Friday, September 22, 2006

John Scalzi's Weekend Assignment #130: From Athena!

"People as me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring."

Roger Hornsby

This week we have a guest assigner for the Weekend Assignment: Athena!

Tell us if you like or don't like baseball (which is Athena's favorite sport), and (as extra credit) if you played it as a kid (or would play it, if you were a kid now). Write it up in your blog or journal and then come back here and leave us a link. Athena thanks you for your cooperation.

-John Scalzi (By The Way)

Well now let's see... "do I like baseball?" Yep... I sure do! LOL. You might even say I love the game, although I admit I haven't been keeping up with the game as steady as I used to. Sigh. My bad, because at one time, it was really quite a passion with me. Alan and I would go to baseball games all during the two years we officially dated. It was the bleacher seats for me! I loved sitting in the open, with the sun so bright, and besides, it is as close to nature as this city girl was willing to get! LOL. Oh my, the hot dogs, the promo days like, "Camera Day," and the BBQ's in the parking lot, how do you not love that? I was, at one time, a collector of baseball cards, and the highlight of my collection was a Tony Conigiaro rookie card, that Alan bought me for my birthday, the year we got engaged. He knew I was a big fan. "Tony C," passed away less then a year later, at the age of 45. Sigh.


At one time he had a very bright career ahead of him, when he was playing for the Boston Red Socks. On August 18th, 1967 everything changed for the slugger when he was struck by a fastball pitched to him by Angel's, pitcher, Jack Hamilton. His recovery took well over a year, but he made a short lived, but triuphant return to baseball in 1970. However, he was still plagued by vision problems, so he gave up his baseball career, and eventually went into sports broadcasting. He was the sports reporter for the Bay Area's ABC affiliate, KGO, for a time, in the late 1970's. I became a big fan, through hearing my brother and father talk about his playing, and seeing him present the sports in a way that, even a little girl who knew nothing of sports, could understand the game of baseball.

Extra Credit: I was a "girly girl" when I was little, so no I didn't play baseball as a child. I am still a "girly girl" as a grown up lady, so I think I would still prefer to watch from the bleachers. :) But I am with Athena on this one...baseball is my favorite form of sports. :) Cool choice, Athena!

1 comment:

Karen Funk Blocher said...

What a shame about your Tony C. Did you ever meet him? Supposedly only one person in major league baseball ever died being hit in the head by a ball, but it sounds like your guy was pretty badly hurt. John was hit in the glasses once, but it wasn't too bad! (He should have asked the visiting team to buy him new ones!)