| As we watch the Astros choke or White Sox | | | | constitutional law, we were going to play some |
| perform valiantly depending on your point of view, I | | | | baseball! |
| am reminded of my baseball experience in Russia. | | | | Institutions of higher learning are sacrosanct in Russia. |
| World Series | | | | It is serious business where deep thinking occurs, |
| I always find it interesting that most of our | | | | everyone studies like mad and the teacher is obeyed |
| professional sports call the championship round the | | | | at all costs. For example, the students all stand up |
| World Series or some similar variation. Clearly, there | | | | from their desks when a teacher enters and leaves |
| are games being played elsewhere, so how can it be | | | | the room. Serious stuff. |
| the world championship? With baseball, the arrivals of | | | | The game was proceeding nicely. Everyone was |
| Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners and Tadahito | | | | getting the hang of it, the rolled up paper ball was |
| Iguchi of the White Sox certainly suggest baseball in | | | | surviving and the broken desk leg would've put any |
| Japan must be of a high quality. Perhaps more | | | | bat to shame. And then the Dean walked by the |
| interesting is the fact that some sports aren't even | | | | door. And stopped. And stared. |
| acknowledged in other countries as I found out in | | | | The University Dean, Tatyana, was a great person |
| Russia. | | | | and I liked here a lot. In turn, I am pretty sure she |
| Siberia does not have cable television nor can one pull | | | | thought I was a raving lunatic, but didn't seem to |
| up anything other than CNN. This made watching the | | | | mind since the students enjoyed my classes. Alas, I |
| World Series a bit difficult. Resorting to my usual | | | | thought I had crossed a line with the baseball game. |
| tactic, I started hitting up my students for inside | | | | The Dean opened the door and entered the room. |
| information on any parents that might own a satellite | | | | Simultaneously, students looked for places to hide |
| dish and could get the games. To my astonishment, | | | | and I tried to come up with some reason why |
| not a single person knew the World Series was on or | | | | playing baseball was critical to the education of future |
| much of anything about baseball. Nobody had even | | | | judges. Tatyana took the bat from the hand of a |
| heard of the Yankees! A few students had heard of | | | | student, looked at and stared at me. It was one of |
| the Los Angeles Dodgers, which was unbearable for | | | | those stares where you could tell she was |
| a person from San Diego. It was time to set these | | | | considering sending me back to San Diego. There |
| innocents right! | | | | would be no chance of explaining this one away. |
| The classrooms I taught in were pretty large. | | | | After what seemed like minutes, but was probably |
| Everybody stand up! Desks were moved to the | | | | five seconds, she did the last thing I expected. She |
| walls, books were placed in the appropriate places | | | | took her stance. |
| and the rules were written on the board. Forget | | | | The game was on! |