Entertainment!

Don’t know which I liked more, the pop up catch on the mound, or the behind the back ball handling of Cliff Lee. Sure would be nice if CC and Lee go at it again, I heard these guys went at it, opening game at the New Yankee Stadium. That was something, seeing one man, pitching all nine innings, hope we see these guys again, that next time, they both go nine. Do kids flip baseball cards anymore, as kids, we were out everywhere, flipping cards, up against alley walls, in garages, when it rained. A nickel a pack, five cards, and a stick of gum. Nickels and dimes had some value then, for a penney you’d get a Mary Jane. So let me tell you about Mary Jane, no,wait a minute, that’s 30 years later, in the end, those times weren’t so entertaining anyhow. So back to the penny candy, we’d take off across Rileys Corn Field, Eby’s Country Store, as a crow flies, about a half mile away. Through the rows, we’d pass a spring house, sneak around the back side of Rileys Barn, trying not to be seen, planning to come back to the barn later, open our baseball cards, eat our candy, chew our gum, then look around inside, for fun stuff to do. Once, we busted up a bunch of hay bails, a rope hung from the rafters. We swung, we were having a ball, a gang of 12 year old boys, we were making lots of noise. I remember, Old Man Riley wasn’t amused. If we weren’t screwing with Riley, there was always Bartrams cows, GO PHILLIES. We were country kids, in a snow storm, I remember the milk man, delivering down the pike on horse and sleigh. A lot harder, growing up a kid these days, if we’d grown up today, I’m sure we’d all be locked up. We had snakes, turtles, lizards, and frogs, a kid down in Milltown caught a great horned owl up on Walnut Hill. Our neighborhood, a new neighborhood was separated from Milltown, an old neighborhood, by Bartrams Orchards. We had woods, corn fields, pumpkin patches, pastures, and swamps. Its the top of the seventh, Yankees just got the lead, Burnett don’t look like he’s gonna give it up. Its another good game, from my seat in the bleachers, not as good a game as yesterday, but that’s all about personal perspective. I’m gonna watch all these games, I’ve decided to make a point to do so, something I haven’t done for probably 46 years, 46 years back, all us kids were flipping baseball cards, between innings of the world series, in 64, baseball fever ended early, it was called the Phillies Phold, that first game, St. Louis, Yankees, my father and me. On the back porch, never watched them play, him taking the time to teach me chess. Sitting back, thinking, I realized, the last time I watched the complete World Series, 1963, I was smoke free, I have this book, I’m looking at it now, Allen Carrs’s, Easy Way To Stop Smoking, think I’ll read it again, Game Over, Yankees win, Stephany gave me this book. If I’m smart, I can set this up, to be a victory for me, won’t matter what team wins, just read the book, and I win.