Chicago Tournament Parked at 701 Oakland Road in northeast Cedar Rapids was a white, fully-equipped, cargo van ready

to carry 12, excited, energetic, S.W.A.T., baseball players, suited up in grey and white baseball uniforms to a rich, suburb of Chicago, IL, on a humid, bright, sunny, August Wednesday. An i-pod owned by Manny, also known as Dingus, blared out loud, rap, music which had the ready to play, young, baseball players dancing on the grey, cloth, seats of the loaded down van. Thoughts of a red and white Rawlings, 5150, 32 inch, drop 3, baseball bat smashing a new, white, USSSA, baseball into the clear, blue, cloudless, Chicago sky filled their anxious brains. After arriving in the unfamiliar, area, the young, ballplayers, thoughts changed to the dark, ominous, clouds that filled the sky and hung over the fresh, green, grass of the well groomed baseball field. The black, scary, sky and the winds that started to pick up to a howl that sounded like a large, long, freight train was headed in their direction, ruined all their plans for a great day of smashing bats and balls sailing through the clear blue sky. The team was loaded back into the white, cramped van and instead of playing the favorite, American, pastime, the sad, disappointed team headed to the local four stories, newly constructed, Holiday Inn located on the sandy banks of Crystal Lake. Baseball the game of champions would have to wait for another day.