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