A MAGICAL EVENING

     The air was crisp, the beer was cold, and the bats were sizzling.  It was a grand time at the old ball park last night as Rags and I went to Jim Patterson Stadium to watch the Louisville Cardinals play the Kentucky Wildcats before a regular season record crowd approaching 4,000 fans.  

     After we settled into some seats along the first base line, Rags and I began to notice the crowd.  There was Brian Brohm, future NFL quarterback, strolling in with some friends to view the action.  Next came hoopsters Terrence Williams and Andre McGee, signing autographs as they sought their seats.  Angel McCoughtry and the entire women's team were there, and they were introduced to the crowd before the first pitch.  As U of L football coach Steve Kragthorpe entered and walked by, we couldn't help noticing his unusual ensemble:  baseball cap, polo shirt, gym shorts and tennis shoes.  

     Once the action began, it was riveting.  Kentucky initially built a 3-0 lead, and it looked like the night was going to belong to the Wildcats.  The Cards kept fighting back, though, with their comeback anchored by a clutch RBI double by Drew Haynes, the freshman center fielder from New Albany.  In the end, Louisville won 6-5 in dramatic fashion, when third baseman Chris Dominguez singled home the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning.  

     It was a glorious and memorable spring evening.  The weather was perfect, and the game turned out just the way I wanted.  More than that, though, was the fact that I got to share it with my bosom bud and life-long pal, Larry Ragland.