Cousins

Updated: August 25, 2012

Most simply, cousins are people who share an ancestor.  The word "cousins" generally refers to first cousins, the children of your parents siblings.  However, the relationship can get considerably more complicated than that.

My mother had two cousins who were related to each other only by marriage.  When I asked her how she was related to Dolores ("Val") Seitz née Storck, she just sighed in resignation.  However, Charles J. Seitz is mom's first cousin, the only son of her Uncle Midge and Aunt Lizzie.  That is the four of them in the picture above.

When we were all younger, my family often celebrated holidays and other events with Charles and Val and their kids.  Then we all left for college, moved around the country and the world ... you know how it goes.  We saw each other when "C.J." died but lacking another foreseeable opportunity to get together, I invited two of my cousins and their families to see Wednesday's Connecticut Tigers game with my mother and me.

If you worked here, you would be at the game by now.

The Tigers play at Dodd Stadium, oddly located in section four of the Norwich Business Park.  I thought Norwich was close to both Sandy and Whiff, but the latter kindly drove a couple hours each way, returning in the rain.  My cousins were generous not just with their time, but insisted on paying for their tickets and even buying me a beer.  It wouldn't really, but if I had been able to treat them, it might have made me less disappointed that I did not do more to cultivate the friendship of my cousins.

Overcast when we all got to the ballpark, light rain arrived a couple innings into the game.  When it started raining harder, we retired to the concourse where we got caught up on each other and kept half an eye on the field.  Play never stopped, and neither did the Hudson Valley Renegades, who had men on base in every inning except the ninth.  Center fielder Marty Gantt and third baseman Richie Shaffer, the Tampa Bay Rays first pick in the June draft, both went three-for-four.

The Renegades collected nine hits and four walks, but only scored two.  That was enough to win the game, however, as the Tigers were held to a pair of singles by catcher Bennett Pickar.  The visiting team sent three pitchers to the mound and they notched seven strike-outs on their way to the 2-0 shut-out.
Box Score

Mom and I stopped for lobster rolls at Captain Scott's Lobster Dock in New London on the drive up. I had mine "Connecticut-style," hot with butter, with corn on the cob and onion rings.  Cold with mayo' for mom, side of crispy french fries.  She declared it better than Friday's lobster roll at Nathan's, but still not as good as the Red Hook Lobster Pound food truck—too much celery in her opinion.