28.08.2002
feeling kinda
the pending baseball strike has me mildly aggravated. i mean, really. you all make more than enough money, so it can't really be about that. seriously. do any of you have trouble making mortgage payments, or covering your bills, or keeping your families fed and clothed? no? didn't think so.
and from what i understand, the current 'financial discussion' entails putting together a structure more like professional football, wherein there's a sort of profit sharing thing going on to help out the smallers teams and make sure that the winning teams aren't there solely because they can buy enough talent. i'm not clear on all the details. but i did read that professional football has become one of the most financially stable professional sports since they put together the current profit sharing thing.
it doesn't sound to me like a bad thing. i haven't read that anyone will have to take a pay cut. and there are several teams in danger of folding soon because they just don't draw enough patrons. soooo... fewer teams, less competition, less excitement, everyone loses. which means that the profit sharing will help keep the sport more equitably competitive, right? and better competition means a better game for the players and the patrons, right? what am i missing here?
*shakes head* my Boys of Summer break my heart every year. part of the joy of being a Red Sox fan. and i bounce back every year to root for them, because that's the deal. they break my heart, i mope thru the winter, i start jonesing for the game, they head to Florida, and woo me back for another season. but if they go on strike, they may break my heart for good. spoiled brats whining about more money than any of us will ever have to worry about. just shut up and play the game, will you, already? and if you don't, i'll have to start following Little League.
speaking of which, did you see the semi final game? Kentucky and Worcester. i loved watching that game. it was so cool to see all those little kids out there, looking far more serious and grown up than they needed to, and then occasionally goofing. some of them looked awfully grown up for 11 or 12, whatever the cap is. but they all played well. the one that killed me was the left fielder, all of four feet tall, striding around the field, scowling and kicking the turf, getting his game face on. i know he'd die if he heard this, but it made me giggle.
and god love those coaches. i found out afterwards that the Kentucky coach is a bit of a legend. former Marine drill sargeant, been coaching for ages. it was nifty that they had the coaches miked. 'okay, guys, you need to concentrate. make sure you keep your glove up, eye on the ball. and have fun!' yeah, you got that right. have fun, boys. you're playing the game the way it should be played - for the love of the game.
okay, i probably won't abandon my Boys of Summer. i just love the game too much. that perfect swing, the impossible catch, coming from behind, and the simple geometry of the game - they mean too much to me for me to boycott the game. but if they do strike, i'll come back a slightly more cynical fan.
