So the hubster and I are at the Nats game, and things are not going so well for the Washington Nationals--they are behind something like 6-3 to the Miami Marlins, of all people, and right at the top of the ninth inning I get up to visit the ladies and look out the west side of the stadium and see Doom approaching. It looks like something out of a disaster movie--a huge bank of dark, angry clouds stretching across the entire horizon, moving toward us fast. And right then I get a fistful of dust in my eyes, because the wind has kicked up suddenly, and it's clear that this thing is upon us. Right about then, the Jumbotron says "TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY" and I meet David on his way up. We find a semi-sheltered spot and spend the next 20 minutes or so trying to dodge sheets of rain and the torrent cascading down the steel girder right next to me, shoved in with a lot of other people doing the same. Every once in a while, there's a mighty gust of really cold wind; in 10 minutes, the temperature has dropped from the low 90s to something like the low 70s, or even lower. I am cold, wet and shivering, as is everybody else. Meanwhile, I am calling up the kids, because the storm is headed their way, and texting the mom of the friend my daughter has over, and in general trying to do what I can to avert whatever catastrophe may be out there. I have to admit, I am a little bit freaked out, about the kids and about our own safety.
And my husband, meanwhile, is staring out at the field--which at one point you can't even see, because the rain is falling in such sheets--and as the monsoon abates somewhat, this NASA Ph.D geek I am married to says to me, in utter sincerity, "I see puddles in the outfield--I'm not sure they're going to be able to play the rest of this game."
And I am torn between saying:
- "I am so glad you have figured this out, my love, because everybody else in this stadium figured it out 20 minutes ago" or
- "Oh, so they play baseball on your home planet, too?" and
- "Are you freaking INSANE?"
...But the joke was on me, because two and a half hours later, the Nats came back to tie it, and then win 7-6 in the 10th inning. Men, and sports, are a mystery to me.
