Looking Out Of The Window Until Spring

18 Nov 2019

Looking Out Of The Window Until Spring

WHY DO I FEEL THAT THERE IS A GAP, AN EMPTY SPACE, IN THE WORLD? Oh, yeah, I know why – I’m in Ireland and the World Series is over. I didn’t watch any of it live on TV. It didn’t start until a little after 1 AM and I do need my beauty sleep.

This is the first time in my memory that I have not watched the World Series on TV. Regardless of the teams involved I have always made it “Must see TV” every September/October…and in a few cases dribbling over into November.

This year the two teams battling for the big ugly rings and big trophy were from Washington D.C. and Houston. I didn’t really care all that much who would emerge victorious, but I leaned ever so slightly in favor of Houston. Why? Because I had a couple of Houston players on my Fantasy Baseball team. That was the sum of my “fandom” this year.

American baseball doesn’t get a lot of attention on either Irish or British television. During their extensive sports coverage they did mention the World Series games in the ten seconds before they cut away to the weather forecast. I can’t say that I’m surprised. Does American television update us on the latest on the World Cup Rugby Games? Not really.

The World Series ended last night. I learned about it during breakfast this morning. It’s just not the same.

Now comes The Void.

Baseball is…gone. It is gone until the start of Spring Training in February. That means that for three months I will have to be satisfied with “Baseball News.” Who has been hired to serve as the Manager for which team? Where have the Free Agents landed? What silly rule changes have been enacted?

Is Christmas all I have to look forward to?

There is a great quotation that I’ve read somewhere that wraps it up nicely. A Hall of Fame player was asked what he was going to do during the off-season.

He replied, “I’m going to sit, looking out of my window, until Spring Training starts.”

Ok, that might not be a verbatim quote, and I don’t remember who it was that said it, but its close enough to illustrate my point. I could have looked it up, but I didn’t because I was busy sipping my coffee at the time.

We will be heading home to Indiana in a few days and there are two things I will need to do right off the bat. I will go to the Kroger supermarket to replenish the refrigerator. Five week old cream for tea does not sound appetizing. And I will immerse myself in Baseball scuttlebutt. Just hearing the trade rumors and other bits and pieces will help to warm my frozen body. In a way Baseball is medicinal for me. It improves my chances for survival until Spring Training and it will make me less grumpy.

Now that the season is over my time in front of the Big Screen TV will shrink. If there’s not a game on The Tube I have a hard time finding anything worth my time. I think a similar situation a few years ago spurred me on to become a writer. So, if you read my stuff and enjoy it – thank Baseball. If you read my stuff and don’t enjoy it – Strike Three! You’re out!