Tuesday, April 7, 2009

A Kid Again


Believe it or not, there aren't many times I wish I was a kid again.

One of the exceptions occurs at this time of year-- the start of baseball season. You looked forward to your team having a shot at the World Series, new players, optimism, springtime.

There was the joy of that first NBC Game of the Week on Saturday afternoon, a time when we were lucky to get two games a week on television. The other was a Sunday afternoon Yankees game on WDAU.

And then, there were the backyard wiffle ball games with the neighborhood kids-- usually with a new bat and ball as part of the package. Me? Good field. No hit. It was great fun nonetheless.

I envy kids these days. They have so much technology, information, and convenience at their fingertips. But, there are times I feel sorry for them. Baseball today is an exercise in greed, performance enhancing drugs, and players who don't give a rat's behind about the fans.

The innocence of springtime baseball is gone.