fter a day off, the series moved back to Dartmouth for the pivotal game five. I was not working the game but went to the park to watch. I went early to talk to the umpires, to brief them on how things went in game four. As a favor, I went down to get the baseballs for the game and ran into the Dartmouth coach.

We get it

In discussing the last game's events, I was very surprised to hear what I did from the Dartmouth coach. These guys, like most players and coaches, like to deflect blame to the umpires. That shouldn't surprise anyone. So, what he said startled me.

"Blaine," Darren said, "don't worry about any more bullshit from the rookies. I told them they need to shut up."

"That's great, Darren, but that goes for everyone." I responded. "We aren't looking for crap, but we are not going to put up with either team bitching."

"Yeah, we got the message," Darren said.

"Great," I said. "I'll make sure to pass that onto the guys working the game," I said, laughing.

"What? I wasted all that sucking up for nothing?" Darren said, laughing, too.

So, he said they get it, but I wasn't convinced. I was going to stick around to see just how long the lesson lasted.

Continued...