No games scheduled today

With last week’s insanely warm 70-degree weather, the fact that baseball season is over didn’t quite sink in. However, on Saturday at Crestwood Field in the Town of Poughkeepsie, that sad fact was presented as my youngest son James had his final Fall Ball game of the season. It was a seemingly endless game, with a final score to match (14-9), won by his Hyde Park team, which barnstormed through Dutchess County for an undefeated Fall Ball season. James wore #3 for the Dairy Queen sponsored team (in homage to the greatest player who ever wore a baseball uniform and played the game) and manned third base the entire season. Mostly, he and his teammates smiled and had fun each and every practice and game, thanks to a wonderful young coach who instilled a love for the game in each of the boys.

But now, the season is over. No more practices ending in the emerging autumn darkness. No more Saturday afternoon games. But mostly? No more ballgames to watch on TV, now that the Royals dispatched the Mets in the World Series. The baseball widget app thing that Tino set up on my phone last year reminds me of this: “No games scheduled today.” I will have to see that for the next several months. Regarding the Mets’ World Series loss? James took that well. He did not cry. In fact, he said it was pretty cool that the final Major League Baseball game of 2015 was played at Citi Field – albeit with the outcome he did not want. I mentioned to him that some of his favorite Mets – Bartolo Colon, Yoenis Cespedes, Daniel Murphy, Lucas Duda – might not be on the team next year due to retirement, free agency and trades. That’s OK, he said. Whatever team Duda plays for, he’s rooting for them.

As the Fall Ball game finally came to an end, a cool northwest breeze blew a few leaves onto the vacant field (pictured above). The bizarre warm weather of last week was on the way out, and so too was baseball season 2015.