Tonight I’ll watch the final game of the College World Series, but it won’t be from the stands. With an arrival time of 6 p.m. in Portland, the game will be two hours old when I finally arrive at the terminal. My friend is sitting in the same section we did last night but about 10 rows higher. He will pay another $600-$700 for that extended time in Omaha. Plus, his flight will not arrive until very early Saturday morning. By that time, my wife and I will be asleep in our Crater Lake cabin, anticipating an afternoon boat tour followed by dinner at the lodge.

We’ll spend a second night at the popular Oregon National Park before heading back to Portland, and will look forward to the Fourth of July holiday, that will gladly break-up her work week. I have a baseball card show to attend that following weekend, and can then maintain homebody status for a couple of weeks. The next stop on the retirement tour is Wrigley Field, where I’ll meet my baby grand daughter for the very first time. Next, it’s off to our Nation’s Capital to meet my step daughter’s potential fiancé. It will be good to be home for awhile this month before the next wave of coast-to-coast travel.

I hope my friend’s additional investment in Omaha pays off, and that he brings home the bacon, stealing it from the greedy Hogs. That would mean a happy ending and a “hot night in the old town tonight,” at least for Beaver fans. Temperatures could exceed 100 degrees, and I could feel the stifling humidity on my 3-mile run this morning. It will of course be relatively cool and pleasant in Portland for me.

It may be too late for me to help the Beaver cause by the time I arrive. There will be a guaranteed gathering of Beav fans around the bar TV’s at the airport. Regardless, of the outcome, I should be able to avoid the “Pig Sooie” chants of the Omahogs. (See Post #578). I at least left town a winner, as Crater Lake is calling.