{"id":7074,"date":"2004-07-06T11:30:24","date_gmt":"2004-07-06T11:30:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/viamedia\/2004\/07\/play_ball_finally.html"},"modified":"2004-07-06T11:30:24","modified_gmt":"2004-07-06T11:30:24","slug":"play_ball_finally","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/viamedia\/2004\/07\/play_ball_finally.html","title":{"rendered":"Play Ball, Finally"},"content":{"rendered":"

Day 2 at the ballpark was far more successful than the first..<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

A Very Kind Benefactor who has been a frequent commentor on this blog contacted me with an offer of tickets – he and his wife had 4 club seats for the game and would love to have us come along. We said sure! <\/p>\n

Unfortunately, business interfered and the VKB was not able to attend the game after all, but the ticket offer still stood. So Tuesday afternoon, Joseph and I boarded the MARTA train for a short ride up the line that stopped but a block from VKB’s office in a very tall, solid, quiet and professional skyscraper. I had sense enough not to change from my book-signing clothes, so I was sweaty, but still presentable, amid the cool marble, but Joseph somehow didn’t get the memo and was, at least in my mind, a little wild dog during the conversation. VKB assured me that he was fine, but I’m still wondering if he broke anything.<\/p>\n

Anyway, it was, as usual, great to meet a commentor to this blog face-to-face. I’d identify him, but I’m reluctant to do so without permission. (And hey, VKB, could you drop me a line? I cleaned out my emailbox and yours along with it, and I’d like to thank you again, but don’t have an address). Just say that many have suggested that he be awarded “Blog Commentor We’d Most Like to See With His Own Blog.” <\/p>\n

So, back on the train, back to the hotel, where the blind were congregating in greater numbers by the hour (more on that later), to wait for Michael.<\/p>\n

No rain for that game, and a glimpse at how The Other Half gets its hot dogs and pretzels. Nice.<\/p>\n

And the Marlins won. Please note that the Marlins have never lost a road game with Michael in attendance. Seems as if they should ring him up and start paying him to follow them at this point, eh?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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The Catholicism comes from her side. Amy grew up in a number of places - Indiana - Washington, DC - Lubbock Texas - Arlington, Virginia - DeKalb, Illinois - Lawrence, Kansas - and Knoxville, Tennessee, where the family settled in 1973. She attended Knoxville Catholic High School, then the University of Tennessee where she majored in history. She received an MA in Church History from Vanderbilt University, where she wrote a thesis on the changing role of women in 19th century American Protestantism, and the ways Scripture was used to justify those changes. She worked as as a teacher in Catholic high schools and a Parish Director of Religious Education and started writing for the diocesan press - the Florida Catholic - in 1988. Amy has written columns for Our Sunday Visitor and Catholic News Service at times over the past twenty years. Her articles have been published in venues ranging from Our Sunday Visitor to the New York Times to Commonweal. She has written 17 books. 18, if you included the as yet tragically unpublished novel. Amy has five children, ranging in age from 26 to 4 and was married to Michael Dubruiel, who died unexpectedly in February 2009. 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