LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- During a day here and the build-up to it, I didn't want to expend great effort finding a football field to stroll with Josh Toomey.
So imagine how thrilled I was when Alex Mayer of the Louisville Bats, AAA affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, was incredibly accommodating as soon as I made contact.
Louisville Slugger Stadium is a beautiful park with a beautiful view, and Josh and I had a nice stroll complete with a visit from a canine friend who was part of the grounds crew preparing the field for a Louisville City FC match.
My son, Simon, did a good job staying out of the shot, as I requested. He got to chew some Bats' gum right from the team's (stale?) stash and then got a good swing on a soft toss with a new wood bat he got down the street at the Louisville Slugger factory.
Josh and I talked about this site and my life as an independent journalist, how to cover a boring quarterback, how people should feel about a team that's had three consecutive winning seasons for the first time ever, modernizing the offense, Ryan Tannehill's standing and some relationships I have with colleagues I don't always see eye-to-eye with