His style was nothing like Dee's. He would voice an opinion and if I disagreed he'd do a sudden flipflop and agree with me. "I hear what you're saying, John," he'd say. "You're absolutely right."

That's what happened as we traveled over to diamond #2.

He was comparing the game to the games I'd played as a kid. "You had fun when you played on the Black Top. Right?"

"What do you know about the Black Top?" I asked.

"Who do you think set it up?" he said.

"You set up my trip to the Black Top?"

"I'm your spirit of Baseball Past," he said. "Not her." He stopped the cart. "Of course I set it up." We were in the outfield grass between the two diamonds. "Did you think she set it up?"

I didn't answer him. Behind us was Jack McMahon's right fielder, ahead of us the left fielder in another game. I had taken it for granted that she had set up the trip into the past.

"I wanted you to remember how it was. That's why you became an owner, John. Childhood love of the game."

"I did love it," I said.

"That was the objective. To rekindle your love of the game."

"Dee said it was boring," I said. A statement of fact.

"She thought it was boring?"

Quick regret on my part. I shouldn't have said it.

"What does she know about the past?"

I had unwittingly violated some spirit/client confidentiality privilege.

"What else did she say?"

I had betrayed Deirdre in some way.

"Did she say this is better? This present day garbage?"

I had to make it up to her.

"Hold it a minute, Mister Spirit. Just hold up a minute."

"Little League is better?"

"You better find something positive to say about Baseball Present, Dave. And if you can't come up with anything on your own, then let me give you a few things to consider."

All of Dee's criticisms came back to me.

"Number One. The kids today get to wear real uniforms. They wear batting helmets. We didn't."

"Safety," said Dave. "I hadn't thought of that. That's good, yeah."

"Number Two. The Little Leaguers play on a real field, with a real backstop, and official distances. We didn't."

"You're right," said Dave. "That's true."

"Number Three. They play with nine guys on a side. A complete team. So they can play by the real rules of baseball instead of goofy things like Pitcher's hands out or Right field out."

"I hear what you're saying," said Dave.

"Number Four. They have real umpires. So they don't argue all the time."

"Anything else?"

"And their moms get to see them play!" I said.

He put the cart in motion again without replying, then stopped it on the foul line just behind third base of Diamond #2.

"I deserved that," he said. He got out of the cart. "I really deserved that, John." He was a sorry-looking sight. "You're one hundred per cent right. I don't know about the present and I have no business judging it on one game and one player."

He walked away.

I called after him. "Where are you going?"

"I'm Baseball Past," he said. "That's what I know. The Past."

"Wait a minute, Dave."

"But I don't know the Present."

"Come back here," I said. "Stay with me."

"I can't," he said. "I've got to interact. I've got to learn Baseball Present."