A few years ago, Mother Nature decided to wreak havoc in southwest Lawrence by sending an F2 tornado toward a park that includes the Clinton Lake Softball Complex. We watched the live TV coverage as the twister headed straight for the park where we'd embarrassed ourselves so often at the plate, a well-maintained park with multiple umpires per field who actually cared about the game. Of course, this being Lawrence, the teams were laid-back yet competitive, hanging out for hours afterward in the parking lots to talk about the fly ball that got away. Suddenly, as the news copters captured the action, the tornado veered, missed the ballpark and damaged the apartment complex across the street. Sorry, apartment dwellers, but we couldn't help feeling relieved. Softball fields 1, Mother Nature 0.
