Saturday dawned like the first true day of printemps.

(I know, too precious. But there are times when invocation of French is simply called for, the language is so resonant and lyrical. I gotta work the word for grapefruit in sometime soon.)

My immediate thought when seeing the sun glowing through my window: It’s time to get back to the ballyard.

I am a child of Willie, Mickey and the Duke. (As NY-centric as that may be. I mean, I recall asking my baseball-loving dad what the deal was when the Giants and Indians were in the ’54 Series. Still very young I thought it was just the Dodgers and Yankees every year.)

There were actual toys in boxes of Cracker Jack.

Baseball’s were the sounds of my youth.

The crack of ball against ash. The thwack of horsehide into leather.

The lingo.

“Swing batter batter batter.”

“Kill the umpire.”

“A walk’s as good as a hit.”

A visit to the diamond is pastoral, a return for me to innocence and youth.

As for Saturday’s actual game . . . oops wait a moment for an aside because of where we live.

I got to the press box a few minutes before the start. Somewhat seriously, somewhat as I joke, I inquired, “Did Pat Kelsey take BP?” Was greeted with knowing laughter. At which very moment, the PA announced, “Now coming out to throw the first pitch, new Louisville head basketball coach Paaaaaaaatttt Kellllllllllllllsey.”

From a PR standpoint, PK is the reincarnation of Lee Corso. (No, not Paul Revere’s horse for ye Dylan scholars.)

As for the ACC game, it had a bit different feel than the series opener, in which #7 UVa throttled the Cardinals, 21-3, plating ten obviously unnecessary runs in the 9th against U of L’s weak bullpen.

Saturday, the Cards crossed home five times in the bottom of the 1st, which featured an almost complete panoply of possible scenarios. A one bagger. A stolen 2d. A bunt with a run-scoring error. An RBI sacrifice fly. A hit by pitch. A wild pitch. A couple of bases on balls. Bases loaded two out situation. A double steal.

And the veritable coup de grace, the cherry on the sundae of five run 1st for the good guys: A three run tater by Ryan McCoy, his 20th of the season. Which landed somewhere on the steps of the Ekstrom Library.

Actually 482 feet by official count, However AI does that.

The Cards held on for a wobbly 14-10 victory, their 21st of a seriously mediocre campaign. Louisville woke up Sunday #86 in the RPI, meaning its only shot at making the NCAA tourney would be winning the ACC tourney.

Which, given the team’s flaws, is most unlikely.

The Cavaliers wrecked havoc again Sunday, 16-7 to take the series.

In the parlance of my Little League youth, there’s “Wait til next year.”

Which isn’t to forget that any visit to the ballyard is a calming pleasure.

— c d kaplan