Dear non-baseball fans:

I know that I live in the South. The land of sweet tea, Friday night lights, and Sunday football games. I get it. I mean when I came to Nashville looking for an apartment before I moved here, the lady giving us the tour asked if I like the Titans or football. When I said no, she seemed aghast.

I get it. People LOVE football here. . . but I’m a Midwestern girl at heart. And as a Midwestern girl, I love baseball and college basketball. I mean, it’s just part of who I am, my heritage. And if you’ve read this blog much, you know I LOVE the St. Louis Cardinals—who just so happen to be playing in the World Series right now. (They’re behind with the Texas Rangers leading them 3 games to 2.) And here in the South, I’ve gotten some pretty hilarious, strange, and slightly annoying questions about baseball of late. I’d love to share a few with you:

• Baseball? Isn’t that over? Um, no. Baseball kind of has a long season. The Boys of Summer want to still be playing well into the fall. It means you’re doing well.

• The Cardinals? Didn’t they already win? Well, yes, they won the National League Division Series over the Phillies and the National League Championship Series over the Milwaukee Brewers. But those were two different series, and each one was a best-of-5 series. The NLDS determines which two teams will advance to the NLCS, and the NLCS determines who goes to the World Series from the National League. (See there are two leagues in MLB: National and American. Look it up on Wikipedia.) The World Series is its own thing, and IT’S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW!

• The Cardinals? The World Series? Didn’t they win that game? OK, important thing to note here: it’s called the World SERIES. Meaning it is a series of games, not one big game with a lot of hoopla like the Super Bowl. The World Series is a best-of-seven series. And right now, the Texas Rangers of the American League lead my beloved National League Cardinals 3 games to 2. Tomorrow play will resume in St. Louis. And you better be cheering for a Cardinals win. And if you’re not, just keep it hidden from me.

• And finally, the million dollar question: What’s up with Jason Motte’s beard? My answer: I have no clue. It scares me a little myself. . .