Baseball and life

I was watching the 2nd game of the National League Play-offs tonight when Emily cracked, "Who could like baseball?" And when that didn't work, she tried, "I can't believe you like baseball better than Football." She was trying to get me to turn the channel to E.R. and I wasn't budging. But, that's when it hit me, she wasn't around during the days when I couldn't be separated from a baseball game. She wasn't there during the '80's to hear me yelling out in the middle of a grocery store, "Holy Crap!" as I listened over the headphones to Ozzie Smith steal home. She didn't grow up in a house with Jack Buck's voice drifting up from the radio as her dad watched the game on TV with the sound turned down. Like my father, I loved Baseball; but when the last player's strike hit, I turned it off. Until now. It was in the fall of 1982; I began courting Annette, and the Cardinals won the World Series. I remember the players from that team better than I remember who was at the wedding. Keith Herndadez, Tommy Herr, Ozzie Smith and Ken Oberkfell on the in-field. Lonnie Smith, George Hendrick and Willie McGee in the Outfield. Darrell Porter was behind the plate and Joaquin Andujar, Bob Forsch and Bruce Sutter were the pitchers of note. They would play in two more World Series, once in 1985 and again in1987, losing both. Many people feel that the '85 team was the best. But after the strike that ended the '94 season, I just didn't care any more. My dad has kept the faith through these years, but I confess to being a more fair-weather fan. But I'm ready now! This is a great team we expect them to go all the way and meet Joe Torre and the Yankees in the World Series.

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