Skip to main content

Oh My!



When things get spinning too far out there, it's important to remind ourselves that there is a way to reel them in. I offer up the myth of the eternal return. Sure it goes by other names, but just when we think that all is hopeless, a way out appears. It's like the musicians who keep coming back to the blues for grounding. Baseball will certainly survive it's current malaise because the game has always been bigger than the individuals or the accomplishments of a few individuals.
Willie Mays' famous catch from the 1954 World Series works as an appropriate metaphor here. Aside from immortalizing both Mays and Vic Wertz, the Cleveland Indian who hit the drive, this perfect moment in time reminds us that the ball doesn't always drop. In this case, it ended up in the basket; then Willie turned and threw back to the infield in one fluid motion.
We'll get the the ball back in time.
Some years ago I had a perfect moment with Willie Mays myself. I was passing through Sacramento and the California State Fair was going on. I stopped by the racetrack to visit some friends in the press box. Being a correspondent for the Blood-Horse magazine at the time, my credentials allowed me access to the entire facility. As luck would have it, both Willie Mays and football great Johnny Unitas were appearing between races signing autographs. This fan promotion ended shortly before I made my trek to the press box. Climbing up a private staircase underneath the grandstand I noticed that Mays and Unitas were walking a few steps in front of me. I've always wanted to meet Willie Mays; he was my first idol. I wanted to tell him how my dad and I had searched all over L.A. to find a Willie Mays glove and were finally successful the summer of my tenth year. I'm convinced it helped me make many nice catches, including one home run theft in a championship Little League game. Yet, I hesitated. I knew that star athletes grew weary of autograph seekers. I knew that Willie might turn me down and even gripe at me. It was too much to risk. I decided to settle for just being in his presence. Fate handed me this moment and I made the most of it. No regrets. My relationship with Willie Mays remains intact.

Comments

Lois said…
Not a baseball fan, but still loved this post. Now I understand a little better why my husband still likes the sport, despite the ups and down.
December 16, 2007 at 12:12 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Writing on the Wall

       The first time I saw graffiti that was memorable was in a middle school bathroom.  As 6th graders I often walked home with friends by the middle school we'd soon be attending.  A stop by the boys bathroom near the boys gym placed me face to face with a piece of graffiti that immediately madame and my friends laugh uncontrollably.  On the wall above the urinals, was penned a short poem that read"                     This is a Teepee to take a pee pee,                         Not a wigwam to beat your tom tom      14 year-old humor at it's best.  The laughter my friends and I experienced was cathartic.  Being bottom of the barrel Freshmen could have dire consequences in the boys bathroom.  Those unpleasantries would come later, but for the moment, we were ecstatic and proceeded to read all the g...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Quality of Optimism

 I've returned to The Book of Qualities, by J Ruth Gentler once again to meet the needs of one of the senior students in my little Writing From Memory class I'm currently teaching in my local community center.  This little volume personifies various concepts and personality traits.  The particular student "in need" seems to be fixated on writing about her past relationships.  Apparently, there were many.   I'm OK with that.  I only hope that she picks a few qualities that are as revealing about herself as those that might describe her Ex's.  There is much to be learned by writing about a quality.  The aforementioned book seems to have survived well over the years.  I first encountered it and its author way back in the late 1970s.  I took a journal writing workshop from her.  Then, a few years later, her book came out and I introduced these writing exercises to my students.  11th grade Juniors seemed to do the best with it. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Mr. Greene v. Mr. Brown

I want to tell you about something. Something I've carried inside myself for a number of years now. Perhaps if I were a different kind of person I wouldn't need to talk about it. I'm not. My need to tell it is stronger than your need to hear it. Because, however, there are a number of teachers and former students of mine who may read these meanderings from time to time, I need to tell this story all the more. About 7 or 8 years ago I was asked if I would allow a university PhD. candidate to observe an English class. At first I decided against it because I was scheduled to have a student teacher placed with me the second half of the semester in question. After some urging, however, at the request of a respected colleague, I agreed. Soon I was committing to extra meetings, signing documents and explaining to the class in question who the young woman who thoughtfully pounded away on a laptop in the rear of the classroom three times a week was. I knew that the topic of ...
3 comments
Read more