The Civil Rights Game.

Well it's Thursday and time for me to tell you three things. Here they are ...

1) Our family celebrated the end of our school years by going to Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio this weekend. We did many amazing things like going to a Waffle House for the first time since my years spent in South Carolina. But by far the best part of the weekend was going to Major League Baseball's Civil Rights Game. Now, when my friend Patrick and I decided to take our families to a Cincinnati Reds game sometime this summer, we didn't decide to go based on the Civil Rights Game, we just wanted to go to any game preferably when one of the Chicago teams was in town. We were planning on going to see the Cubs play the Reds but that weekend did not work out on our schedule. So I noticed that my beloved White Sox were coming to Cincinnati on a weekend that did work out for all.

Great American Ballpark is an incredible place to take a family to a ball game. Located on the Ohio River, with Kentucky directly across offers a breathtaking view. The Ballpark offers many of the amenities that I love about U.S. Cellular Field, where the White Sox play. They shoot off fireworks when The Reds hit homers, as well as have many baseball skill related games for children to play. They also have a playground on the main level.

Beyond the view, and the amenities, the pregame presentation is what really made the evening a hit. The Civil Rights game is now in it's third year but the past two seasons the game has been a preseason game. This also marked the first year that the game was held at a major league ballpark. Earlier in the day a luncheon was held honoring three people who had made a mark on civil rights with Beacon awards. As the game began these winners were paraded onto the field for a presentation of the awards.

The winner of the Beacon of Life was Hank Aaron. The winner of the Beacon of Change was Muhammad Ali. The winner of the Beacon of Hope was Bill Cosby. I wept like a baby (I'm crying now just recollecting it) as they showed a video retrospective of Aaron, one of the heroes of my youth. Watching him hitting the home run breaking Babe Ruth's record on the jumbo tron reminded me of watching him do it live on t.v. so many years ago. I didn't know about the countless death threats he received then, which make his accomplish so much more inspiring.

Similar memories and thoughts greeted me during the retrospectives for Ali and Cosby. My family had come for a baseball game but instead were part of history.

The White Sox eventually prevailed in an ugly, error filled affair. But even if they lost, which seemed likely when they were losing 5-0 in the third, the game would still rank as the best regular season game I have ever attended. The Civil Rights game is being played again next year in Cincinnati, which has our family contemplating attending again.

2. And The Winner is . . .

Crazy Dave here. Cristina over at Home School Juggling is the winner of the Tony Dungy Book and Bible. Congratulations. Contact me Cristina so I can mail you your prize.

3. A New Thursday Staple.

Just got home from playing some baseball. Some of the home school families in our area are getting together and playing some baseball every Thursday. Charlie is having a great time! Being part of a Boy Sandwich family (a boy between two girls) he doesn't always get his fill of guy stuff. He was on the winning side of a 26-12 game today. I grew up on the pick-up game. Just get 6-20 kids together and play ball. While you still see that in basketball and football, baseball has been pretty much regulated to leagues and picnics. I better cut this short, I had to pitch today and I am having trouble moving my arms at all. For More Triple Plays go see Michelle at Psalm 104:24

Next Time: But Daddy I'm Not a Boy or How Heaven is Like Going to the Bathroom.