12/15/98
Softball: Another Giant to Honor
Dear People,
Congratz to all on last week's initially joyous but tragically crushed four inning 10-6 exercise in inspirational aerobic intrepidity. Yes, the harsh rain and hail that descended on us was severe enough to stop our game, but it did not crush our pride, and I for one will always remember that as a people, we scampered away with an inherent dignity that is so rare in today's professional leagues.
In any case, as you probably know, this Saturday is the 151st anniversary of the birth of Deacon White, the legendary tinkerer who invented the double layered chest protector for catchers in the early 1880s. I sometimes reflect on how my own life would be different had Deacon not lived, and while such reflections are admittedly an abstraction, it is clear to me that his legacy is a constant source of personal reassurance. That he was a mere 16 when Andrew Johnson was impeached must have scarred him in ways too complex to articulate here, but naturally, I can't help wonder if the fact that last week's 16 scored runs comes just before our own generation's rendez-vous with destiny is ultimately another example of Kiekegaard's assertion that "coincidence is not for the faint of heart." I think you see my point.
Therefore, there will be another game this Saturday, December 19th, at 12 Noon, on the mudless pristine sheathing of Kleeberger North, IF I get enough commits by this Friday morning. I realize that we live in troubled times. Still, you gain nothing by cowering in uncertainty, paralyzed by fear of rain, or a Senate trial, or Y2K or god knows what else besets your feeble little minds. The bottom line is that it's time to take a stand and make that commit. Do it for Deacon White, whose double layered chest protector has saved the sternums of untold millions....Raymond
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