Day Two-Hundred and Eighty-Three

The South Atlantic League All-Star Game

I took 265 pictures today. I'll let them do the talking. As for now, Adam and I are headed back to Greensboro. It's 2:20 AM. We still have 2 more hours left! But what an incredible experience! We're so thankful for the opportunity that we've been able to enjoy. We had a blast today!

The All-Star festivities kicked off with a Hall of Fame Luncheon this afternoon. All players were in attendance, along with Brian Cashman (General Manager for the NY Yankees) and Bill Murray (Caddyshack superstar). Both gentleman were quite impressive. So was the food.

Inducted into the Sally League Hall of Fame today was Bill Murray. And yes, he really wore that. Matching his wild style, his speech was just as colorful and entertaining. I would expect nothing less.

The Hopper All-Stars! NINE in total: a Sally League AND Greensboro record for most players selected from a single team! Go Go Grasshoppers Go!

Following the luncheon, the players were paraded (literally) to the field behind a gigantically massive tank-thingy-majigger. They were truly treated like All-Stars today!

While Adam was off establishing his own celebrity, I posed with one of his favorites. Bill liked my dress. He commented on it twice. Clearly, he has good taste ;)

The parade delivered the boys to a huge tent, where they hosted a public appearance autograph session. Call me biased, but I'm quite partial to Adam's signature. It's pretty cool. And he got a lot of practice on it today, as hundreds of people asked him for his John Hancock. 

Yesterday, the Homerun Derby Preliminary Round was performed atop an aircraft carrier. From the sihp, the boys hit balls out into the water, attempting to clear the arc of boats that formed a pseudo-baseball fence line. Today, the Final Round was held at the Charleston Riverdogs Stadium. And as Adam looked on, I knew exactly what he was thinking, "Are you serious? Give me a bat. I can hit more Jimmys than these dudes." 

Adam was the first player on either team to be introduced. 

The National Anthem performance was among the best I've ever seen. Just beautiful.

(Sidenote: Adam had the nicest flow.)

And then, to our surprise, we saw this.

And this.

This.

And finally, this.

 Four parachuters fell from the sky...and for what? Why, to deliver the game ball, of course!!!!

In the fifth inning, Adam took the mound. All-Star games are completely different than a typical game. Each inning is pitched by a different All-Star, which enables everyone to showcase their skills and talents instead of just one or two guys. And Adam didn't disappoint! In just NINE pitches (6 strikes and 3 balls), he retired the side. Wow. Wow. Wow!!! He threw so well!

The Northern Division All-Stars took the game with a 3-2 win over the Southern Division! And yes, Greensboro is apart of the North Division! WINNERS!!! 

Adam said that the post-game firework show is the best he's ever seen! I can't argue!

I love my sweet man! So incredibly proud of him. This first half-season has been such an incredible journey and a sweet, sweet blessing. What a fun way to end a short but beautiful chapter of our lives!