Now he knows where Sardinia is.

Sat next to a guy at the baseball game today. And he started the conversation. I like that. Usually, I'm the instigator. He's from California. Lived there all his life. And he's just retired. Which is good. Because he doesn't look old enough to retire. Spent 36 years as a fire fighter. With the Los Angeles Fire Department. That's one of the last cities I'd want to live in. But the life there seemed to do him good. He's a Los Angeles Dodgers fan. But he was pretending to be a faithful San Francisco Giants fan. Because the Chicago Cubs were playing the Giants, and his wife and in-laws, seated next to him, are Giants fans. 'So I make off as if I'm for the Giants,' he said, 'to keep peace and harmony in the family.' He even cheered when a Cubs player hit a home run. 'I like to see home runs,' he said. He wanted to know where I'm from. I gave my usual spiel. That I divide my time between Sardinia/Italy and Minnesota. He had no idea where Sardinia is. But he knows now. And that I'm America's goodwill ambassador to Sardinia, home of my Italian true love. --Jim Broede