Spring Training! It's just around the corner! (P.S. early- Love Clara Bow!)
Girl Talk: Ladies, remember the first day of school when you were a young girl? Like maybe 7th grade? You weren't old enough to have all the stresses of high school yet (yes, yes... I know I am speaking to a different generation), but you were old enough to care or start caring about the nuances... How you looked forward to it with such excitement and anticipation! Sure, you had seen some of your friends over summer vacation, but those you hadn't seen, you couldn't help but wonder, had they changed? Would they noticed how much you had changed?
How grown up you were now, maybe you got a new haircut and wondered if the other girls would notice, who you would end up eating lunch with the first day and then from then on, who you would be hanging out with or sitting with during assemblies or hanging out with after school, what electives you would get, would you end up with the really cool English teacher or the one who always wore the bright yellow pants...? (Oh how I wish I was making that one up....)
And most importantly would that cute boy finally notice you? (Peanuts... another of my early loves....)
Ok, YES. THAT is the anticipation here.Those plus all the other butterflies and flutterballs (made that one up myself) that invited themselves into your stomach and imagination as the weeks became days closer to the first day of school... that's what this is for someone like me. Spring Training.
Spring training anticipation... What's Clayton Kershaw been up to? (New Girls: Kershaw is our ACE Pitcher.) Who will earn the coveted fifth spot in the rotation? (New Girls: There are five Pitchers in a starting rotation. These are the primary starting Pitchers- they rotate game dates.)
A starting Pitcher won't start two consecutive games. His arm won't let him. Have YOU ever tried throwing 95 mph fastballs for at least six innings...two days in a row? Try it. Lemme know how that works for you.
This is the kind of stuff I'll throw out to you throughout the season. My target audience: Girly Girls/Ladies. Those who want to understand the game a little more, for whatever reason, maybe even want to root for a team but just never quite grasped the logistics of it all. NOTE: I am a National League Girl, and I root for the Dodgers. You will hear quite a bit of that along the way.
Even people at the office have learned: if I am waiting to talk to them and they're busy at that moment, they tell me I'm on deck.
*Trivia Question: (skill level - a little more advanced:
Q: Who was on deck as Kirk Gibson was at bat in the 1988 World Series? I'm not even going to say which Game or which inning since Gibson only batted once that Series....
A: Steve Sax. #3.
*One of my favorite stand-by questions. Just for fun. No, I don't have to look up the answer.
Do I think I'm going to convert you in a season? Probably not. Will you be an expert on the game by October 2013? Nah. My own personal experience being in love with baseball AND the Dodgers dates back to 1975. Stop doing the math- you'll hurt yourself- I am almost 42 and dang happy with that number. It's the number worn by Jackie Robinson. If you don't know who HE is, please please please run a search RIGHT THIS MINUTE.
Opening Day of baseball and Dodger Stadium falls on my 42nd birthday this year: April 1. My Jackie Robinson birthday as I call it. Let the games begin!
But I digress...
I do hope to peak your interest a bit by drawing a few parallels between the game and a Girl's experiences.
We've all had crushes.
We've all had disappointments.
(Ah the classic Wuthering Heights...)
That's human. But Guys look at the world through...through... there's just one way to say it: through a Guy's eyes. And thank goodness. I like being a Girl. I like the heels and the lip gloss. I wear them on a day off even.
It makes me feel pretty. And so does being at a baseball game. It's part of who I am.
Look, with or without make up, I have enough self confidence to lift a helium blimp. Like the ones that peek over Dodger Stadium sometimes.
But sometimes, just sometimes, it's nice to melt into something extra...something that we love: a bubble bath, our favorite music, our dog (or cat if you must), chocolate peanut butter ice cream, someone's arms... we all have our moments that we call "Favorites" or "Me Time." Or at least we should. For me that's baseball. Talk during a game and I may unfriend you. Try it. Lemme know how that works for you. (I LOVE this I Love Lucy episode with Bob Hope!)
Three more days: Pitchers and Catchers report to Spring Training February 12. The rest of the squad will follow suit a few days later. If you want to follow along my rants and comparisons a little more easily, try any of these starters:
LA Dodgers Home Page
Listen to a sports report on the news instead of leaving the room
If you read the paper, glance at the sports section
ESPN
Yahoo Sports
MLB (Major League Baseball)
Any of these are good to start learning about what I will be talking about. I will assume we are all already on the same page regarding Dolce, Prada, Juicy Couture, Chanel and others... (these here are Chanel- LOVE them!)
If you need more info on other baseball references, a good place to start a search is:
Baseball Almanac
Oh, by the way, I also have opinions. I will always alert and never state an opinion as a fact. In my own head my opinions are facts, and I always support my opinions with observations, stats and facts. Nonetheless I have been unfriended by a few friends along the way for having opinions. Of all the ones who unfriended me for disagreeing with my opinions in baseball, they were always Guys. It was always such a compliment to me. I didn't strive for it. I didn't do it on purpose. But when it happened, I grinned and bore it with a swagger. Followed by a giggle.
I'm about to get started... Like I said, I'll do my best to 'splain to the New Girls and at the same time keep things fresh for Girl Talk .... G.A.B... Girls @ Bat.. Baseball with a touch of Girliness and Glitter.
Many Hugs.... I'll write more soon...GO Dodgers!!! Welcome Spring Training!!!!
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