SMITH: 'Strike 3!' sounds how in Polish?

Only 12 Little League umpires from around the world were picked to go to Kutno, Poland, in July to officiate at a seven-country regional tournament.

What would you say if I told you two of them are from Sebastopol?

And Kevin Sullivan and Les Thayer aren't just fellow umps, they're longtime friends who both lost their mothers in the same week last year. During one game of the nearly World Champion Petaluma team, Kevin declared "Strike 1" at one pitch and at the next, "Strike 3."

Only he knew why; he was distracted by thoughts of his ailing mother.

After both she and Les's mother passed away and left their sons a bit of money, the guys got to talking and agreed that their moms would be OK with them applying to volunteer for the tourney in Poland.

Both made the cut. "It's a miracle, actually," Kevin said.

Our men in blue must pay their own way and they won't have much free time, but they're expecting an unforgettable trip.

It will help that they do so well together. At a game Saturday in Sebastopol, Kevin directed the pitcher to tuck in his shirt and Les couldn't have been nicer about informing Kevin that his shirttail needed tucking, too.

ANDREW'S ASCENT: Andrew Golis, the Santa Rosa native and son of a veteran PD newsman who has placed himself in the vanguard of digital journalism, has accepted a new job.

The president of The Atlantic created a position - Entrepreneur in Residence! - for the 29-year-old Santa Rosa High alum.

Lured away from PBS's Frontline, which was blown away by the growth and depth he brought to Yahoo News, Andrew now will focus on challenges that include expanding The Atlantic's video news and paid content ventures.

Said the son of retired county government attorney Jill Golis and ex-PD Editorial Director Pete Golis: "As our news media has morphed and remade itself, I've become more and more convinced that the important fault line is not between left and right, or fact and opinion, but between those outlets that profit from opening their audiences' minds and those outlets that profit from closing them."

You know Andrew's been gone from here a while when he says that he, his wife Jessica Valenti and their daughter Layla will leave Boston and will go "home" - and he means NYC.

CUDDLY KUDOS to the knitters who stormed Old Courthouse Square over the weekend, wrapping trees and the lawn sculpture near La Rosa restaurant in yarn creations that will make you smile.

Blankets will remain on the sculpture for two weeks and the "cozies" on the trees will be there all summer.

Driving by won't do, you really need to walk up and examine these playful elements of downtown's first major Yarn Bombing.

See the suspended yarn balls? They were created by artistic clients of Becoming Independent.

Chris Smith is at 521-5211 and chris.smith@pressdemocrat.com.