If you don't see the genius in this masterpiece, I don't know what to say---

But: too bad. This is rad. To the Nth degree. Enjoy.

And when I put the words in hot pink, this is where George inflects his words like a prissy sissy, or at least a "happy camper", bemused at the novelty of the "niceness" of the sport...

AAn

AAnnd by George CAnarlin

"Baseball is different from any other sport, very different. For instance, in most sports you score points or goals; in baseball you score runs. In most sports the ball, or object, is put in play by the offensive team; in baseball the defensive team puts the ball in play, and only the defense is allowed to touch the ball. In fact, in baseball if an offensive player touches the ball intentionally, he's out; sometimes unintentionally, he's out.

Also: in football,basketball, soccer, volleyball, and all sports played with a ball, you score with the ball and in baseball the ball prevents you from scoring.

In most sports the team is run by a coach; in baseball the team is run by a manager. And only in baseball does the manager or coach wear the same clothing the players do. If you'd ever seen John Madden in his Oakland Raiders uniform,you'd know the reason for this custom.

Now, I've mentioned football. Baseball & football are the two most popular spectator sports in this country. And as such, it seems they ought to be able to tell us something about ourselves and our values.

I enjoy comparing baseball and football:

Baseball is a nineteenth-century pastoral game.
Football is a twentieth-century technological struggle.

Baseball is played on a diamond, in a park.The baseball park!
Football is played on a gridiron, in a stadium, sometimes called Soldier Field or War Memorial Stadium.

Baseball begins in the spring, the season of new life.
Football begins in the fall, when everything's dying.

In football you wear a helmet.
In baseball you wear a cap.

Football is concerned with downs - what down is it?
Baseball is concerned with ups - who's up?

In football you receive a penalty.
In baseball you make an error.

In football the specialist comes in to kick.
In baseball the specialist comes in to relieve somebody.

Football has hitting, clipping, spearing, piling on, personal fouls, late hitting and unnecessary roughness.
Baseball has the sacrifice.

Football is played in any kind of weather: rain, snow, sleet, hail, fog...
In baseball, if it rains, we don't go out to play.

Baseball has the seventh inning stretch.
Football has the two minute warning.

Baseball has no time limit: we don't know when it's gonna end - might have extra innings.
Football is rigidly timed, and it will end even if we've got to go to sudden death.

In baseball, during the game, in the stands, there's kind of a picnic feeling; emotions may run high or low, but there's not too much unpleasantness.
In football, during the game in the stands, you can be sure that at least twenty-seven times you're capable of taking the life of a fellow human being.

And finally, the objectives of the two games are completely different:

In football the object is for the quarterback, also known as the field general, to be on target with his aerial assault, riddling the defense by hitting his receivers with deadly accuracy in spite of the blitz, even if he has to use shotgun. With short bullet passes and long bombs, he marches his troops into enemy territory, balancing this aerial assault with a sustained ground attack that punches holes in the forward wall of the enemy's defensive line.

In baseball the object is to go home! And to be safe! - I hope I'll be safe at home!"

Cue to laugh. And think. And thank the heavens that we are Americans and culturally rich because of these sports...

Don't get me wrong: I love baseball, I love football. I love music and the arts and I love history and knowing about war, death and destruction. We are dualistic beings, no?

Likenesses and differences.

Paging Dave Winfield?

Bo Jackson?

Deion Sanders?

Tim Raines?

The Penguin? (Ron Cey). Do you know the connection?

Last night I watched the fifth and final game of the WS. The Cardinals won for the first time since 1982. I am happy with that result. The Tigers were a good team but choked on defense a number of times. And I wanted the White Sox to beat them out in the regular season, anyway.

I got back in time to see the game after a Halloween party at our church. We ate chili and collected a lot of candy, as well as went through a #### House created by the youth.

Good to hear from you as always; the kids are good and growing, Journay started kindergarden and the younger two are alive and kicking. Madhya says many full sentences. In English. She prays in Spanish with me.

I am excited for my alma mater, BYU's football team.

All our regards and best wishes,

Ed and the Clinches

PS. I teach a junior college ESL course four nights a week.