Fourth floor common room: Sunday evening

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

Karal was staring at the television in bemusement. He'd thought it was baseball, at first, but it hadn't taken long to work out it wasn't.

He still didn't know what it was, beyond a fat man and a thin man who he was sure were seconds away from coming to blows.

"If I mentioned the third baseman's name, who did I say is playing third?"

"No. Who's playing first."

"What's on first?"

"What's on second."

"I don't know."

"He's on third."

Altra was snickering from his spot on the back of the couch. Karal just kept staring.

[ooc: open of course!]

Comments

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"What don't you get about baseball? Maybe I could help?" She grinned. "Yes, see? He's just so determined to know what's going on."

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

Since Karal was now chuckling, he was forced to agree, "All right, it is funny, I admit it. As for baseball itself--"

He paused, recalling one particular rule which had baffled him, and quoted, "A fair ball touches a runner or an umpire on fair territory before it touches an infielder including the pitcher, or touches an umpire before it has passed an infielder other than the pitcher; If a fair ball touches an umpire working in the infield after it has bounded past, or over, the pitcher, it is a dead ball. If a batted ball is deflected by a fielder in fair territory and hits a runner or an umpire while still in flight and then caught by an infielder it shall not be a catch, but the ball shall remain in play. If a fair ball goes through, or by, an infielder, and touches a runner immediately back of him, or touches a runner after being deflected by an infielder, the ball is in play and the umpire shall not declare the runner out. In making such decision the umpire must be convinced that the ball passed through, or by, the infielder and that no other infielder had the chance to make a play on the ball; runners advance if forced."

And then he took a very long breath. "It makes no sense!"

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

Dawn stared at Karal and vowed to make sure to tap him to help next time they needed someone researchy, because wow. "Okay, hang on."

She went to the fridge and came back with an orange. Which she then tossed at Karal, underhand.

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

He caught it automatically, staring at her in surprise. "Thank you?"

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"No," she said, moving chairs around until she had what could vaguely be called a diamond. "Baseball rules have to make more sense when you're actually dealing with a situation, because otherwise no one would know what anyone was talking about. I mean, these are jocks."

Once she was satisfied, she went to stand in the center of the diamond. "Now, throw it to me, and we'll pretend you hit it. Then you need to run to first." She pointed.

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

Karal was still staring at her, surprise changing to confusion, but he obediently lobbed the ball back at her and ran to first. "Now what do I do?"

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

Dawn let the orange fall to the ground next to her. "Now, since I'm an infielder and the ball touched something before it touched me, I think it's a fair ball. Er, orange. If I'd caught it, though, you'd be out and have to go sit on the bench."

She pointed to the couch.

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"That actually makes sense," he decided after a moment. "They could have made the rules clearer."

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"But then anyone could play," she grinned.

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"I am beginning to understand why the professionals get paid so much," he told her, grinning back. "I read the book of rules, and they deserve it if they have to understand the whole thing."

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, I don't know about that," she admitted, never having considered that before. "Maybe?"