I didn't see the heart in this piece of Deb's cloth until taking the photo. I started stitching on it yesterday, while watching Blue's baseball games.
We left the house at 6:30am, which meant getting up at 5:30 (we are four people in a one bathroom house). Drove for an hour and a half to a small town (the kind with "Trump" posters and pro-assault weapons bumper stickers on their trucks), and it was hot.
The two umpires worked against them during both games. It was quite shocking- blatant bias (i.e. They both called a player out, the other coach questioned it, and they changed their call). They refused to answer our coaches' questions, or address any concerns. Even the other team and their families quieted down, as they realized what was happening. Just as we thought the game would end with us losing from the mercy-rule (5th inning & the other team was ahead 8 runs), one of our coaches was thrown out, and a very vocal grandmother was threatened with the same. Instead of giving up, those boys rallied and played their hearts out, and got within three runs before the game was called for time.
Watching those boys support and encourage each other was heartening, and worth weathering the weather and wonky arbitration. (And I think they would have won if they had been able to play that last inning, just saying.)
(End of my mother-bear vent)
