The awesome bubble-maker was the day’s true victor.
Armed with their latest bills from a cable-telephone-internet service provider that has a reputation for forcing its customers to wait on hold listening to mind-numbing recordings for an eternity before speaking to live people, Express‘ benchwarmers were bursting with a desire for vengeance team spirit during Saturday’s second game against Comcast Sports Net.* Luckily, the sparse bench was kept busy cheering as the 20-Minutemen notched another win.
A bubble-maker brought by Betsy Lowther fueled nearly a full game of glee for some of the youngest benchwarmers, Auden and Endy Porter. The brothers were so exhausted from chasing after the bubbles that both were seen sneaking naps before the game’s end.
The first half of the day was equally eventful. While her brother Vance showed off his T-ball technique, chatty team story-teller Alina Bonior caught benchwarmers up to speed on her busy life. Playdates with friends and a splinter in her foot were among the topics discussed. Thankfully, that splinter is long gone and any pain was assuaged with a tasty freeze-pop, Alina said.
Continued …
Dust from Capital View/Homewood halted all international air travel to and from Europe.
A cloud of red dust from parched softball fields snarled proceedings on and off the 20-Minutemen’s bench Saturday, causing the temporary cancellation of dozens of gossip-filled conversations and forcing players to chase after toppled water bottles.
The plumes forced benchwarming authorities to keep a close eye on refreshments that were baked specifically to fuel the players. “We had to close the Tupperware containers of cookies to keep dust out of them,” said Aimee Goodwin, who brought a Ziplock bag full of chocolate chip cookie bars. “I think fewer people ate them because of this.”
Coupled with relatively low temperatures, airspace around the Capital View/Homewood fields might as well have been closed to all spectators except the teams’ benchwarmers themselves; the only non-team members able to make a brief visit were those in Chip Porter’s family.
Continued …
Micah Pearson makes a preemptive bid for Most Grievously Wounded.
Though there were many who proudly warmed the 20 Minutemen’s benches during the Opening Day games, Auden Porter was the MVP of the bench. Not only did the two-year-old with curls to die for bring a handsome T-ball kit for behind-the-scenes practicing, he also performed a killer rendition of “A, B, C” and completely tilled the soil beneath the Minutemen’s bench — by hand! (Guess it’s time to plant a garden.)
By the end of the game, the young Porter was covered in the fruits of his labor, and it looked as if he had slid into more bases than all of the Minutemen combined. Sources say he went on to take a long bubble bath later that day to unwind.
Micah Pearson made a longer-than-expected appearance on the bench after he tweaked his ACL running out a hit. Without his glove, his Excalibur, he was vulnerable — as his story just days ago had unfortunately foreshadowed.
Luckily, by Monday, Pearson was walking without a limp and seemed poised to make a full recovery. “I’m taking it easy this week, avoiding stairs and getting a knee brace,” he said. “If that doesn’t work: Cybernetic Implants.”
A guest appearance was made by super-mom Andrea Bonior, along with the Minutemen’s minor league affiliate team member Vance, and the Minutemen’s Most Photographed Female In Diapers (’08, ‘09), Alina.
On their brief visit, the Boniors brought a new topic of conversation to the bench, by answering the question “Andrea, when are you due?” again and again and again. (Answer: June)
With Darren Favello