I am one of the designated assholes on the island right now. Staying in a house across from Olivia’s and loving it. The locals are amazing. Will go out of their way to help you out if you immerse yourself in the atmosphere.
Wood, the umpire made the right call in your first scenario. If the ball hits in fair territory and a player touches it in foul territory before the ball touches the ground in foul territory and before it passes foul past third base then it is considered fair. The ball becomes a foul once it touches the ground in foul territory.
Tony Brackens, Fairfield. Met them in the playoffs senior year. He played noseguard and tight end. I was a cornerback and a tight end dump pass allowed me to meet him up close and personal.
My personal definition of a small town is a town that contains a single high school that is classified as 4A or smaller (1150 students). That gets you to truly rural Texas and away from the metro areas for the most part. Most of these areas do not have a business base to support what the majority of posters here earn. So your choices are to commute in, downsize lifestyle or wait till retirement. I personally commute into Houston and trade the time in the car for a community where my kids are fully involved in any sport or club or extracurricular activity they want to participate in. There is something to be said for a slower pace of life and a 5 minute drive to go across town.
I live in a town of 3500 about 75 miles from Houston, 90 miles from Austin, 120 miles from San Antonio, and 90 miles from the coast. Love it here and can get to big city atmosphere quickly anytime I need a fix. I can fish on the river or hunt in my backyard. Good times, good times.