How about those rains over the weekend-what a flood!

A canoe would have been really nice around noon, especially if you were located downhill or "downstream".

It certainly made for good sleeping weather, no matter if you were under a tin roof or shingle. Normally, rain is not very loud on a shingled roof, but at the rate the wet stuff fell from the sky, it made a resounding, dull and steady roar, just enough to make you wish you were in bed sleeping.

Which I wasn't.

I had the pleasure of watching some of the best basketball I have ever seen, played at Dunbar Recreation Center.

The Greenville Parks and Recreation Department hosted a ten-and-under, single elimination tournament, and those rascals could play.

Now, if you have never had the pleasure, than let me tell you that you surely missed out.

Most of the kids were evenly-matched by size, and there was some real talent on the court-makes me hope that the kids that are really great at that age don't get burnt out before they have the opportunity to go somewhere with their skill.

It isn't during every age group's game that all the fouls are strictly accidental, and every time a player was accidentally knocked down, the "offending" player helped him (or her) up, saying they were sorry.

Things like that seem to get lost in the so-called "maturity" of players (I actually felt that the younger ones played in a more mature manner than some others that I have seen in the NBA-of course, the kids are playing for free.)

But back to the kids.

Especially the Greenville youngsters-they were the perfect hosts.

Curtis Davidson, the tournament director, really needs to be commended, for a job well done.

All the visiting parents, siblings and other fans that followed the tikes to Schoolhighland Road were in agreement. Greenville put on a fair tournament, and the players really enjoyed the clean competition.

Just goes to show you that it is contagious-Greenville is a great place to be! The parents, coaches, directors, volunteers and fans should all be given a pat on the back-one more time the community behaved like perfect ambassadors, and it was very noticeable.

And then there was still the matter of the rain.

Those of us that are still chained to the tobacco industry (and, incidentally, also pay more taxes than non-participants because of it) were able to keep dry outside the facility, because there were plenty of umbrellas to be shared.

I am glad people across the nation have noticed the attraction here in Greenville, but it is what made me choose to move here some 18-plus years ago from a far away place,

and I ain't never been back, nor wanted to go!

Come out to the ball fields this week and support your favorite team, and if you look really hard, you will find me way out in "Deep Left Field."