"Hey Niles, come here a minute would ya?"

"Sure, Dad."

Niles forced his gaze away from Daphne and walked over to the bar where his Dad was sitting with Norm and Cliff.

"Niles, tell your pop here that the Red Sox are going to annihilate the Mariners this year!" Cliff laughed.

"You're crazy!" Martin said. "Tell em, Niles! I bet this guy ten bucks that the Mariners will win this game! Look, the bases are loaded and it's the bottom of the ninth.

There's no way they'll lose!"

Niles stared at the television screen that hung from ceiling in confusion.

"Just say yes, Niles! Don't analyze it!" Martin yelled.

"So, what's the verdict?" Norm asked. "Mariners or Red Sox?"

Feeling slightly uncomfortable that everyone was watching him, Niles peered at the screen even harder.

"Well from a psychological standpoint, the Red Sox will win because with the way the Mariners have been playing lately, they'll never make it to the Super bowl."

Cliff and Norm stared at Niles in disbelief.

"What?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Look at them!" Niles continued as he pointed to the screen. "The quarterback can't even hit the ball! He's missed it twice already! How many times are they going to

throw it to him?"

Niles eyes went to his father, who had his face buried in his face. "Oh Geez..."

"What's wrong, Martin?" Cliff laughed.

"That's some kid you've got there, Martin!" Norm said, unable to stop laughing.

"I don't know what I was thinking! Niles knows even less about sports than Frasier does!" Martin said.

"Whoa!" Norm and Cliff said, bursting into a fit of laughter.

"You said he was bad but I had no idea he was that bad!" Norm said.

"Actually he's worse! The only sport Niles knows about is squash. Hell of a boring game if you ask me."

Embarrassed, Niles looked away.

"Thanks Dad." He mumbled walking away from the bar, painfully aware of the laughter that continued.

"At least Frasier knows that the Mariners are a baseball team!" Martin said.

"Whoever heard of a baseball team going to the Super bowl?" Norm laughed.

"Oh Geez, Woody, I'm getting an ulcer from laughing so hard here. Have you ever heard anything so stupid?"

Woody poured Norm another beer and shrugged.

"And you thought I was stupid! I bet I'm looking pretty smart now, right, Mr. Crane? I bet I could go down to the community college right now and apply for a Ph.D!"

"Sure, Woody!" Martin said, holding his stomach in laughter. "Niles can tell you all about Ph.D's. But don't ask him about the Mariners!"

Unable to listen to anymore, Niles ordered another beer and found a seat in the corner.

It was then that he spotted Daphne at the bar, sipping a drink and chatting with Carla. The urge to go to her was overwhelming but he didn't care. Besides, what good

would it do? She obviously was more interested in Sam Malone.

And why shouldn't she be? He was handsome, successful and more outgoing than Niles would ever be. And he knew about baseball. What woman could resist that?

With a sigh, he emptied his beer and signaled for Woody to bring him another. He was slowly beginning to realize what his patients meant by feeling incredibly alone in

a crowded room.

But his lonely heart was what pained him the most.