Went to a Cub game last night. I know, MLB, but it was a last minute opportunity to share a night with some of the very best people I know. And besides, I grew up going to Wrigley and am sick of them taking everything from me including my fond memories of childhood, most of which was a lie. I am rationalizing that I am taking all of my shit back. Infiltration.
Full capacity almost NO MASKS. People were having a blast. It was as if 25k people just learned they weren't terminal after all. ONE Jumbotron shot of some idiot who had masks on his kids and for a second the audience fell eerily quiet. Then back to normal people. It felt like a collective silent "Eww" hard to explain. Bonus was Cubs player #17 Kris Bryant was MVP (announced in the 4th inning?) There were 17 shirts everywhere, felt like Kismet.
I am glad my Mom and Dad died not knowing it all too, tho my Dad knew government was corrupt, he just didn't know the background facts we do. My Mom was a Yellow Dog Democrat, thought FDR was her Hero, wouldn't hear a bad word about clinton. She was a big 'Stros fan tho.
Back in the 60s coca cola had a thing in Houston with the 'Stros, probably all the clubs. They gave 6 free tickets to kids with straight A report cards, you signed up and showed your report cards and there it was. I wanted those tickets when I was in junior high, so I kept my grades up above 95 to be sure I got those tickets. The program ran for about three years and I scored every year. My Dad was always working so my Mom would take me, she wanted to go as much as I did. I can still hear her laughing at Joe Niekro getting caught with sandpaper in his pocket out on the mound. He was a knuckleballer, Umps were always after him and as they walked out to question him he flung out his hands like who me, except you could plainly see the emory board flying away.
Baseball has always 'cheated', spitballers or stealing signs, sure. Go back to the Black Sox even...
But underneath it was always a fans game back then, not so today. I've never liked them cheating the immigration system for instance, but they always did.
Even Nolan Ryan was part of it, the corruption, unwittingly. As he was waiting to see if he was drafted to play ball he was drafted to go to Vietnam. When his agent called him to report to, think it was the Mets, he told them he'd love to but Unca Sam said report to camp. His agent told him to hold on and then called back later, the Army was no longer interested in him, corruption. I don't really fault Nolan there but Hmmmm.
Anyhow, yeah the shiite we know that I sometimes wish I didn't.