What a lovely Vog Day Afternoon for baseball from Ala Wai Field to CORP.

Diversion No. 1: Yes, I call it Ala Wai Field, which is what all of us who grew up there have called it since the 1970s. Ala Wai Field is the vast expanse of grass next to Ala Wai Clubhouse (which used to have ballroom dance classes back in the day). Ala Wai Field is not to be confused with Ala Wai Park, located next to Ala Wai Elementary School. The park used to have swings, a merry-go-round (spooky when used by teens) and see-saws. Those are all long gone, probably for litigation fears.

But one is the Field and the other is the Park in my heart and mind. On print, the whole place is now known as, well, you know...

Exhibit A: Punahou gave up nine runs today and still knocked off No. 1-ranked Saint Louis to reach the ILH tournament final. Before you say that offense wins the ILH title, note that it took a solid two-inning stint by Reece Kiriu for Punahou to put the Crusaders away. The spooky thing for the rest of the ILH (and state) is that Punahou does have pitching depth in the wings if they get healthy.

Exhibit B: PItching does win titles. Maybe. Corey Yuh was superb in a shutout win over Castle tonight in the OIA Red semifinals at CORP.

Diversion No. 2: Yes, I love Patsy Mink, God rest her soul. I voted for her in 1988, and Neil Abercrombie, for that matter. They both lost and I was bummed. But they came back soon after that and were voted into office. Anyway, I know it's not CORP. It's Patsy Mink Central Oahu Regional Park. But for my own needs, I'm gonna keep referring to it on this blog as CORP. Much shorter. Maybe I'll start calling it "The Patsy."

Two games in one day. Not bad. Could've been three (Kailua and Aiea played at 3 p.m.) but I had the first story to write. I missed my nephew's Little League game, which began at 2:30 p.m. while the Punahou-Saint Louis game was still going on. That didn't end until 3 p.m. or so, then there's interviews and the story to write and the drive to Waipio...

One day it'll be easier for us to see video footage of our favorite kids playing sports. Maybe people one day will have access to cameras and they'll load up the video on a thing we can all see on their computers. Maybe they should all it the Internet or something. And someone should start a site where we all can watch the footage for free.

That would be so cool.

For now, with my cellphone missing -- I lost it at home and couldn't find it before leaving for CORP -- I'm waiting here at Starbucks in Waipio, checking my e-mail in case the office needs anything from me before deadline.

This late, it's hard to see the blanket of vog sitting on Oahu, but I know it's there. Nasty stuff. It even played a factor in the Pearl City-Castle game. It also made for a pretty sunset, just like all those sunsets I saw back in the 1990s on the Big Island.

I still don't know if I'd ever trade in job and family and night-time convenience and cheaper everything to be in a (comparatively) tranquil and peaceful place like the Big Island. But I can't help but wonder. There's only so much congestion, traffic and lack of aloha anybody can take, and that's what prevails on Oahu much of the time.

The guy out in the sticks with the catchement water system and outhouse for a bathroom ... I can't knock him.

Previous Article: Brew Review: Mac's Blackwatch Cream Porter
Next Article: Notes: Pearl City-Castle baseball