The Yankees and Red Sox untangled themselves Wednesday like familiar heavy weight fighters finishing the first round of their latest title bout.
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Author: Potfry
Baseball churns to life tonight, and not a moment too soon.
I spent the winter cringing at the slowly expanding boil of steroid abuse, a sham of epic proportions that culminated in congressional hearings more reminiscent of my junior high production of Oklahoma than an actual government inquiry. What’s worse, since I witnessed the spectacle of a spectacled Mark McGwire whimpering, I’ve had the taste of boiled cabbage in my mouth. I’m hoping the Yankees-Red Sox game tomorrow night at least starts the process of cleansing my pallet.
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Baseball’s Thin Blue Line
The real boys of summer are emerging from winter hibernation all across America, pounding their fists into stiff baseball gloves and asking dad to take them to the batting cage. Soon they will dot fields that are not yet green, laughing easily amidst the clink of aluminum and the smack of leather, creating a genuine American symphony. This is the sound we should pipe into outer space to explain America to anyone who might be listening.
The sound that came from yesterday’s hearings on steroid use in baseball was quite different. That sound–voices of denial, self-importance, and sadness– was not about baseball, but a cacaphony of distortion. This act has been in the making for some time, since steroids first became part of baseball’s tapestry, as unbreakable records were broken and re-broken. It grew on the fuel of rumor and tell-all books, but it still needed the grandiosity of ponderous government types to reach it’s final, absurd culmination.
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The Posturing of Curt Schilling
Alex Rodriguez’s decision to endorse the Red Sox’ castigation of his character last week had the desired effect of quieting a Boston team that apparently thought the Yankee third basemen was susceptible to high school baiting tactics. Baseball, for now, appears to be the focus in the New York and Boston camps. The important business of spring training marches forward as both teams try to turn question marks into exclamation points before the season opener.
Quiet time never lasts, though, when Curt Schilling is around.
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Interview with a Red Sox Fan
The following interview with an avid Red Sox fan was conducted outside Fenway Park last week.
An anonymous U.S. Representative has revealed that Curt Schilling’s inclusion on the steroid inquiry subpoena list was the result of a barrage of faxes and phone calls by the Red Sox pitcher to government officials.
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A Boy and Bobby Murcer
Our baby sitter Alison has an expression that my wife and I have grown to love: sharing is caring. And while she uses it mainly to referee possession disputes between our 3 year-old twins, I like to think she also means something more profound: sharing is the ultimate demonstration of love and caring for small children. If you need proof, witness the bond that toddlers have with those who play with them on the floor. Dropping to their altitude elicits smiles and offers of everything from toys to soggy crackers.
So it is that merely sharing a first name with the Yankee centerfielder in the early seventies was enough for me to become an adoring, mildly obsessed fan. Bobby Murcer was a pillar of my childhood.