Little Boy of Summer

There are only three weeks left of regular season baseball for this year. I love baseball and I especially adore this year's Giants team. They are cute as kittens and very good at the game. Every time they're down, they just claw their way back up.Yes, my Mighty Gigantes are an inspiration, and while I hope they make it into the post season, even if they don't (they will!!!) they have been amazing to watch this season. I'm really gonna miss it when they're done for the year.

I will miss the big Giants, but I will actively pine for the tiny Giant who lives next door. On the front porch of his 5th birthday, the little guy (a newly minted kindergartner)continues his never-ending baseball game which has become background for everything that has gone on in the neighborhood this summer. "Hey, did you hear, Ann has to have a double mastectomy?" ("Now batting - right fielder - Aubrey Huff!)"I'm cleaning out a bunch of crap - wanna have a garage sale?" (Andres Tortoise hits another home run!"). "How's Ann?" (Take me out to thee ball gaaaame...) "Is he going back to Arizona already? Are the dorms even open yet?" (Pablo Sandyball hits a triple!) "We got all his school supplies - I can't believe he's starting kindergarten!" (Now pitching - Tim Linsykim!)

For the record, I know Huff plays first base, but it really ticks the little guy off to see him there so he always plays right field on our street. Also, Andres Torres is a speedster on the bases - nothing tortoise-like about him. I was thinking, though, of putting a Giants hat on our pet tortoise and taking a picture. Don't want to go near Pablo's sandyball with a camera...just sayin'. Plus, Ann is doing very well after her surgery and we made some good bank at our garage sale - enough to afford a bug zapper to cut down on the mosquito population in the nabe...

Sometimes the big Giants win and sometimes they lose, but our Giants usually win. And when they get a splash hit, like Timmy does every third at bat or so, they dive into McCovey Cove and retrieve the ball! OK, I know Lincecum bats about 130 and he's never hit a home run in his life. Don't even know if he can swim, but our little Giant trusts his heroes and I bet they can fly if he wants them to.

In fact, the only aspect of this baseball fixation that could be called remotely negative is the uptick in spitting and crotch grabbing that the little guy engages in. All the neighbors crack up when he does this. His mom - not so much. In fact, during one of yesterday's fourth innings she signaled for a time out, pulled him off third and read him the riot act..."When you are being paid lots of money to play professional baseball, you can spit and grab your crotch all you want - until then - knock it off!" Chastened, he marched back to third, hung his head and waited for Pablo Sandyball to swing the bat.

Next weekend, when we celebrate his birthday at the Giants mini field in the shadow of Giants stadium (where else?) I will hoist a hot dog (We're tailgating!)to my tiny Giant and his grownup counterparts, wish them all a fantastic fall and thank them for this awesome summer.

I'm even gonna miss the spitting and crotch grabbing...