Take Me Out To The Shrine
HERE WE ARE ENJOYING THE MAY FLOWERS that have bloomed thanks to the April showers. The grass is green and, oh, yeah, the Baseball season is in full swing.
Now that The Boys of Summer have a few weeks under their belts and rosters are solidifying. It is time to erect “The Shrine” at Casa Nuestra.
Each season we are able to acquire some of the team “giveaways” that make the shrine just a giftshop away from being a real roadside attraction.
Really, where else could you go to see a Bruce Bochy Garden Gnome (He’s the Giants’ Manager in case you are a non-believer.), or a Solar Powered Hunter Pence Bobble-
Body statuette.
This season we have added the hard to come by Gerald “Buster” Posey Bank – a lovely figure of our beloved Catcher/1st Baseman who is on the fast track to the Hall of Fame.
This year’s shrine has close to a complete and ready to play roster of players. Even though we do have a firm rule on who gets in and who does not.
To join the Pantheon one must be either an active player with Los Gigantes, the Manager, broadcasters (Kruk and Kuip), or Hall of Famer = and be no taller than 7 inches. We had to draw the line somewhere.
These criteria have meant the retirement of Angel Pagan, The Duffman (Matt Duffy), and hurler Jeremy Affeldt. Fine players all, but they no longer wear the Orange and Black, and I doubt that they still wear the Sanitary Socks and Stirrups.
If you enlarge the attached photo of the shrine you will see several Hunter Pence icons in addition to the Solar Powered Bobble-Body. He makes a good model for those nifty Action Figures. There is Hunter making a catch in the “Pence on the Fence”, and there is “Pence on his Scooter.” He used to ride his scooter to the ballyard every day from his nearby bachelor-pad until someone stole his scooter, and he got married. I see no connection between the two events. Hunter also has his own Garden Gnome. It is smaller than the Bruce Bochy Gnome, but the Manager admits that he has a large dome.
There are also a few Action Figures depicting Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford. The “Brandons” are two stalwarts of the lineup, and also the models for “The Brandon’s Growth Chart” which serves as a backdrop for the entire shrine. A large pair of uniformed legs can be seen behind the Main Shrine.
There are also a couple of autographed baseballs lovingly displayed and a snow globe commemorating the 2014 World Series Triumph.
Don’t ask me about the Chewbacca figure. I’m not all that sure myself. He’s there, he keeps order, and he is neatly coiffed.
A pair of MadBum figures completes the hagiography of the shrine. Madison Bumgarner, the Horse of the Pitching Staff, and one guy to whom you do not want to give attitude. When you think of MadBum think Paul Bunyan with a pick-up truck and a sneaky fastball.
The shrine is now complete for this season and will remain throughout the year until Spring Training comes again.
Play Ball!
Down the Hall on Your Left 
Yea well, it may be flower blossom time and…here comes Baseball! But it’s also skeeter-coming-out time. Some are downright dangerous, too. Hope you have plenty of repellent for this particular Summer, with all the water we’ve had over the County swamps and the ever fascinating Wabash River. Or, we’ll just have to stay indoors.
(I almost hate Baseball. And, I DO hate skeeters.)
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