#and now i’m driving an hour round trip tomorrow to pick up the biggest belt buckle i could find on the local market

[starbuck]

this is getting out of hand…

[gamer-logic]

The States and 2P America

So the 2ps get to the 1p world after making a truce with their counterparts and escaping their collapsing world where they're the only survivors. They then proceed to live with their 1ps in a crazy roommate sort-of situation. The only problem is that when Allen gets to Alfred's house it's this huge mansion and one of the states opens the door making him very confused as he never had states of his own and his idiotic 1p is the father of 50 kids!

"What the *beep* Porkchop?! Since do you have fifty little brats runnin’ around?!"

Alfred gives him a full rundown on finding/raising the states and then proceeds to draft him into babysitting! At first, Allen tried to ignore them but then faces the painful realization that leaving 50 states alone is never a good idea. After finally rounding up everyone he could find and freeing the thirteen (most responsible being Delaware and Virginia) from being trapped in the barn by their younger siblings, he does a headcount.

Allen: Okay one, two, three.....45. We're missing five! Where's Nevada, Hawaii, Alaska, Texas, and New Mexico?

Random state raises their hand: I think Nevada's in Vegas gambling again. He goes there a lot to triple his allowance!

Another state: I remember Texas said something about rodeos and bull riding all the way to Dallas. Also, Alaska and Hawaii left a note saying something about hanging out with New Mexico and Tony in Roswell!

Allen: But we're in D.C.! How did they get all the way over there in 3 hours?! *States shrug while Allen looks close to screaming into the void* Okay, everyone into the bus! We're going to get your siblings!

Cue cross country road-trip like the hangover where, after hours of getting lost in Disney Land, Delaware’s nagging about being the oldest and most mature much to Massachusetts chagrin because he’s clearly got better colleges, getting into a dance contest in Maine, keeping Arizona from getting stuck in the Grand Canyon for the hundredth time, Wisconsin participating in a cheese eating contest, Maine cooking seafood, Georgia making 30 peach cobblers, Colorado making a giant igloo, Washington and Oregon's hippie phases making a return, playing hockey in Minnesota, fishing Michigan out of the great lakes, New Jersey getting stalked by the Jersey Devil who’s like that stray cat that keeps following you around, keeping New York from starting a fight at Yankee’s game, gator wrestling in the Florida everglades, getting dressed for Mardi Gras in Lousianna, getting lost in Iowa’s biggest corn maze, the Dakota twins almost killing the Carolinas for trying to graffiti Mt. Rushmore (there’s a bit of a twin rivalry), avoiding the secret service less they get caught and ratted out to Alfred, seeing Old Faithful at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and trying to keep Alabama from sticking his head in it on a dare, crossing the Mississippi, running from rodeo clowns that Tennessee angered after he picked a fight with them for insulting his country music, finally picking up Texas with his new Rodeo bull-riding championship belt and tying him up with his own lasso, various misadventures, including recuing Idaho from an accidental marriage, in Vegas that will stay in Vegas, finding/grounding Nevada from gambling after he almost lost 50 grand and Wyoming to a circus, they finally arrive in Roswell.

Allen, too tired to care at this point: Alright! Who's this Tony New Mexico, Hawaii, and Alaska said they we're with?

Maryland: He's Dad's cool alien friend from 1947. New Mexico likes hanging out with him in his spaceship playing pranks on Britain and the other nations!

Allen hardly believes her but is too tired to care at this point: A-Alien? Sure, why not?! Let’s just go get them! Maybe we’ll run into Nessie too!

Iowa whispering to Ohio: But isn’t Nessie in Scotland?

Ohio: *shrugs*

After falling into a series of booby traps a la Alaska, they finally track down Tony’s ship in Alaska and find the three playing video games with Tony. It finally registers in Allen’s mind that there’s a real freakin’ alien in front of him playing Mario Kart.

Allen: T-t-that’s an….

State: Yep!

Allen: And he’s playing video games….

States: Yep!

Allen, not able to handle this anymore: *faints*

After a not so long drive back to D.C. courtesy of New Jersey’s driving, Getting KFC in Kentucky for supper with vegan salad for Allen and irritating said state in the process, and almost forgetting Rhode Island, they finally make it bake to D.C. and settle Allen down on the couch, gathering around him to watch a Marvel marathon acting like the innocent little angels they’re not. They also duct tape California’s mouth shut and tie her up with Texas’ lasso because she wouldn’t stop complaining about watching her newest one instead. Alfred finally arrives home from a meeting in Berlin around the time they finish Doctor Strange and sees Allen crashed on the couch with the states around him.

Alfred: So did you have a good time with Uncle Allen?

States: We sure did!

Wisconsin bragging about his trophy made entirely of cheese: I’m the king of cheese once again!

Alfred: Great! Now it’s off to bed everyone!

States: Aww! But we wanted to stay up and play with Uncle Allen!

Alfred: No buts, you can play again tomorrow! Now off to bed!

The states start trudging up to their rooms with California finally being freed. Georgia putting a blanket over Allen, Hawaii putting a hibiscus print pillow under his head, and Maryland putting a note on the end table as they go out. Allen finally wakes up and Alfred, watching the rest of the marathon notices.

Alfred: You were awesome with them dude! I’m going to let you babysit from now on!

Allen: *Screams and faints again*

Alfred: Heh! He’s so excited! *Munches on popcorn*

The next morning Allen wakes up and reads the note: “Thanks for taking care of all of us today! We had a lot of fun, Uncle Allen! From the states. P.S. You were super cool playing baseball at Yankee stadium! Teach us sometime? Also, there's a salad for you in the fridge! :)"

He crumbles the note and puts it in his jacket trying not to break his tough-guy persona. But later when no one looking, he takes it out with a small smile and thinks these brats aren’t so bad after all.

Eventually, they grew on him and Allen comes to consider the all the states like his own secretly loving it when they call him Uncle Allen. They may be little gremlins but his gremlins and if you so much as touch one hair on their head you’ll get a face full of his nailed bat!

Just another day in the Jones’ household!

Meanwhile In Canada:

James is babysitting the provinces for Mathew and is currently in drill sergeant mode pacing in front of the nervous, with the exception of Quebec who's extremely excited, lined-up provinces. Kumajiro (cub) and Kuma (adult) are just chilling and watching them with whistles around their necks and cute little maple leaf hats courtesy of British Columbia.

James: All right, listen up! I’m going to teach you all how to rough it and survive out in the wilderness! Now, who knows how to start a fire?

All the provinces turn to stare at Manitoba.

Manitoba: Oh, come on! I set fire to Papa’s flannel shirt collection one time!

James: Okaaaaay ignoring that, everybody get into groups of two and I’ll assign jobs!

Nova Scotia raises her hand: But there’s thirteen of us!

James: Fine then, eenie meenie miny mo… *Points to Prince Edward Island* you! Prissy pants boy you're with me! We’re gathering firewood!

P.E.I. looking up from his mirror: Excuse me!? I’m not gonna get these designer clothes dirty picking up filthy wood!

James *facepalms*: Give me that! *Proceeds to chuck the mirror into the lake much to P.E.I’s horror and Ontario’s glee!*

(They don't get along because of P.E.I.’s arrogant personality and constant declaring himself in charge despite Ontario being the oldest and having the capital).

James: We’re out here to survive off the land which means no cell phones, no internet, and definitely NO BEAUTY PRODUCTS. NOW IS THAT CLEAR?!

Provinces: Sir, yes sir!

James being the big softie that he is but won't admit: Good! Now we meet back here by sunset and we’ll roast marshmallows!

Everyone hurries and gets on with their jobs with Alberta somehow ending up stuck in a tree and harassed by woodpeckers and Yukon and Saskatchewan being the most successful by communicating with/befriending a family of beavers that help them build a shelter. By the end of the day, James also feels a sense of fatherly protectiveness and pride over the provinces like Allen. he also secretly loves it when they call him Uncle James. Nunavut also manages to find bigfoot who helps gather food much to James’ shock!

[thecoliverlibrary]

Simple Gifts

Gift Type: Fan fiction Title: Simple Gifts Author: @biclasstrash Recipient: @samwhambam Rating: Teen Word Count: 2795 Summary: Connor and Oliver look back on the moment they got the greatest gift they’ve ever gotten Author’s Note: Ama means “father” in Tagalog.

The multicolored lights twinkled in sporadic patterns, splashing a rainbow display against the wall. The colored lights blended in with the white lights that hung along the ceiling, now on a dimmer setting now that nighttime has fully encroached. On the coffee table and mantel piece, extending out to the kitchen, were paper plates and cups and silverware, showing the remnants of the party they had, with the plates housing cookie crumbs and finger foods, including an entire baguette, that surely has gone stale by now even mere hours after it was opened on the kitchen island. The floor was a war zone of wrapping paper and bows, boxes and toys that were hugged and fawned over by a little girl, big brown eyes wide and bright with each new present she opened, loving each one a new guest brought her.

Also on the floor, was that same little girl, eyes closed and thumb in her mouth, one arm wrapped around the doll crafted to look just like her, matching PJ’s and all. Her soft, wild and curly dark hair splayed out along the festive Christmas rug they laid out for the occasion.

Emerging from the kitchen was Oliver, having just finished putting most of the desserts away to the fridge. He was still tall and lean, walking with more confidence than he’s ever had these days. Now in his mid-thirties, he retired his contacts and opted for classy lenses that framed and brought out his handsome face. His hair, still thick and full, housed more silver strands, though he did not fear those anymore. He glanced around the living room at the mess he, Connor, his daughter and his guests made. His eyes found the floor and he smiled fondly at his sleepy little girl, understandably beat from the day’s events. He knelt next to her and extended his arm.

“Tala? Tala sweetie?” Oliver asked softly, gently shaking his daughter’s shoulder.

Tala’s eyes creaked open, looking around then wiped the hair out of her eyes with a pudgy arm.

“Mhmh?” she mumbled.

“Looks like someone is ready for bed, you sleepy?”

 Tala’s slow nod was the only answer he needed. She sat up as much as her little arms could, and then raised them.

“Come on, honey,” he murmured, scooping her up in his arms with ease. She wrapped her arms around his neck instantly, resting her head on his shoulder. She held her doll—Jasmine—tightly.

“Did you have a good Christmas?” Oliver asked as he made his way up the stairs, watching his footing as the light grew dimmer the higher they went.

“Mhm,” she mumbled sleepily.

“Did Santa give you everything you wanted?”

“Yeah, Jasmine’s my favorite,” she said.

“I’m glad, I’ll be sure to let Santa know you liked everything,” Oliver chuckled.

The pair made it to her room, decked out in pink and purple, the butterfly theme apparent from the bedding to the wall decals. As soon as Tala’s feet hit the fluffy sheets she scrambled out of Oliver’s arms and crawled into bed, eager to hit the pillow.

“Ama?” she asked.

“Mhm?”

“Can I write letters to Auntie Michaela and Auntie Laurel tomorrow? I liked the clothes Auntie Michaela got me, and the art set Auntie Laurel got me. Can I, please?”

Oliver’s heart did a flip; how did his daughter know about gratitude? She was only five but had consideration far better than most adults he knew.

“I think they would like that a lot. You want me and Daddy to help you?”

Tala nodded enthusiastically despite her fatigue.

“Yeah!”

“Well great, but you should get some sleep first, huh?” Oliver coaxed softly, earning another nod from his daughter.

Tala buried herself deeper into the covers, pulling her stuffed sheep close to her, sandwiched between her and Jasmine.

“I’m happy I had a good Christmas,” she said, eyes growing heavy again.

“Me too; Daddy and I will see you in the morning okay? He’ll make pancakes.”

“Goodnight, Ama,” she whispered.

“Goodnight, love,” Oliver replied, leaning down to kiss her forehead before switching on her night light, flickering off her lamp, and closing the door behind him.

He stood outside her room until he heard the soft snores. Smiling, he went downstairs to turn off the lights on the tree and those around the house before going to his room.

“Is she asleep now?” Connor asked when Oliver entered, putting setting his new tablet on the nightstand.

“Uh huh, out like a light. I think we Christmas’d her out,” he said, toeing off his slippers and crawling into bed.

“We nailed it again,” Connor said coolly, swinging his feet off the bed and moving to the dresser to fish out pajamas. “Has it really been five years already?” Connor asked after a beat.

Oliver chuckled and meandered into the bathroom and turned on the sink. “I can’t believe it either. When we first adopted her it looked as though we would never get the hang of it. Remember that one night, when she slept through it for the first time. All thanks to you, remember?” Oliver called, talking over the sink.

“Of course I do,” murmured Connor.

oOoOoOo

Connor and Oliver have since left Philadelphia behind, uprooting themselves to New York. Connor graduated from Columbia Law with highest honors, passing the Bar with flying colors, and joining a firm that specializes in family and LGBTQ rights that was begging for them to be a part of it. Oliver was hired by Lincoln Center, joining their marketing team and enjoying his job for what felt like the first time. In those first new months and years, Connor and Oliver would have long talks about how happy they were, how calm they were. They woke up in the morning with contentment and excitement about their days ahead, knowing they did what made them happy and what they were passionate in. They spent countless nights talking about the future, then one night Connor said,

“What if we adopted a child? Remember when we said we wanted to have kids?”

And that was that.

As soon as they mentioned the word adoption to Michaela in passing one afternoon she was over, she e-mailed Oliver every possible article and resource on adoption laws the next day. This led the couple to pouring over article after article, revising their application again and again until they got it right. They agreed to adopt internationally, a baby girl from the Philippines.

Their application wasn’t all a walk in the park. Even though it was five years ago, Connor still winces at the memory of being late for the home inspection. It was raining and cold and he was forty-five minutes late—thanks to rush hour on the subway and being held up for a dangerous amount of time at the office. Once he made it home, he threw himself into the door, soaking wet and hair disheveled, shaking hands with the social worker who wore her impatience and annoyance like a badge. Thanks to Oliver, they passed, and that stage was complete. His mood and expression, going from jovial and welcoming for the woman, quickly turned into disgust and anger the moment the door closed.

This led to one of their biggest fights, Oliver hurling words at Connor, accusing him of not taking this seriously. Connor spit back with words about income and who makes more at their job—hitting below the belt, regretting the words as soon as they left his mouth, the living room heavy with silence.

Oliver just stared at him, tears welling in his eyes before retreating to their bedroom, slamming the door behind him. A quick text to Carmen—a fellow lawyer at the firm—a friend he’s gotten to know, and he was out the door, needing to cool off, mentally punching himself for allowing the anger to get the better of him.

It was about four hours before Connor came back home, apologizing profusely to Oliver, whose eyes were red and puffy from crying. An exchange of apologies and deep breathing later, they agreed to put that behind them and move on to the next steps in the process.

After what felt like years, the wait was over. Oliver still thinks back to the day they got the call. It was a brisk afternoon in March on a lazy Saturday. Oliver’s phone buzzed and picked it up in a matter of seconds, trying to hide his shaking voice when the agency said that everything went through. They booked a round trip to Manila that afternoon and were on the plane four days later. Connor and Oliver clutched their hands together from the cab ride to the airport to the drive to the agency in Manila.

Oliver looked at the tiny bundle in his arms, skin and eyes matching his. Her name was Tala, 8 weeks old, with tufts of dark hair framing her face. Connor sobbed when he first held her, not really believing what he was seeing. After months of grueling stress and uncertainty, they made it.

She was here, she was their daughter.

This was real.

Their dream-like state was over, as they were now fully immersed into parenthood. This meant early morning feedings and never-ending crying and lack of sleep. There was a day where Tala cried for hours straight. Connor and Oliver were so distraught after they tried everything they thought would help her stop, they took her to the hospital. After the doctor said it was normal and gave them ways to calm her even if for a little while, they returned home. It was as if Tala knew where they went and how distressed her dads were, for she finally decided to stop.

Connor’s heart broke into a million pieces when Oliver, who was often level headed and more rational of the two, slid down the wall and burst into tears, the kind that shake the whole body and pour out endlessly. Connor slid to the floor and held him tight, eventually letting tears fall as well, the stress of the day and past days getting to the both of them.

“I can’t…I don’t know how to do this, I don’t know what to do…” Oliver sobbed.

“We can…we can do this. We’ll do it together…it’ll get better,” Connor assured Oliver, hoping his words were true.

A few weeks have passed and the jitters and stress wore off….a little. The couple developed a system, switching off who does the bathing and feeding and bedtime lulling if Tala wakes up in the middle of the night as she often did. When Oliver oversaw getting her back to sleep, he would sing a lullaby in Tagalog that his mother taught him. Connor would sneak around the corner of her little nursery and hear Oliver sing; his deep, smooth voice would get her to sleep in a matter of minutes. Connor would peer some more and see Oliver’s content face as he gazed at his daughter, even if there were bags under his eyes, Oliver was still the most beautiful man Connor ever saw, forever grateful that he could share this life with him.

There was one time when it was Connor’s turn; and he hear her low cry turn louder and shriller. He staggered out of bed and to her nursery and took her out of the crib, her little face red and wet, her hands balled into fists. He scooped her up and made his way over to the rocking chair.

“Okay, honey okay. Shh, shh I’m here I’ve got you,” he whispered, gently rocking back and forth in the chair. He kissed the top of her head and kept rocking.

“Hey, you wanna hear a song? Your grandma sang it to me when I was a baby,” he whispered. He straightened up in the chair, cleared his throat and began to sing.

Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li, Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Hush now, don’t you cry. Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li, Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, That’s an Irish lullaby.

He looked down at Tala, whose crying was replaced with small hiccups. He took a thumb and wiped her tears away.

Over in Killarney, many years ago, My mother sang a song to me in tones so soft and low. Just a simple little ditty in her good old Irish way, And I’d give the world if I could hear that song of hers today.

He rocked the chair in time with the song, holding her closer.

Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li, Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Hush now, don’t you cry. Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li, Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, That’s an Irish lullaby.

Connor looked down and saw Tala’s face, once scrunched up in distress, was sweet and content, long eyelashes dusting her chubby cheeks.

Connor sighed and let himself relax, huffing out a breath of triumph that he got her to sleep. He kissed her on the forehead again before gently setting her back down in the crib.

He went back to the room and got under the covers, Oliver’s form snuggled in the sheets. Connor was just about to close his eyes when,

“I heard that,” said the sleep rough voice next to him.

“Hmm?”

“I heard your singing just now. Where’d you learn that song?”

“My mom used to sing it to Gemma and me; I asked her to send me the words.”

Oliver turned in the bed to face him, “it was beautiful,” he murmured.

Connor waved an exhausted hand, “No it wasn’t. Just something I did on the fly.”

“No, it was. I think that’s the first time you sang to her huh?”

“I guess so.”

Oliver snuggled closer to the other man, “You should sing to her more often, I think she likes it.”

“Maybe I will. Hey, Oliver?”

“Yeah?”

“We’ll get the hang of this, right?” Connor asked softly, voice a little shaky.

“Yeah, yeah we will. I know we will.”

They eventually did, watching their child grow and learn new things while learning how to day each day one at a time. Tala quickly became the stars of the couple’s social media, flooding Instagram and Facebook with pictures and videos of her. They took her on trips to different parks and museums, loving the way her eyes would light up at a statue in the museum or at a big tree in the park. She was their pride and joy.

The day after Christmas

Connor felt strong arms wrap around his middle, pulling him slightly away from the stove, the pancake batter bubbling to form in it. He smiled when he felt Oliver’s chest press against his back.

“Good morning to you, too,” he murmured, bringing Oliver’s hand to his lips and kissing along the knuckle.

“’morning, is Tala still asleep?”

“I checked up on her ten minutes ago and she was still sleeping like a log,” Connor turned from the stove and wrapped his arms around Oliver’s shoulders, “so that means we could, you know,” he said smirking.

“Oh my god, no!”

“Come on, five minutes! We’ve done it in less time,” Connor whined.

“Just focus on the pancakes, sir.”

Connor pouted, “you’re no fun,” he said turning back to the stove.

“I am the most fun,” Oliver replied fixing his cup of coffee.

Oliver smiled when he heard the light chuckle from Connor, and a comfortable silence floated into the kitchen. It was a moment of post-holiday calm in the wake of a hectic season, and the cozy warmth of the house went well to compete with the inevitable December chill outside. Connor let himself sigh softly, a little domestic silence was good every once in a while.

That silence did not last for very long when they heard Tala’s excited feet bound down the stairs. Her eyes glinted when she saw her fathers together.

“Daddy!” she cried, running and latching on to Connor’s leg. He put down the spatula and lifted his daughter up, spinning for a moment before peppering her little face with kisses.

“And how’s the princess doing today?”

“Good,” she piped.

“Someone’s excited today. Hey, where’s Jasmine?” Oliver asked playfully, walking over and kissing Tala’s cheek.

“She’s still sleeping, we had a long day yesterday and stuff,” Tala whispered, as if her doll could hear her conversation from upstairs.

“Oh, right, sorry,” Oliver whispered, playing along.

“It’s pancake day, would you like strawberries or chocolate chips?” Connor asked, putting Tala down and letting her walk to the kitchen table.

“Both!”

“That’s a way to do it, coming right up,” Connor said, heading back to the stove.

Oliver gazed at Tala with a fond smile, loving at the way her feet kicked happily while she danced a little in the chair. He walked back over to the stove and wrapped an arm around Connor’s shoulder.

“Yeah, we got this,” he murmured kissing Connor’s cheek.

[rosssiler]

Summer Catch

Walking up to the baseball field behind Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School, you hardly would believe that Chris Sale, Buster Posey, Justin Turner, and a host of others called it their summer home on the way to the majors.

Red Wilson Field features a wooden press box, a chain-link outfield fence (with no marked dimensions), a snack bar, and some scattered bleachers.  There’s not even stadium lights so games can be played after dark.

But such is the essence of the Cape Cod Baseball League, with the unmatched combination of small-town charm and big-time prospects.  For two months every summer, the country’s top college baseball players head to Cape Cod to play for the league’s 10 teams.

The league stretches some 60 miles across Cape Cod and along Route 6, from Wareham (Gatemen) and Bourne (Braves) in the west to Chatham (Anglers) and Orleans (Firebirds) in the east.  The teams are split into East and West Divisions and play 44-game schedules.

For this year’s baseball trip, I headed to the Cape League for a June 17 game between the Harwich Mariners and Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox.  It was the home opener for the three-time defending league champion Red Sox; admission was free (with donations gladly accepted).  The drive from Boston to the town of South Yarmouth took about 75 minutes.

The Cape League’s history of producing future major leaguers is staggering.  According to the league, 297 former Cape League players appeared in at least one major-league game in 2016—that would be the equivalent of almost 12 full 25-man rosters. The league has more than 1,100 former big-league alumni.

Among current Mariners, Dan Altavilla (Y-D), Taylor Motter (Harwich), Kyle Seager (Chatham), Danny Valencia (Orleans), Mike Zunino (Y-D), and Tony Zych (Bourne) all played in the Cape League.

This year, 10 of the 36 first-round MLB draft picks were Cape League alums, including top-10 picks Brendan McKay (Tampa Bay), Pavin Smith (Arizona), and Adam Haseley (Philadelphia).

Not surprisingly, the Cape League is heavily scouted.  We counted four or five scouts sitting behind home plate at the Y-D park armed with radar guns, with several scouts packing up and leaving at 6 p.m. to presumably catch a second game on the Cape that night.

My interest in the Cape League grew from Jim Collins’ fantastic book “The Last Best League,” which followed the Chatham A’s (now Anglers) for one summer in 2002.  Tim Stouffer and Chris Iannetta both became big-league regulars from that Chatham team.

But the book also focuses as much on the players who got so close to the big-time, yet failed to make it for one reason or another.  (Collins updated the book 10 years later after the A’s players all had either established or finished their baseball careers.)

We originally planned to see a game in Chatham, but those plans changed after a rainout.  Y-D was a great second choice—a 5 p.m. game that ended three hours later with the fog from the ocean rolling in across the field.

The Cape League is small-time enough that the homeowners beyond the right-field fence pulled up yard chairs and enjoyed dinner with the game.  One man walked his dog through the Harwich bullpen mid-game (he later talked about watching Posey and Kyle Schwarber both play on the Cape, and claimed Cotuit has the best park).

One of the Y-D players was in charge of selling tickets for the 50/50 raffle (Cape League teams must raise $200,000 annually).  And at the neighboring football stadium, the high school was holding a walk-a-thon dedicated to cancer support, with music blasting the entire evening.

The Red Sox and the other Cape League teams each employ squadrons of interns, who handle everything from marketing to running the concession stand.  The teams additionally air their games online using broadcasting students.

Some of the players still work part-time during the summer, while playing baseball in the afternoons and evenings, although this has become less common as players focus on getting scouted.  First-round bonus values now range from $7.8 million to $2.2 million.

I assume that I saw at least one future major leaguer--the Cape League’s slogan is “Where the stars of tomorrow shine tonight!”--but I’m not sure who that would be.  We went on the season’s first weekend, when several players whose college teams made deep NCAA Tournament runs had yet to arrive (according to the league, 62 players this season went to NCAA super regionals and 39 went to the College World Series).

Harwich third baseman Ryne Ogren had the game’s biggest hit, belting a two-run double to cap a four-run fifth inning for the Mariners.  I thought Harwich outfielder Dwanya Williams-Sutton and pitcher Matthew Frisbee also seemed like potential prospects, along with Y-D outfielder Carlos Cortes, who had three hits.

The Mariners also got 4 2/3 scoreless innings in relief from Austin Hansen, Brian Christian, and Theodore Rodliff.  The teams combined for 22 hits, but the players were still in their first week and seemingly adjusting to the wood bats of the Cape League after the metal bats of college.

(According to Collins’ book, MLB allows Y-D and Harwich to use the Red Sox and Mariners names, provided they order merchandise through MLB’s licensees.  The Red Sox cap actually uses the White Sox logo against an outline of Cape Cod; the Mariners use a compass logo just like Seattle).

The featured event for the season is the annual All-Star Game (held this year on July 22) and the championship series in mid-August.  There’s a game of the week broadcast on Fox College Sports as well.  Or you can just wait a couple of years to catch the league’s biggest stars in the majors.

I’m looking forward to checking this post in about five years to see which of the players below ended up making it.  We saw all of them play in the Mariners’ victory.

From Harwich:  Joey Bart C (Georgia Tech); Brian Christian (P) (Northeastern); Nick Dalesandro (RF) (Purdue); Brad Debo (DH) (N.C. State); Matthew Frisbee (P) (UNC Greensboro); Austin Hansen (P) (Oklahoma); Owen Miller (SS) (Illinois State); Kyler Murray (PR) (Oklahoma); Ryne Ogren (3B) (Elon); Teddy Rodliff (P) (Stony Brook); Cameron Simmons (CF) (Virginia); Cobie Vance (2B) (Alabama); Jordan Verdon (1B) (San Diego State); Dwanya Williams-Sutton (LF) (East Carolina).

From Yamouth-Dennis:  Cameron Beauchamp (P) (Indiana); Karl Blum (P) (Rutgers); Michael Cassala C (Jacksonville); Charlie Concannon (DH) (St. Joseph’s); Carlos Cortes (LF) (South Carolina); Kole Cottam C (Kentucky); Jake Crawford (1B) (Furman); Jonah Davis (RF) (California); Tyler Depreta-Johnson (SS) (Houston Baptist); Tanner Graham (P) (Alabama-Birmingham); Nico Hoerner (2B) (Stanford); Kyle Isbel (CF) (UNLV); Christian Koss (3B) (UC Irvine); Hunter Parsons (P) (Maryland); Carter Pharis (1B) (Alabama-Birmingham); John Rooney (P) (Hofstra); Christopher Sharpe (CF) (UMass Lowell).