Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Raccoons, 20 minutes, Heartbeats, and… Baseball Ray…

GD Raccoons… Our uninvited house guests last winter chewed thru every phone cord we have running through the attic. Thus, no dial tone. Cut down the tree they climbed to enter said abode – and they’re off somewhere else freeloading amongst the insulation – and chewing on someone else’s digits. I hope it hurts when the little bastards poop…. (They are cute, I just ain’t real fond of ‘em sharing our house.)

Twenty minutes.. So… We’ve hooked the Gosh Darn phone cord into the box outside.. We actually have a dial tone.. and.. for many months it also enabled our DSL to work.. huh uh.. not now.. So.. I have 20 minutes to do this blog before work. It’s worse than being on a first date. I’ve GOTTA perform, and I GOTTA do it within this time frame, and it’s GOTTA be acceptable – for there’s no time for correction. (No wonder many don’t go on a second date!)…

Baseball Ray… Thanks to my boss, attended the Kansas City Royal’s home opener yesterday.. So much fun.. so many mems.. I, as a little turd, had a very good and loving father – but – his job took him to points all around the 5 state region – thus, no “catch” partner. I’d take a plastic bowl from the kitchen, a rubberized ball – and a brick wall would be my partner for literally hours, and hours and hours upon end. I was “Musial”.. “Mantle”.. “Maris”.. “Aaron”.. the dreamer…

I attended the very first Royal’s home opener ever.. 1969 I think… It was about the time I’d gotten a letter from the Royals – actually inviting me to a tryout.. and again I dreamed.. Well.. that went like a lotta those first dates too – but.. You’ll never take the kid outta me…

Yesterday I looked over the parking lot.. Remembered partying “over there” with our company.. “down there” with family on the last game of the year… broke my finger playing football catch “right there.”.. Once inside.. eyes to the very last (top) row of the stadium – right behind home plate – where I, saw the final game of the 1985 World Series.. Up there, where my ex-brother inlaw and I had standing room tickets for Game 6 that year.. down over there somewhere – where I’d witnessed the 1972 All Star game…

The new scoreboard is humongous.. How big you ask? Well.. KU’s football coach threw out the first pitch.. and it actually accommodated his entire wide body. Hehe, he’s a big man.. but funny how things seem larger than life.. This is “The Border”.. right smack dab between Kansas and Missouri.. There’s fun bickering back and forth – and for some, the argument runs even deeper – like back to Civil War days..

So I was smoking a cig at the little designated smoking spot.. around the 5th inning.. and here comes Mangino (The VERY large KU football coach) and his wife – exiting the stadium.. I was amazed how short he was.. You see someone on TV, and they truly are larger than life… He’s average height, maybe even slightly below average.. I’d pictured Paul Bunyan – and was aghast when I saw he wasn’t wielding an axe.. So, these border folks – the KU fans were patting him on the back as he walked.. thumbs up.. and those hideous (gotta love ‘em) Missouri fans demonstrated group behavior with their chant “M-I-Z… Z-O-U… M-I-Z… Z-O-U”… a fun life moment….

Home openers are miserable, weatherwise. I underdressed, and suffered. Still, what better. Dreams of that one Mexican dude pedaling “LEMONADE.. LEMONADE.. LEMONADE”.. 95 degree summer days… ahhhh, remember Halter top days…

Heartbeats. We’re always one heart beat away from life being altered. Jolted. Changed. Perhaps ending. I love trying to gain appreciation for the surroundings.. I love baseball.. I love the Border War.. I love stolen bases, sliding doubles, and the crowd on their feet for a 3-2 count with two outs and the bases loaded… I even love the hot dog, mustard, relish footrace.. I don’t mind the traffic on the way in, out. I love people watching. I am aware I’m a heartbeat away from no tomorrow – thus, I enjoy this day.

Thanks for these twenty minutes. I love twenty minutes. It’s twenty minutes to reflect.. If only we’d take twenty minutes from our hurried day and fully focus on what’s important. Who’s important. Where our thoughts should be.

Enjoy your day.. play ball.. take 20 to think.. feel your heart beating… and trap a raccoon (and release in the wild) wouldya? Love, Victurd

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