by Jay CruzMoving into October and a new month, we say goodbye to the long baseball season and hello to the very short and exciting playoff season. Well, it is if you like baseball anyway. The regular season did go down to the last day with 2 playoff births to be decided and The San Francisco Giants beat the underdog San Diego Padres while the Atlanta Braves won their game against the Phillies to clinch the final National League spot over the Padres. One of the things about the very long baseball season is the fact that the playoffs happen so quickly. Check your local listings for times of this weeks match-ups because they always seem to be scheduled at the strangest times.
I remember as a young kid playing “hookey” one time to watch the Oakland A’s against the Detroit Tigers in 1972. I was 7. I was in big trouble when my Mother walked into my room at lunchtime with chicken soup and discovered me with my Oakland hat on and my collection of baseball cards in my hand. Of course today we have the internet with updates and virtual coverage of the games.
With these modern updates and electronic coverage one doesn’t have to play sick to catch a game score if it’s important, but I think we miss the story telling that the play by play announcers bring to the game. It’s handy to get the bottom line, but colorful details make the games come alive. The Los Angeles Dodgers didn’t make the playoffs this year, which means that their quality storyteller Vin Scully is already on vacation. The great news about Vin is that he will return for his 62nd year of broadcasting Dodger baseball next year. His broadcasts of Dodger games are a text book for how stories are told and really make games come to life.
What is your story? What stories are you hearing? What story are you currently telling? When people get together its our stories that give us insight into each other. Stories are how we share and recreate the memories and lessons we all get to learn. If you don’t pay attention to the stories in your life right now, take a little time and do so. If you don’t know what your own story is, take a moment or more to remind yourself what it is.
Some of the baseball stories for the playoffs include. Atanta’s Bobby Cox managing for the final days of his career. Will the Philadelphia Phillies go to a 3rd straight World Series? Will Yankees Captain Derek Jeter return to his clutch form? Will the Texas Rangers finally win their first playoff series? Will the folks in Tampa realize that they have an outstanding team in town that doesn’t sell out its games? Who is going to be the player that nobody expects to be, step up and be the hero for his team?
How about a story that features James Bond riding a skateboard in a kilt? For that bombshell you will need to listen to the Healthylife.net News@7 this coming Friday to hear our Arts and Entertainment segment. Or, you could make up a story about a skateboarding super spy swinging through Scotland, and see how it compares to what we heard.
