There are some who might read this space from time to time and think that all I care about is baseball.

Not true.

I care about lots of things. Classy things.

Like music.

So, today, this post has nothing at all to do with baseball. Enjoy this classical interlude …

A local orchestra was rehearsing Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.

This is Beethoven.

There is a section where the bass players don’t play for an extended time. One of them decided that it would be better if they filed offstage and took a “break” during that section.

On the night of the performance, the bass players filed off as planned. One suggested, “Hey we’ve got 20 minutes, let’s run across the street to the bar for a drink!”

So off they all went, tuxedos and all, to loosen up. Fifteen minutes and a few rounds later, one of the bass players said, “Shouldn’t we head back? It’s almost time.”

But the leader announced, “Oh don’t worry, we have time – I played a little joke on the conductor. Before the performance started, I tied string around each page of his score so that he’d have to untie each page to turn it. The piece will drag on a bit. We’ve got time for another round!”

So they had another round, and then, staggering a bit, they made their way back across the street to finish the piece.

Stepping onstage, they immediately noticed the conductor’s angry expression.

“Gee,” one player asked, “Why do you suppose he looks so tense?”

“You’d be tense, too,” laughed the leader. “It’s the bottom of the ninth, the score is tied and the basses are loaded.”

(well, I did mention Beethoven …)