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Friday, February 23, 2018

BASEBALL

BASEBALL
Well that title just cost me over half of my readers*.  What the heck, I’ve got nothing today anyhow, so yeah, BASEBALL.

I have been a New York Yankee fan ever since my brother convinced me that the Dodgers, mom’s team, would never beat the Yankees.  I wanted to root for a winner, plus there was “The Mick,” Mickey Mantle.
In those good old days young snots like myself were allowed to have idols.  Today, the Mick would have been exposed as an alcoholic womanizer.  Back in the day, he was protected by the beat reporters who were all also alcoholic womanizers, so we were allowed our hero’s.
So, I was a Yankee fan and a Mickey fan through all the injuries and championships and especially that magical year when he battled Rodger Maris in the race to beat Ruth’s 60 HR record.  Mantle was supposed to beat that record, but I eventually forgave Rodger for taking the title in 1961.
When Mickey passed away I cried.  Not so much for Mickey, but for lost childhood. 
Mickey was soon replaced by a young shortstop, Derek Jeter, as my favorite Yankee.  Derek brought some great years and championships home.
When he retired I kind of lost interest in Baseball.  Many of the players I followed also retired and then they traded Robbie Cano, a young favorite, and I stopped watching Baseball.
Last year I slowly found Baseball again.  I tuned in to watch a young longball hitting catcher, Gary Sanchez, and got hooked on a giant left fielder, Aaron Judge.  The Yankees were hitting homeruns and winning again, and this fair-weather fan was hooked.
It is still Winter in New Jersey, but it is Spring for Baseball in Florida and the new season is upon us.
The Yankees stole the best power hitter in baseball to go along with the best power hitter in their league and the best power hitting catcher in Baseball and maybe the best power hitting shortstop in the game.  They also have a young first baseman who is finally healthy and has a swing designed for the short right field in Yankee Stadium.
There will be a lot of home runs.  There will be a lot of wins.  Baseball will be fun again for this fair-weather fan, and the Yankees will be hated by everyone else.
Bring it on!

*Except Arkansas Patti who has been under the weather lately...Get better AP!

15 comments:

  1. Just reporting in - sorry I can't stop to read your post....lol.

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  2. As a Cardinals fan, I'm pretty sure I should hate the Yankees. Not like the Cubs, though. If I have any hate left over, I'll use it for the Yankees.

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  3. Not a baseball fan, but I understand the sentiment about heroes. I don't have to live with my heroes - they just have to be good at whatever I admire them for. Fortunately, my top tier heroes have turned out to maybe be jerks, but jerks who haven't ended up secretly drugging 40 women or anything... so far.

    But even if they did, I might still listen to their music or read their books.

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  4. *sigh*. Ah yes, the days of the "alcoholic womaniser" are sadly long gone. (insert sarcastic font, lest I get chastised)
    I think my interest in Baseball sort of fell to the wayside after the "strike". What was that, 1995? Just sort of lost respect for guys who wanted so many more bags of money to go with the bags and bags of money they already had. I mean, if it had to do with "concussion protocol" or some such thing, maybe I would have been more understanding. Your mileage may vary.

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  5. I’m gonna say just maybe if Buster Posey played home games somewhere besides AT&T Park, he might be considered more of a power hitting catcher.

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    1. 53 HR's in less than 700 at bats, many over 450 feet, but arguments are what makes Baseball fun isn't it. I'll take Posey's batting average and power for a catcher any day though.

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  6. Hubby and I aren't into sports at all. For many a kid there were many heroes back in the day. It was a good thing.

    Have a fabulous day. ☺

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  7. I go to one baseball game a year as the guest of one of my vendors. His company has season tickets to the Texas Rangers and their farm team, the Frisco RoughRiders, too. I told him to save his Ranger tickets and take someone who likes baseball. I enjoy the RR games because they are just a couple of miles from where I live, the ballpark food is actually very good, plus I get to catch up with my friend outside of working hours. He's a nice guy and we get a chance to reminisce and just have fun. Sometimes I even look up and watch the game. *wink* Enjoy your season.

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  8. I love baseball. 2nd generation SF Giant fan. Can't wait for the season to start.

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  9. Both my brothers are staunch Yankee fans -- not always a popular choice in New England, land of the Red Sox.

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  10. You didn't lose this reader! I'm not into baseball anymore but as a kiddo I would hop a bus with a bunch of my friends and siblings and we'd go to Wrigley field to watch the Cubs. We'd stand outside the stadium after the game for autographs. I was only about 12 and I would never had let my kids go alone on a bus to the city at that age. Times were different then I guess. Lots of good memories.

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  11. The Yankees have always been my sentimental favorites. Although i am glad the Cubs finally got their time to shine.

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  12. Thank you so much joeh. I am trying. You had me at baseball. I may have to watch a Yankee game to see a team win. My AAA Marlins don't hold much promise though we did beat the Cardinals today. One spring training game--I'll take it.

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  13. I don't want to lose a friendship when I say this OK Joe, but where I was raised when I was old enough to start watching sports our Baseball team was the Atlanta Braves and I passed that along to my Sons also. I haven't watched them much in the last few years but I still remember that World Series in 95 against the Indians, I cant believe it's been that long since they were there...

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  14. Baseball, that's the little white ball, right?

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