I resisted the temptation to visit the World's Biggest Truck Stop and carried on to the bustling burgh of Cedar Rapids to see the High A Cedar Rapids Kernels later on. Years ago we were in Cedar Rapids and attempted to go to the ballgame but were sent away as it was sold out. Really?
Anyway, killing time in Cedar Rapids involved a movie and the longest one I could find was one I've already seen, The 3 hour 20 minute plus trailers Oppenheimer. But the IMAX experience is so overwhelming and LOUD and with Nolans shitty sound mixing a lot of dialogue I missed. So see it in a regular theater with loungers and less loud.
Now the story of Cracker Barrel. Earlier today there was a Cracker Barrel right next to the hotel. So I went there early in the morning. I havent been to a Cracker Barrel well since maybe 15 years ago, before I realized they catered racist white people.The food was bland, the waiter was nice, the hot sauce was used to add something, like flavor, and I was out of there.
The bad thing about eating bland food is after seasoning the shit out of it and actually consuming it its revenge is coming. 90% of the way thru Oppenheimer Cracker Barrell had its revenge. I had to leave, now I can get gross here, but I will use metaphors. I made a loud noise, realized it wasnt all noise, and had to leave to go to the loo to do loo stuff. It was ugly. Did I go back into the theater to finish the movie? Not on your life. pal. In fact I lost tire tread getting out of the lot before anybody from Oppenheimer came out to tar and feather me.
The Super 8 in Cedar Rapids was ok. It had a lot of noise and some older guy in a wife beater wandering up and down the hall asking for money or something.
Veterans Memorial Stadium is a typical minor league park. Nothing fancy, old concourse, miniature theme park out back of left field, large dimensions (330 down lines and 403 to center) and High A baseball played by kids. Concessions typical ballpark fare but this time the corn dog was great and the Summer Shady was cold and it wasnt expensive.
Now the game...I've watched a lot of baseball in my life, my favorite place to be on earth is at a ballgame , but I aint never seen this happen before. In the first inning on the 3rd pitch of the game, the umpire ejected the batter, I assume for arguing balls and strikes, or maybe that he was black, I've no idea. The manager of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (not an affiliate of the D Backs but of the Brewers) came out to half ass argue and it was over. One batter ejected in the top of the first and a new batter came up to fly out to center.
One thing I saw that made me happy. 6 of the 9 Wisconsin Timber Rattler starters were African Americans (I looked them up). Thats rare nowadays. Black folk don't play baseball because it's all select teams and well off white people traveling around dreaming they have the next Mike Trout living in their house. In my youth the Pirates once started and entire lineup of black players and that became commonplace in MLB. Nowadays black American born players represent somewhere around 8% of all MLB players. Thats a disgrace. I recently saw the College World Series and the black players were few and far between. Something should be done to help black youth play ball and fall in love with the game like I did. MLB should do it instead of making 50 different uniforms for each team as a cash grab.
It was after the game when a young guy with a leaf blower on one shoulder, a backpack on the other and pushing a mower ahead a few feet then doing it again, asked me for "ride to Kirkwood". All the while he never stopped pushing that mower and walking forward. I said "I have no idea where Kirkwood is" and he kept moving and said "no troubles man". It was a weird exchange.
Later on that night I found out some drunk in a truck back home smashed into my fence and opened a gaping hole out onto a busy street meaning the poor dog was screwed too. So I will return to home base and not go see the Kansas City Monarchs. Life blows sometimes.
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