Sep3

the big win.

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sitting in comerica  park

at the detroit tigers game

surrounded by these kids from canada

here with their team

thirty two strong

for a big night out at the ballpark

so excited for everything

good seats, cotton candy, no rain, family, friends, coaches

calling out to the pro players they recognized

dancing, cheering, singing

their own faces on the big screen

mitts ready

and

especially, especially, especially, especially

for the four foul balls they ended up with

they simply could not believe their luck

overflowing with happiness

at times sharing seats and laps to get an even better look

they could barely contain themselves

with smiles from here to there

and this guy

who made it his personal mission

to come over and tell them

to sit down and stop having so much fun

every chance he had

yet

in the end

the tigers

(and especially, especially that guy)

both lost

it was not even close

 the kids had clearly won it all.

—

 “baseball was made for kids, and grown-ups only screw it up.”

-bob lemon

38 responses »

    • so gentle and what an accent! one set of parents, who when getting up for breaks, said, “excuse us as we get by, we’re canadian so we’ll say ‘sorry’ a lot.” i was glad they ignored him too, as it became his personal mission as we marched through the innings.

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  5. There are just two truly great, sportsmanlike, sports left in the western world — maybe kabaddi is fun but imho they are baseball and cricket. They share contests between the guy with the bat and the guy with the ball within every game, individual feats of bravery, sacrifice, teamspersonship (I had to correct myself when I used the M word), and an unhealthily yet wonderfully nerdy reliance on statistics. Hurrah for Cooperstown and the Lords Museum… if you’re in London go to the home of cricket and take the tour even if you have no inkling as to how — or even why — the game is played. At the museum you’ll see the stuffed sparrow, killed in mid flight by an enthusiastic batter. Or better still Google Detroit Cricket League and catch a game near you with hundreds of folks to explain some of the rules.
    Those Canadian kids could see it: The atmosphere evocative of a simpler, gentler age. I hope the jobs-worth is hauled into the general manager’s office for a bit of re-education.

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    • i’ve seen a bit of cricket here, though i don’t know the game at all. my daughter, married to an aussie, has attended matches, and it is a bit thing there. i’ll check out the museum if i find myself back in london one day, i love the bird story.

      i grew up with baseball and have always loved it. it was a game that everyone could afford to attend, and an afternoon or evening spent at the ballpark was magic, and still is.

      yes, the kids got it and fully embraced it. the big guy works in that section each weekend and is clearly very ‘protective’ of what goes on there. i hope he can remember what a joy it is to a person, especially a young one, to see it firsthand, up close and personal.

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  7. Cricket was big in the US after the Civil War, particularly in Philadelphia.
    Ask your son-in-law about The Ashes. England – at the height of its Imperial self-importance – lost what is known as a Test Match in London in 1882 to a bunch of men who had sailed three months from the bottom of the world. From that came an obituary for English cricket in the press and eventually a little terra cotta urn filled with the cremated ashes of the wooden cross pieces of the wicket.
    The Ashes have been happening every two years since then. This December it kicks off once more in Oz. England has its own supporters’ club who spend thousands of dollars following the team on its often unsuccessful forays to India, West Indies, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka,South Africa, New Zealand or Australia — the cricket playing nations (Zimbabwe is out and Pakistan now plays in the Gulf as it’s too dangerous at home). The fan club is known (of course) as the ‘Barmy Army’.

    The honour of baseball impresses me most. Whether it’s the Black Sox or Pete Rose; even the bad times are good.

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  8. Pingback: the big win. | Mark Bialczak

  9. So glad you, Beth, were the fantastic American ambassador of goodwill and happy diplomacy!! 💕 ⚾
    The guy was looking like he was “nice” so it wasn’t until I read your comments that you didn’t think he was teasing the kids. Hmmm, Mark is right, contacting the Detroit Tigers may be in order.

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