Dodger Baseball, from the Caucasus

As I arose on May 10th in an obscure town at the feet of the Caucasus Mountain range, Republic of Georgia, a full day ahead of me awaited.  It would include a ride up to 12,000 feet, to a remote border post on the Russian/Georgian border.   In the process my group would traverse rivers and dodge mudslides.  I'd partake in viewing some of the most beautiful scenery ever seen.  We were past the tree-line altitude level.  When the Chevy Suburban we traveled in had a flat tire, we all hustled to get that thing changed quick, because the rain was torrential and that river we need to cross in the vehicle was quickly rising in size.

That stream below became a raging river in a few minutes after the storm hit, but we made it through...and so did the Dodger game on my I-phone.

And then there were the Dodgers.  Eleven time zones and half the world away but still in this wacked mind of mine...in my thoughts because I knew they were playing the Giants.  It was hailing on us and we would seek shelter inside the vehicle, but with all that my I-phone had a couple of bars of reception.  "Hmm...I wonder if...no, there's no way...can  I possibly can get the MLB app to work up here?  Not at over 10,000 feet in a hailstorm..."

I tapped the app, and I'm pretty sure became the only person in the world that watched the Dodgers from eleven time zones and 10,000 foot of altitude, probably ever.  It was the Dodgers-Giants in a barn burner.  Got to watch Mattingly get ejected.  The Georgians in the vehicle didn't quite understand my fascination with the game played by guys in tight matching uniforms and some with strange looking high socks.  They were entertained by the nose to nose argument between manager and umpire.

The view from the back seat.

Baseball is a difficult game to understand by those that have never been exposed to it.  Though the game is engrained in us on the American continent at an extremely young age, imagine being on earth over 40 years and never experiencing it.  That was the audience I had of Georgian Border Police officers, that spouted off questions to me through my translator.  

"Why are they touching their privates?"  "There's too much stopping in this game."  "How can you follow that little speck of a ball?"  "Does the ball hurt if it hits you?"  "Why is it that the guy throwing the ball twists and turns his body so much?"

You never know how the game is viewed internationally, but I had an eye opening experience fielding those questions while the Dodgers lost the the Gnats 3-1 at Dodger Stadium that night...(err, morning for me).

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As I continue my globetrotting adventures in this vocation change that began on April 1st, my next stops will be:

Cartagena, Colombia  (second week of June)  Where I hope to experience some baseball flavor, South American style.  And then followed by...

Budapest, Hungary.

Following those excursions, (unless something last minute comes up), there's a bit of a respite from travel...at least until August.  Perhaps then I'll be able to catch up on Dodger news, and start things rolling at OKP once again.

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I know there's been a lot of doom and gloom opinions about the Dodgers in the blogging world, but I can't help be remain optimistic about this season.  They haven't got hot yet, and that is bound to happen at some point soon.  They haven't played well at home, and the law of averages points to that happening sometime soon.   The outfield is solid and so far, and there are no signs of grumblings from within.

 The Dodgers haven't played well at home, and that will eventually occur. A 9-1 run at Dodger Stadium will really change the tune of just about everybody and I can see that happening.  The plan for most good teams is to play near .500 ball on the road and about .650 ball at home.  They're doing their part while wearing the grey uniforms.   Now it's time for them to get things in gear in the home whites.

One more in Philly.  A win to close out this roadie would do wonders for the team (and fan) psyche.