Although my decision to let AJ play baseball yesterday flouted the litmus test of parenting (would my mother have let me do it?), it turned out okay. AJ played well and not too hard, thanks to the complete confusion of a number of the players on both teams and also the lack of coaches. The weather was warm and would have been hot but for a stiff breeze which kept things comfortable. AJ actually seemed better when he got home and he woke up fever free and with a throat that is no longer sore this morning, so I chalk one up for fresh air and exercise instead of languishing with aspirin and juice. As long as he doesn't crash this afternoon.

For some reason, the T-ballers don't have real coaches. There are two high school ball players assigned to work with each pair of teams. They pitch and offer some coaching to the hitters. I think the league wants the parents to step up and they're willing to do so, but there's no real mechanism for it, so a lot of the parents were afraid to intrude. Not Mr. Spy, though. He had talked to the president of the league and knew what to expect, so he jumped right in and started running drills and coaching his team in the field. It was great fun to watch AJ and his dad both running around the ball field. Everyone came home hot, dusty and happy.

If AJ does crash this afternoon, I won't be here. I'm heading to campus on this beautiful sunny spring day to sit in the microfilm cave for an hour or so. It's a small price to pay, though for being able to finish two chapters and a conference proposal due next month. It's been a couple of months since I've been down there -- I've been afraid to show my face without a finished project in hand. As it is, I'm likely to be lurking in the library rather than set foot in my department. I have this idea that I'm going to turn the thing in by the last day of term in June. There's a lot left to be done before then, though, so I'd better get cracking.

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