In the history of mankind there have been many great two-somes, duos, duets and partnerships - they are the things we can rely on to go hand and hand.  How could we eat Oreos without milk?  What would peanut butter be without jelly?  When would we rock if we had Guns but no Roses?  Where would Roscoe be without Chicken and Waffles?  Who would Tinnelle be without her Captain?  But the most important question of all might be - Why would we play softball without beer?

And yet that is the decision the Knox County Commission came to this week regarding the upcoming Air National Guard softball tournament.  Theorizing the sale of beer would be a major boost to revenues of the national invitational event (HELLO!), Lt. Col. Don Johnson asked the Knox County Beer Board for a temporary permit to sell beer.  Before a decision could be reached, however, hundreds of phone calls came flooding in demanding that the permit be denied.

But why?  Why such a heinous decision?  I’m quite sure many of the players attending have never even played a game without beer.  In fact, they may be much worse without drinking it.  It could be pandemonium: nobodies defeating favorites, benchwarmers becoming heroes, people talking out issues, using good judgement.  What gives?

It appears that right across the street from the ball fields there is a Baptist Church.  Seeing as how the event does take place on a Sunday, members of the church were a little concerned about coming out of mass on Sunday to find some less than pious out-of-towners camping out in their backyard.  Although personally I would have liked to see the 800 members of the church take a Sunday off to observe the miracle that is softball, I have to lean to their side of the debate.

For those of you who have signed up for the event and are planning to make a road trip of it, don’t lose hope just yet.  One of the fields involved in the tournament will be serving!  Half of the games will be played at Caswell Park in East Knoxville, an area pre-designated by the city to have a beer permit.  Should make for an interesting show down between the teams that have been drinking all day and those who have been forced into sobriety.