself in Children's Grief Awareness Day at her school last fall, how she wants to involve her college campus with the Caring Place next fall, and, mainly, how much her sessions at the Caring Place meant to her and her family. That encounter made our day.