Old Age Day by Day October 14, 2010

My husband and I watched Ken Burn's new series on baseball - The Tenth Inning - the last two nights. It was fascinating, and even though it was so recent, there was much to learn about the baseball strike, the steroids scandal and other major headlines of the last two decades. Poetry comes out of people's mouths when they talk about baseball, and grown men cry. Many of us have memories that link us to our families and our best outings together. We had teams we loved, we were loyal, we were proud when one of our boys went on to another team and ended up a national hero. We have styles of baseball we love - the scrappy, wiry Reggie Jackson types, or the big hitters or the lanky relievers.

I've been going to a baseball game on Mother's Day for a few decades. I love the gift they hand out, running around the bases after the game, the new emphasis on Breast Cancer Awareness. I like Carnation Malts still frozen, peanuts, the fresh squeezed lemonade, the chicken fingers. I watch the fans as much as the game, and I love the wave. One recent game, a wave began and it just kept going around and around and around. There wasn't much exciting on the field, and we were all going "what the hell" and everybody was laughing. I love the mascot. I have umpteen tee shirts, a sweatshirt, half a dozen hats, including the plastic bucket hat that popcorn come in, umbrellas, tote bags, player shirts and numerous paraphenalia that only a fan would buy.

If my team does badly, I kind of skip the writeup, but if they win, I read all the articles. Those are satisfying mornings. My father loved baseball, and he dragged my brother and I out to many a game. We rooted for the Giants then, but now I'm an A's convert. But I have a soft spot for the Giants. I got to see Willie Mays, Willie Mc Covey, Orlando Cepeda, and a host of greats. Our nemesis back then was the Dodgers. But I loved Yogi Berra and Roy Campanella.

You can see what's going on in baseball, with the naked eye. Goofy things happen. The team can surprise you with the "last" pitch. I have never left a game early and never will. It's kind of like life - you gotta be there.