Sports thoughts
The old Milwaukee Brewers were known as “Harvey’s Wall Bangers” because they hit a lot of home runs and their manager was Harvey Kuenn.
Today we have our own wall bangers but they don’t play for the Brewers.
Have you watched football or baseball games lately? There are legions of fans who spend the entire game banging the side of walls or fences with their hands, arms or a “We’re #1” rubber hand. Must be a new aerobic exercise.
We had a great World Series — seven games, plenty of hitting, plenty of excitement and plenty of time. I am amazed at the number
of pitcher-catcher meetings on the mound. If there aren’t at least five or six an inning, then something must be wrong.
Times change. Tim McCarver, the great St. Louis Cardinals catcher, relayed a funny story about pitcher-catcher meetings. He was catching Hall of Famer, Bob Gibson, during a close contest, when he approached the mound during the seventh inning. Gibson said, “What the hell do you want?’ McCarver replied, “Just want to see if you are doing okay.” Gibson replied, “Get your butt behind the plate where you
belong.” McCarver said he never ventured the 60 feet again. I’ve cleaned up the language for the Sun, but you get the point.
Speaking of pointing, has the NFL turned into pointers. After every first down made, the player points first down. Guys, we have a yellow line across our screen, a box in the corner, and three announcers to let the fans know when a first down is made. I guess this is just an extension of making silent signals after every other play. Hands across the chest, bicep poses, safe signs, fourth-down signs, finger pointing and a variety of configurations I can’t figure out. After a touchdown,
forget about it. The Kansas City Chiefs sack race after a touchdown was a new low. I know I’m out of touch with reality, but if I wanted mime, I’d go to Central Park.
Maybe I should look locally and find great stories here in Yuma and not worry about launch angles of a batted ball or what speed it left the bat. Did you know our own Steve Shadle is a contributor to the Sisters of the Poor? Just a minute, I’ll tie it into sports. Years ago, I coached a team that performed so badly that I said and was quoted in the Yuma Sun, “Our team couldn’t beat the Sisters of the Poor.” Many told me that the quote was inappropriate
(no, it wasn’t ), and there were no Sisters of the Poor.
Steve Shadle being inquisitive, researched the Sisters, located in Gallup, N.M. From that day on, Steve is a regular contributor to a worthy cause, and if they had a team they could’ve beat us that night.
Let’s be fair to the ladies. Yuma’s own Tammy Harmon, “the running P.A.” has run a marathon in every state in the union. She has started over again running in 46 out of the 50. Way to go, Tammy.
If you have any local stories of interest, let me know. I’ll do my best not to botch them up.