My son, the blanky hog

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Erin: You're going to open a can of co-sleeping worms with that one.

Me: You think?

Erin: Yup.

Me: They'll get over it.

PEI to Ontario road trip, part five

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We've been back on PEI for more than a week, but I remembered this day and thought I'd comicify it for y'all.

Speaking of comicifying, a teensy announcement: I'm easing back on my three-updates-a-week pledge. I am having lots of fun drawing these, but some of my other creative thingies have had to take a back seat in the last couple of months. Sorry about that.

Sweet talker

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Man, that guy was just getting warmed up.

My father-in-law the knuckleballer, part two

(Part one is here.)

The last thing Danny remembers is leaving third base. After that, it's all a blank.

Concussions tend to do that to a fellow's memory.

It is the last game of the provincial finals. The Leamington Juniors are playing at home against a team from Thorold. It is the eighth inning. The game is tied.

Danny is running hard from third. The catcher has the ball in his glove. Danny quickly decides not to slide, as he'd make an easy target for a tagged out. Instead, he plows full speed into the catcher.

It is a tremendous hit. Both men go down hard. When the dust clears, Danny and the catcher are on the ground. Danny lays motionless for several minutes.

Two things are certain:

Somehow, Danny's foot managed to touch home plate.

Somehow, the ball ended up 30 feet away from the catcher's glove.

The run counts. If the Leamington Juniors can hold onto their lead for another inning, they'll win the game and the provincial title. 

Danny is coaxed up and escorted to the dugout, where he coolly shrugs off an attempt to fight by the angry catcher. His teammates are concerned about a possible injury,  but Danny insists he's fine. He returns to second base for the ninth inning. He even throws a guy out at first.

The game is over. Leamington wins.

As the players assemble for the team picture, Danny is slinking away.

He has a bit of a problem. He can't seem to remember his name.

He is rushed to a doctor, who confirms his concussion. Which is why everything in this story past Danny leaving third base comes to us from second-hand sources.

It's also why, in the black-and-white team photo for the year the Leamington Juniors won the Ontario title, their knuckleball pitcher/second baseman is strangely absent.

Hand-me-down boots

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Back home on PEI after a lovely visit to Leamington.