From the depths to the heights

What a wonderful day we had!

As you all know, I am not a particularly avid baseball fan, but yesterday was a glorious day, and with seats in the shade it was quite comfortable sitting outside and, of course, eating peanuts. I do not know how those folks in the sun do it! Anyway, having recently seen a couple of minor league (Pawsox) games, even I could tell the difference. These guys are quite a bit more expert at throwing, hitting, and catching the ball than their minor league counterparts, so it does make for more interesting watching. Still, the score was rather paltry: the Mets scored 1 run in the 4^th inning and the Atlanta Braves scored 1 in the 7^th, after the Mets pitcher appeared to be rattled by having hit the previous batter in the jaw and watching him fall to the ground. Neither team had scored any additional runs by the end of the 9^th, so the game went into extra innings. I was getting a bit nervous because we had those tickets for Lincoln Center at 8 pm, but we agreed we would stay for one more inning, and leave even if the game was not over. Then, after a relatively quiet 9 innings, with 2 out and 1 man on base in the top of the 10^th, the Braves batter hit a ground ball that was bobbled by the pitcher, who then threw it to first base. The umpire called the batter “safe,” but it was clear in the instant replay that he was actually out. Unfortunately for the Mets, the new rule that will permit the use of the instant replay will not be in effect until next year! Then the Mets manager put in a new pitcher, and on his first pitch, the Braves batter hit a home run, bringing in 3 runs! We left at the bottom of the 10^th inning when there were 2 Mets players out, and from the parking lot we heard that a third man was out, so the Mets lost 4 to 1. Despite the loss, we still had a good time.

(Thanks to Barry for proofreading and helping me rewrite this in recognition of my ignorance of the game).

Other than one brief stretch leading past the cut-off from I-87 to the George Washington Bridge, the traffic moved smoothly back to Riverdale, so we had plenty of time to stop at home and prepare for the concert. It was very nice to see/hear a performance of Mozart Symphony 36 (the “Linz”) because we had examined that piece in one of my music classes in the spring. But the highlight of the evening, and I am certain the reason why the concert hall appeared to be completely filled, was Joshua Bell playing Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto. The program said that he was playing a 1713 Huberman Stradivarius violin. But ultimately even an obviously incredible instrument and the outstanding acoustics of Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center need truly expert hands. Watching him play this incredibly challenging piece of music with such beauty, Barry and I both had the same reaction: it seemed almost surreal, simply impossible to believe had we not seen it with our own eyes. Just inspiring. Really.

The highs and lows of this day found me waking up this morning with my favorite old Billy Joel song on my mind, “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant,” with the line “from the high to the low ‘til the end of the show for the rest of their lives.”

The rain has moved back in today, but they say it will be short-lived, and predict a beautiful weekend.

Love,

Rebecca