The bat dog is restless. The first inning’s running long, so Donald Moore, who owns both her and the Greensboro Grasshoppers, is entertaining her under the stands. He throws a baseball. She fetches. He pets her. She scratches her back on a patch of AstroTurf. For more than 600 straight games, this is what Miss Babe Ruth has been up to: hanging out, waiting to take balls to the umpire, to retrieve bats, and to run the bases postgame.
The black Lab is now 10. This is her last season. Two understudies, Miss Lou Lou Gehrig and Master Yogi Berra, will take her place. But for now, she has a job to do. After the third out, the gate to the field opens. Miss Babe Ruth grabs a bucket of baseballs, trots out to the umpire, drops the bucket at his feet, gets a treat, and returns the bucket. Innings, like seasons, always end. But Miss Babe Ruth will always be a good girl.
As she has since August 2006, Miss Babe Ruth will serve as the Greensboro Grasshoppers’ bat dog at every home game this season. Look for her during the first, third, and fifth innings, and at the end of each game, when she runs the bases. Celebrate Miss Babe Ruth’s retirement at the last Saturday game of the season, on August 29 at 7 p.m.
Why does this Haywood County town have some of the cleanest water in the state? It’s the result of the community’s efforts to keep the forests in its watershed pristine.
The spectacular views in North Carolina’s High Country aren’t just inspiration for writers, painters, and sculptors. Those landscapes — the rugged gray face of Grandfather Mountain, the vibrant fall leaves, the deep green meadows — are brushstrokes on Earth’s own canvas.
The sprawling vineyards and wide-open skies that stretch for miles across seven North Carolina counties offer relaxing getaways — not to mention some of the state’s finest wines — for Sunday drivers aching to escape the rush of city life.
Nothing lasts forever — and that’s what makes many of our cherished moments so special.
