7/19/00
Softball: Psychobabble
Dear People,
Congratz to all on last week’s decisive 12-8 abnegation of all that is slothful, magnificently played out under the caliginous coal-gray skies of our beloved East Bay grazing soils. The haunting specter of rain in July only added to the drama of the day, yet ultimately, this was not about the "communal experience" of bone-cold air, but rather an awe-inspiring display of 20 unique and frightened individuals, each one confused, vulnerable and in desperate need to slay the recreational demons of their own pathetic pre-pubescent formative years.
In retrospect, this is probably why I felt no shame as I watched my own Tokyo-based brother prepare to ensnare two very high but utterly playable fly balls, only to see him bobble both in curiously spastic fashion before letting them tumble pointlessly to the ground below. Oh sure, his errors were arguably responsible for all five of the runs that separated my own team from both triumph and redemption, and yet in witnessing the spectacle first hand, I knew that his failure was merely reflecting the prosaic borders of competence stretched thin, and not the simmering angst of a youth unhealed. Later that day, I wept joyously, for I had never felt such rarefied pride as both athlete and sibling. I guess I’m just that way.
In any case, and as some of you probably know, this Sunday is the 83rd anniversary of the birth of the great Dale "carrots" Mitchell, the legendary Cleveland Indians outfielder who remains to this day as the very last player in the history of professional baseball to triple more than he struck out over the course of an entire season! Indeed, in the hot and calamitous summer of 1949, with Stalin suddenly in possession of the bomb and the Red Chinese on the verge of victory, this stalwart southpaw maintained his focus throughout, and actually hit 23 triples while only striking out 11 times, a stunning 2.1-1 ratio that also remains a major league record!
I still get chills when I think of the legacy that this forgotten giant of the game has left for our own triples-craving generation, and in all candor, I’ve often wondered what I could do to bring just a modicum of respect to the vegiemeister and his progeny. Therefore, there will be a game in his honor at Codornices, this Sunday at 5PM, IF I get enough commits by this Friday morning. So go ahead and make that commit; This time, do it for Dale "carrots" Mitchell, America’s towering symbol of the insatiable need to codify totally inane athletic statistics…..Raymond
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