The All-Star Game
When I was a kid, much to my late father's chagrin, I was an American League fan. Still am. That's because my first exporsure to baseball, sill my favorite game in the whole world, was when we lived in Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. I was, and am, a rabid Kansas City Royals fan. My first time to a MLB game was a daytime doubleheader (remember those?) at then-new Royals Stadium against the Angels. Royals won both games and in the second I watched a rookie named George Brett, who would become my hero.
Tonight is the All-Star game. When I was a kid, this game was freaking HUGE. It was a chance to see all your favorite players play against each other. And the two leagues going against each other tooth and nail. But today, it seems to have lost a lot of its glamor. Nobody cares anymore, especially the players. What happened? Personally, I blame interleague play, which has destroyed the novelty of the game and the World Series; and I blame our culture today, where players don't have to play to make a living and all text each other as best buds. I miss the ferocity of Pete Rose effectively ending poor Ray Fosse's career at the plate.
The Game also makes me bittersweet, for it reminds me of great experiences when my Royals were really, really, good, and now, when they have been just awful for a long time. I remember 1989, when Bo Jackson, the greatest athlete I've ever seen, was placed as leadoff against Rick Rueschel. Ronald freaking Reagan was the guest color man on TV. And Bo roped a 450 foot homer to straight center. Then, he later made an amazing catch and won the MVP for the game. And then I always remember George.
I taught myself to bat left-handed because of George Brett. I never did it in a game, but in a batting cage, I can still pop it from the right side of the plate. The funny thing is that I have more power from that side, if less average. I attribute it to the fact that when I was young I was practically ambidextrous. I air guitared left handed all my life, until I actually started playing on a regular, right-handed guitar. And suddenly, I lost my ambidexterity. Still makes me curious.
So, I look forward to tonight's game with both anticipation and sadness. I love the tradition of sports. I loathe the cynicism that has become it. Be it All-Stars not choosing to attend, or the Brazillian women blatantly faking injuries to cost time in Sunday's match, it makes me sad. I prefer to remember those days when I was 6, the National League was kicking the American League's ass (alas), and people still cared.
Tonight is the All-Star game. When I was a kid, this game was freaking HUGE. It was a chance to see all your favorite players play against each other. And the two leagues going against each other tooth and nail. But today, it seems to have lost a lot of its glamor. Nobody cares anymore, especially the players. What happened? Personally, I blame interleague play, which has destroyed the novelty of the game and the World Series; and I blame our culture today, where players don't have to play to make a living and all text each other as best buds. I miss the ferocity of Pete Rose effectively ending poor Ray Fosse's career at the plate.
The Game also makes me bittersweet, for it reminds me of great experiences when my Royals were really, really, good, and now, when they have been just awful for a long time. I remember 1989, when Bo Jackson, the greatest athlete I've ever seen, was placed as leadoff against Rick Rueschel. Ronald freaking Reagan was the guest color man on TV. And Bo roped a 450 foot homer to straight center. Then, he later made an amazing catch and won the MVP for the game. And then I always remember George.
I taught myself to bat left-handed because of George Brett. I never did it in a game, but in a batting cage, I can still pop it from the right side of the plate. The funny thing is that I have more power from that side, if less average. I attribute it to the fact that when I was young I was practically ambidextrous. I air guitared left handed all my life, until I actually started playing on a regular, right-handed guitar. And suddenly, I lost my ambidexterity. Still makes me curious.
So, I look forward to tonight's game with both anticipation and sadness. I love the tradition of sports. I loathe the cynicism that has become it. Be it All-Stars not choosing to attend, or the Brazillian women blatantly faking injuries to cost time in Sunday's match, it makes me sad. I prefer to remember those days when I was 6, the National League was kicking the American League's ass (alas), and people still cared.
posted by cc at
10:30 AM
1 Comments:
I find that, often as not, nostalgia for better times are really longing for the naiveté of youth, confused by simultaneously attempting to conform to a civilization that has declared war on nature. This is the sadder but wiser part of true maturation.
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