Hickory Crawdads. July 25, 2014

2014.0725Fr1900.  Hickory Crawdads are playing baseball tonight in L P Frans  stadium.  And we are there! We have great seats.  Right behind home plate, six rows up, sitting in the shade and with a cool wind blowing.

The game developed slowly as evening shadows drifted across the field, accompanied to the sound of “clicks” of the bat against ball, the “pops” of glove and baseball, and responses from the crowd.

 Sadly, the game slowly slips away as the sun slips toward the horizon. Faux joy is  strummed from the crowd by Crawdad Himself, the public address announcer, and cheer leaders striving to create magic on an evening that has relentlessly turned warm, sad and dark.

The game came down the the bottom of the eighth inning when Hickory loaded the bases with only one out and then the Crawdads were blown away by their fourth double play, and you can’t win games that way.

After the game was over, a cow was brought on to the field, right on up to home plate.   Someone who was going to Kiss the Cow to raise money for the Catawba Valley Habitat for Humanity. Important witnesses were brought out to witness and solemnize the occasion, including Hickory Mayor Rudy Wright.  Then an announcement was made that an additional $5,000 would be made available if ALL the witnesses Kissed the Cow.  It was not good.  The poor cow was blown away by at least two of the kissers, but I must give HiZzoner credit since he upset the poor creature less than most of the other Cow Kissers did, amazing since no pork appeared to have been involved. 

The evening’s activities were brought to an end with an amazing display of fireworks, which apparently takes place every Friday at L P  Frans Stadium when the Hickory Crawdads are playing there.