(I first published an earlier version of this piece 17 years ago.)
Tonight, an old friend invited me to go see the Giants play the Cubs in China Basin, my first game of this season. Baseball has beeen a passion for me since as far back as I can remember (the '50s) when Al Kaline of the Detroit Tigers was my hero. Since moving to San Francisco in the '70s, and having kids, I've transformed into a Giants fan, but really it is baseball itself that I love.
I've often turned to it in times of trouble for a bit of comfort.
It's a complicated game that involves multiple skills, communication including sign language, strategy, patience, statistics, and good instincts. For players, it requires courage and selflessness. It's a game that teaches you about how to lose and move on. And how there always will be another chance to do well, even after your worst mistakes. In this way, it is a very forgiving sport, sort of like certain religions.
But, in the actual moment of a game that you stand alone, bat in hand facing a terrifying pitcher; or, alternatively, stand alone on the mound facing a terrifying batter; it's the loneliest of all team sports. That's probably why it is the consummate American pastime, here in the land of the rugged individual, where supermen and superwomen try to pretend they can make it on their own.
I have so many baseball memories and so many journal entries I could write ten books on this subject, and maybe someday I will. For the past five Little League seasons, I've helped coach my son Aidan. Years ago, I used to attend every game his big brother, Peter, played as a Little Leaguer. Both were and are star players on their teams.
I also have played softball on a coed, slow-pitch team called the Michigan Mafia since the late '70s (note: I am not a star); and I manage a (very weak) fantasy baseball team called the Mud Lake Mafia. There are stories behind all of these teams and names.
But those are for another day.
A few years ago, when I first was again a single man after my second marriage ended, I used to take the women I dated to baseball games. It was one way to find out whether we could enjoy being together, a test of sorts, you know?
Some of them didn't have a clue what was going on. Others did.
One special friend went out with me to a night game in 2004. We sat in the centerfield bleachers. She got very excited at the game and by all the noise and stimulation. I couldn’t tell whether she knew what was going on or not until I started seeing the whole scene through her eyes, not mine.
The key moment came when she explained that she had spotted another woman nearby with copper-colored hair. "That's the color hair I want," she stated emphatically.
I can't remember the score of that game or which team won, but I can report that after that game, my friend got her hair changed to that copper color, more or less. That turned out to be the only game we attended together, but we did embark upon a lovely relationship.
As for baseball, maybe I'll go back to the park tomorrow night, and perhaps lots of more times this summer. But if this post was about baseball, I got lost somewhere around second base.
LINKS:
What could actually kill us all? Nuclear war, AGI, and the importance of understanding what makes an existential risk. (Vox)
Anti-abortion bills fail in GOP-controlled Nebraska and South Carolina (CNN)
On Eve of Trial, Discovery of Carlson Texts Set Off Crisis Atop Fox (NYT)
Woman whose accusation led to the lynching of Emmett Till has died at 88 (CNN)
Jack Teixeira: Suspected leaker made threats and researched shootings, US says (BBC)
E. Jean Carroll concludes direct testimony in trial accusing Trump of rape (CNN)
Trump can’t stop Pence from testifying to Jan. 6 grand jury, appeals court rules (WP)
McConnell says it’s up to Biden and McCarthy to resolve debt limit impasse (The Hill)
Can machines be self-aware? New research explains how this could happen (The Conversation)
AI set to transform construction industry (Fox)
Zuckerberg Says Meta Will Add Generative AI To All Its Products (Forbes)
AI creators must study consciousness, experts warn (BBC)
What to fear about generative AI—and what to do about it (Economist)
Hollywood Braces for Fallout as a Possible Writers Strike Looms (Variety)
Gap to lay off 1,800 workers as part of broad push to cut costs (CNBC)
Dropbox lays off 500 employees, 16% of staff, CEO says due to slowing growth and ‘the era of AI’ (TechCrunch)
Humanitarian Needs in Afghanistan Deepen as Taliban Continues Ban on Women Working for NGOs, UN (PBS)
UN agency: Afghanistan needs $4.62 billion in aid for 2023 (AP)
Satellite images show Russia has been digging in at key strategic points in readiness for an offensive by a Ukrainian military rearmed with state-of-the-art weapons. (Reuters)
The Great Electrician Shortage (New Yorker)
Supreme Court on ethics issues: Not broken, no fix needed (AP)
A terrible silence from the Supreme Court, where ethics have gone awry (WP)
Polynesian snails release is biggest ever of ‘extinct in the wild’ species (Guardian)
The Quest for Longevity Is Already Over (Wired)
Mysterious Radio Signals in Space Keep Repeating – Astronomers Just Picked Up 25 More (ScienceAlert)
My Newspaper Sued Florida for the Same First-Amendment Abuses DeSantis Is Committing Now — And we won. (Atlantic)
I Worked at CNN and Reported on Tucker Carlson. He Was Never Invincible. (NYT)
Long Before Trees Overtook the Land, Our Planet Was Covered by Giant Mushrooms (GNN)
On Flores Island, Do “Ape-Men” Still Exist? (Sapiens)
Make Yourself Happy: Be Kind (Atlantic)
Embarrassed Man Accidentally Says ‘Hello’ To Coworker Instead Of ‘I Feel Like Crying All The Time’ (The Onion)
No comments:
Post a Comment