American Pastime

The countdown is underway for the new Twins stadium, which I think will be open in 2010. In an effort to take in as much as I can of an old ballpark, the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, I attended a game last night with a few guys from work. I always forget how much fun a baseball game can be. The weather was warm and the pre-game atmosphere on Kirby Puckett Drive outside the dome was refreshing. Add to that a corn dog, some cheese curds and a St. Paul brewed Summit Pale Ale and I was a happy fan. Even though the Twins lost and crept below the .500 mark.

Still, as happens with many things, the innocence and pleasure of the game has changed from what I remember as a child. Baseball games seemed so magical. Players whose faces I normally saw only on baseball cards were living legends playing with and against my hometown favorites. The Metrodome seemed like a country all its own, larger than life itself. Of course as an adult, we realize the players have flaws, bad attitudes, trade teams, and have personal managers trying to get them the best contract. And the Metrodome, we realize, isn't the most ideal way to experience baseball. Fake grass. Nylon roof.

I think there is a positive spin, however. I think back to the games I attended with my Dad...the games that inspired me to swing a bat, throw a ball and buy countless packs of baseball cards with my modest allowance. As a dad, those games must have been special to him, too. Hopefully because he saw the joy in his own son's eyes as he watched his favorite player, "...the center fielder, number 34, Kirby-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y Puckett!" trot out of the dugout and begin tossing the ball to left fielder Dan Gladden. Those were the days.

And those will be the days. In time I'll put a little Minnesota Twins jersey on my own son and join my dad at the ballpark, where we will once again feel the magic we both felt as kids. We'll pay $10 for a corn dog. We'll snack on a few deep fried cheese curds. We'll bear the heat, waiting in line for a ticket. And we'll love every minute of it.

Making of the Band

So I've been leading a youth band at church. Our beginning as The 8:08 Band--a title taken from the time at which we played every Wednesday night--was pretty rough. Every week's rehearsal was thrown together with a lot of ambition but not with the right mix of music and musicians, and I spent more time trying to get the kids' attention than actually making music. We certainly spent no time reflecting on our reason for playing and singing.

After some "re-org" and a new focus, we have morphed into Heart of Worship--a title taken from a song of the same name. Our first few meetings as a new group didn't really involve singing or playing music at all. Rather, we talked about worship. What it means to worship. Why we worship. Why music should be a part of worship. How musicians have a responsibility/opportunity not to perform, but to reach people on a level that spoken words cannot. We conversed a lot about why music is so unique in its capacity to hit emotional "chords" within the listener.

As we picked out music and began practicing and planning for our big event, new musicians joined, others left, some returned, some did not. But eventually the group filtered itself out to a group of musicians that truly wanted to be a part of H.O.W., and it became a group with a style and a mission and a passion.

Tonight we get the stage. After a couple of months of solid rehearsing, we are performing at the end-of-year confirmation celebration...and we are ready to see what we can do in front of a live audience. Of course I know that looking cool in front of their peers is probably on the mind of these kids, but I know they won't forget all we've accomplished as a group and what it took to get where we are today. The momentum we've started will be a good springboard for our beginning again in the fall.

Be on the lookout for pictures and a re-cap of tonight's event.