You couldn't ask for a better way to while away an afternoon in Portland. We and our good friends took in the Beavers game. Perfectly partly cloudy skies with gentle temperatures, fine food and drink, America's game played well, and just enough distractions to keep the wee ones occupied for a few hours.

The star of the show was a guy named Yordany Ramirez, who won it for the Beavers with a three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth. He also knocked in a run earlier in the game in an at-bat that showcased his hitting skill. He hung in there, fouling off one pitch after another until he got the one he needed for an important base hit. Ramirez also made a nice catch of a long foul fly ball a fair way down the right field line, but he hesitated a bit with his throw as a Memphis runner tagged up from third, and the run scored. Should he have just let the ball fall foul, rather than recording the second out? Probably not, and who cares, anyway? The guy's the hero of the day.

And the Beavers are all champs in our book, the way they contributed to extending our sunny vacation outlook of the last week and a half. Even the pathetic young men on the Max train couldn't dampen it. Go Beavs.