So just whose bright idea was it to go to Pensacola during hurricane season?

The Wife and I took off a couple of days this week, making a long weekend of it.

We're in Pensacola.

I know. You're thinking, "Whose bright idea was it to go to Pensacola during hurricane season?"

It was mine. And hers. We both thought we'd come here this weekend.

We thought this back in June, when we were here last time.

We thought, "Hey, let's come back here again." So, we checked our schedules, looked at calendars, and made plans for this weekend. Four days: Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Only, we forgot about it being hurricane season.

Of course, you never know what the weather will be like anywhere. So, it could have been clear skies.

But, as you know, there's a hurricane bearing down.

And it's coming this way.

Now, the trip's not ruined. Not by a long shot.

You see, the hurricane hasn't arrived yet. Although it is due tomorrow. And it's a tropical storm again.

Today, though -- and yesterday, too -- isn't bad.

The sun's shining, though there are some clouds. Lots of clouds. But not enough to block the sun completely.

And, there's baseball.

You see, Pensacola is home to the Pensacola Pelicans. They're a team in the independent American Association.

And, this weekend, they're hosting the Grand Prairie AirHogs.

What's so special about that?

Well, one of the Grand Prairie players is Brandon Carter, who played for the Columbus Catfish in late 2004, all of 2005, and early 2006.

So, we got tickets to this weekend's games, and showed up at the ball park last night.

Brandon went 1-4 with an RBI single in the 8th inning. But it was a big hit: turned out to be the deciding run in the game that he drove in:



We got to watch him play some last season, when he was with Anderson of the all-but-defunct South Coast League. They played games against Macon and Albany, and those are driving distance.

Now, he's in Grand Prairie, Texas. Not exactly driving distance. But Pensacola is weekend-driving distance. And we've now managed to catch two weekend series here.

It was great to catch up with Brandon, and watch some fun baseball being played.

Screw Fay. The weekend is great.

Former Catfish player named American Association Player of the Month

Brandon Carter, 2B for the Grand Prairie Airhogs of the American Association (independent), was named the league's Player of the Month for July.

In 26 games, Carter hit an even .400 at the plate with five home runs, 23 RBI and 34 hits. In addition, he scored 22 runs, collected 11 doubles, slugged .729 and had an on-base percentage of .429. On the season, the Sacramento, CA native is batting .302 with seven home runs, 44 RBI and 20 doubles (tied for fourth best in the American Association).

After playing with the Columbus Catfish during the end of 2004, all of 2005, and the beginning of 2006, Carter was released by the Dodgers (the Catfish parent club at the time) after battling injuries.

He signed on with Reno of the Golden League late in the season. Last year, he signed with Anderson of the South Coast League shortly after the season began.

During the off-season, he was traded to Wichita of the American Association before the SCL ceased operations. He was traded to Grand Prairie, and expansion team. The Airhogs have the best record in the league since he joined the team.