Article snippet: Most popular on bostonglobe.com Based on what you've read recently, you might be interested in theses stories ALEXANDRIA, Va. — One congressman was up before the sun, riding his bike 9 miles, across the Potomac, to take batting practice. Another brought his 10-year-old son to watch. They wore ball caps and T-shirts, caught pop flies and fielded ground balls, a quiet, innocent respite amid a political season that was anything but. And then gunfire rang out, surreal blasts amid the soft thwack of mitts and bats. One of the GOP representatives went down near second base, leaving a bloody trail behind as he dragged himself away from the shooter into the outfield. As the burst of gunfire continued, others ran for cover and dove into the dugout behind first base. The attack by a lone gunman on Republicans practicing for an annual ballgame against Democratic colleagues wounded a congressman, a congressional staffer, a lobbyist, and a Capitol police officer. It also deeply shook a national capital that was already balancing on what often seems to be a razor’s edge. Now, even a baseball practice, a time-honored ritual that remains one of the few activities left in Washington that bridges ideological divides, was subject to irrational political hate and the horror of a mass shooting. “This is one of those occasions where Republicans and Democrats can get together,” said Representative Mo Brooks, a Republican from Alabama who was at the practice. “For someone to st... Link to the full article to read more