(The manager of this site, who I know from LoneStarBall (SBNation's Texas Rangers site), encouraged me to convert a personal e-mail into this ODB FanPost. He's even kind of a boss over there, so it's not like I had much choice ...)

(Also: My alma mater and primary college baseball team is Virginia. I moved to Austin earlier this century, and made two important modifications to my baseball fandom: 1) I weighed my roughly equidistant options and picked the Rangers over the Astros - whew!; and 2) I decided to use the local college team, along with the Round Rock Express, to help fulfill my year-round baseball jones. For God's sake, the Longhorns play their alumni exhibition in JANUARY! I can get to their stadium in five minutes. Round Rock is more like 45.)

Saturday night in a LoneStarBall post-doubleheader thread, I mused "I've got half a mind to drive up to Waco tomorrow -- it's gotta be the hottest series in college baseball! But I'll probably just lame out, stay home, and watch the Rangers on tv." The ODB/LSB member who goes by UnlikelyFanatic said -- and I'm paraphrasing everything here -- "YOU SHOULD GO TO THE BAYLOR GAME." And that's all it took.

GAMEDAY: I had a blast. UnlikelyFanatic knows their stuff: baseball, Baylor and the Rangers. The Baylor game itself was wild and woolly, what with the going up four in the 1st, blowing the lead in an equally ugly 5th, and coming right back. And in the background we were frantically trying to follow the Rangers game on our phones, with all *that* game's crazy ups and downs.

After the Aggies took the lead, I reminded / trolled Unlikely that: my everlasting opinion of Baylor baseball is being forged today, I care not about any dang streaks. If you were there, you know that hearts were heavy, stomachs were turning, and beavers were gnawing on air.

And you know how it ended. Congrats, Bear-Beavers, it wasn't pretty but it was fun. I'm thinking if I wanna see a Super Regional in June, I'll probably have to drive more than five minutes, heh ...

-- Yours, Schoolly_D

Extra notes: All I saw of campus on my first visit was from 35 to the ballpark, i.e. not much, but it looks rather storybook. The ballpark is great -- especially like the Brazos beyond the RF wall. The weather was idyllic, as you know -- between today and the Mariners @ Rangers day game on the 12th, my arms are a rich brown. And the FEED THE BEAVER meme ... what the hell, man, too many animals! (Sunday bonus: didn't really touch the brakes either way on 35 either.) Enjoyed seeing some Rangers gear, LOL-ed at little kid in an Angels Torii Hunter shirt -- terrible parenting there!