#176days

Pak Hanif ini sudah sepuh, mungkin usianya sekitar 60 tahunan. Sudah hampir dua tahun terakhir ini kita sering bertemu waktu antri di bank. Kita sama-sama hafal wajah (mungkin), tapi meski sering duduk di bangku yang sama tak kunjung ada sapa diantara kita. Saya tahu namanya, saya sering memperhatikannya saat dipanggil oleh CS atau teller. Mungkin beliau tidak ingat saya ? Entahlah.

Sampai hari ini, ketika saya dan beliau berada di bangku yang sama lagi. Hanya berjarak satu kursi kosong. Saya yang sudah lelah menunggu konfirmasi dari bank Gresik, mengeluarkan rajutan lagi. Kali ini bentuk tepak kecil. Warna hijau tosca dan orange. Rasanya sudah sejak tadi beliau memiringkan kepalanya ke arah saya. Sampai akhirnya beliau menyapa dengan bertanya :

“Pakai jarum itu mbak ?”

Saya yang merasa di ajak ngobrol menoleh kesamping sambil tersenyum dan menjawab. Akhirnya kita ngobrol beberapa menit. Dari obrolan itu saya menyimpulkan beliau yang melihat saya merajut teringat akan anaknya yang dulu suka merajut juga.

“Sekarang sudah langka mbak seperti ini. Banyak main HPnya daripada belajar sesuatu yang bermanfaat gini. Anak saya bikin kerpus dulu, saya ingat.”

Selain itu beliau juga bertanya darimana saya belajar merajut. Dan percakapan kecil lainnya. Sebelum akhirnya beliau pamit kepada saya untuk pulang. Saya kira beliau tadi menunggu konfirmasi juga. Ternyata berhenti sejenak hanya untuk ngobrol sama saya. (Ah PD kali kau Mik )

Ah, ternyata merajut juga menjadi jalan percakapan kita Pak.

Semoga sehat-sehat selalu. :)

[Ditulis untuk menghibur perut, biar dia lupa ingatan sejenak dari rasa laper yang dideranya. 😅]

There is an obvious flaw in the MLB’s playoff system if the 2nd best team (by record) in the entire league doesn’t make it into the playoffs. It is a problem that the 2nd and 3rd best teams (by record) in all of baseball have to play a one game play in, when both of those teams would have won any other division except for their own.

As I have expressed , I am thoroughly upset with the way that the current Wild Card system works within the MLB. Had the Pirates won against the Cubs Wednesday, instead of losing 4-0, my feelings would not be so strong towards this, but, the Pirates did lose 4-0, so I am upset. 

Just like the Cubs planned, Jake Arrieta delivered a stunning shut out 9 inning outing. The Pirates could only scrap together 5 hits in the 9 gruesome innings. It wasn’t until late in the game (bottom of the 7th) that the Pirates had their one and only real opportunity of the game to produce any runs (other than a solo home run). The bases were loaded with only 1 out, and it seemed that only a double play would stop the Pirates from scoring at least a run. Sadly, that is exactly what occurred. It couldn't have been a more routine hard ground ball to the Cubs shortstop, Addison Russell, to easily flip to the second baseman and have him turn a quick double play. 

The double play killed what little fire the crowd still had burning. The last 2 innings had fans slowly retreating into their seats, with depressed looks on their faces. It would be the 2nd consecutive year that the Pirates would be beaten at home in the Wild Card game. Opening day is only 176 short days away.