"It's Time"

So I found myself in the dark hills of Arkansas as the Rangers played to get into the World Series. Who would have thought a trip planned months in advance of October 22nd would conflict with Texas Rangers baseball?

But I had a panic moment. Leaving Texarkana shortly after 7:00, I couldn't find the game on Satellite radio to save my life. I've got three ESPN channels and I knew the game was on ESPN radio, but all the channels were playing junk.  I defaulted to the regular car radio and .... nothing. I couldn't find the game on any AM or FM station.

From there, I fired up a baseball scoring app that kept me abreast of what was going on, but that's not exactly the safest way to get your family down a dark highway.

Then in the third inning I was able to find the game on an FM station broadcasting dang near from Tennessee. But the signal was great, and I was happy. Rangers up. Rangers winning. All is right with the world.

Then the signal cut out. I'm scrambling again.

In the meantime, Mrs. LL is feeling extremely guilty for my dilemma even though I know it is not her fault. Then, like the voice of Baseball Angel, I hear the familiar voice of Eric Nadel coming out of her Android. Not only had she tracked down the Ranger game, she had found the Rangers' home broadcast. (The gal tracked down the MLB.com app and shelled out some bucks and then figured out how to use it.) We routed it through the auxiliary jack as the game filled the car.

So an hour or so later we are driving down a lonely stretch of dark highway as the Rangers recorded the last three outs. She's like me -- We weren't going to believe it until the final out was called. There was something kind of romantic it about it as the kids got involved and were listening to the radio along with us. Eric Nadel, the Rangers' radio play by play man, has suffered with that team for decades. So there was something pretty neat listening to that man excitedly tell us that strike three had been called on Alex Rodriguez (it couldn't have been scripted any better) and that "the Rangers are going to the World Series." That's something I truly believed I would never hear.

I've got myself a memory.