The other day, a friend of mine petulantly inquired, "When the heck is the MOT going to sign that damn D/A? To accommodate him, I took out my special crystal ball to divine the answer. Gazing into the crystal ball I saw that we were in the 9th inning of a long drawn out game that felt like it had been going on for years. The game was between the OMAGS and the OMANI. The Omani had scored 5 runs in the early innings and had been in command of the Omags all the way. Meanwhile, the Omags picked up a run in each of the 7th and 8th innings.. During the 7th inning stretch the Star Spangled Banner and OMANI national anthem were played. I again checked my crystal ball and interpreted this to be a favorable sign, a sign of unity... teams that play together, stay together.

Taking a closer look into my trusty crystal ball, I found we were in the top of the 9th, bases loaded and 2 out. A home run would put the Omags ahead and in position to outscore an intransigent adversary. It was then that Frank, Omag's manager, pulled his ace in the hole. In choosing a designated hitter who can hit with power... the Sultan of Swat ( Babe Ruth, to you younger baseball fans, and not to be confused with the Sultan of Oman) no longer being available, his search led him to someone who can really muscle a baseball... the ultimate steroidtype, oops, I mean stereotype power hitter. I gazed closer into my crystal ball and there stepping into the batter's box stood Alex Rodriquez. And then, SUDDENLY, with the crowd cheering loudly, my crystal ball went completely blank. Not only was I unable to divine the game's outcome but, additionally, was not able to witness the traditional Oman ceremony... the signing of the game baseball by the MOT. Historically, when the MOT signed the baseball, the volume in the crowd's cheers picked up sharply. Conversely, if the MOT refrained from signing it, the increased volume, reflected in the sound of the crowd's disappointment, was also heard. In that event, if the MOT did not sign the ball, the game would be called on account of refRAIN.

With my crystal ball currently out or order, I'm in no position to envision the outcome. Will there be a signing, or will there be a refrain? I'll let you know how all this turns out when my ball is back in working order.