I have always been a fan of Cathy Guisewite's comic strip "Cathy". Well, last week the strip that I have always looked forward to reading every weekend came to an end. At times, I could really relate to Guisewite's humor. Back in 1999, she had written a strip talking about how she wanted to understand the man's world. I cut it out of the paper, and it has been on my refrigerator since, move after move I have carried this one particular strip with me. I have tried to find a link online, so that I could share but the archives that I have found do not go back that far. But the gist of the strip, which has disappeared from the fridge, is this...
She wants to understand everything in the man's world...love...food...relationships...everything except football.
I am reminded of this strip every fall when football starts and I chuckle. I am not that into football except when the Bills make the playoffs. Fortunately, Mr. Bacon Bringer Homer doesn't care about football and the only time I catch the T.V. turned to a game is when he wants to check that the HD is working properly. He says the green is just gorgeous. I find him doing this @ oh... end of March. March, I know funny huh. Some women are married to football men and then some of us are married to baseball freaks. Thus it was as if Cathy was futuristically speaking to me about baseball...not so much, but my mind thinks of it that way.
Now, I like baseball. I played softball growing up, so I understand the game and understand the past time. Mr. Bacon Bringer Homer played baseball in college and still loves to play. For the last 4 out of 5 years, Mr. Bacon Bringer Homer has played on an adult league, but for the 2011 season he asked me if I would mind if he played. I never gave him and answer, it was an open ended catch 22. He finally decided he wasn't going to play. At the time, I was pregnant with the Gator, and his due date was a few weeks into the season and it wouldn't be nice to leave me at home on the weekends sans help to play ball. Props to all you single parents out there, I just don't know how you do it! I thought this was very sweet that he wanted to stay at home with me and the kids. He also told me that since he was beginning to fall apart (age not disclosed...) he wanted to save whatever playing he had left in him for when Monk and TBD (Gator) were old enough to play. I know sweet again.
Throughout the season, his coach would call and ask him to come out and play. Mr. Bacon Bringer Homer always asked if we had anything special planned and if I would mind if he went. I obliged knowing how much the game means to him. Being a guest player wasn't an every weekend commitment, so we could manage the few hours. Funny thing though, come the end of the season, the messages left by the coach ended up being for me rather than Mr. Bacon Bringer Homer. Begging, pleading and some groveling was usually involved, but I packed the kids and we cheered Daddy on.
During the games, the coach collects all of the broken bats from all of the players, then he has a end of season party where they burn all those collected bats. The first year I went, I thought they were nuts. It seemed as if they were eulogizing these broken bats before sending them to their etherial destiny...followed by eating cake! Over the years I have come to understand this ritual for them. These men, relive/retell their favorite brief moments that revolve around a passion that lets them feel as if they have the world in the palm of their hands, their future is limitless, and the can do anything mindset...a little boy mentality.
These are men, not children... from different backgrounds, ages, and demographics, coming together forming a camaraderie for the love of playing as if they were 12 again. Baseball boys at heart. It is this part of the man's world that I want to understand. Being a woman, I have a such vast different perspective. Probably, because woman are too catty and I don't get that. We have very few things in common with each other. Most of us have motherhood in common and yes that bares somewhat of a camaraderie, but...what else?
Being a mother, in the 21 century, I am petrified in the electronic age that my sons will have little knowledge of what true commonality and camaraderie is. So, it is up to us parents to understand and pass on. Crackberry's, iPhones, iPad, PC, Mac, Xbox,...you name it & Wii just can't bring the past time and cherished memories of sharing a human moment together.
She wants to understand everything in the man's world...love...food...relationships...everything except football.
I am reminded of this strip every fall when football starts and I chuckle. I am not that into football except when the Bills make the playoffs. Fortunately, Mr. Bacon Bringer Homer doesn't care about football and the only time I catch the T.V. turned to a game is when he wants to check that the HD is working properly. He says the green is just gorgeous. I find him doing this @ oh... end of March. March, I know funny huh. Some women are married to football men and then some of us are married to baseball freaks. Thus it was as if Cathy was futuristically speaking to me about baseball...not so much, but my mind thinks of it that way.
Now, I like baseball. I played softball growing up, so I understand the game and understand the past time. Mr. Bacon Bringer Homer played baseball in college and still loves to play. For the last 4 out of 5 years, Mr. Bacon Bringer Homer has played on an adult league, but for the 2011 season he asked me if I would mind if he played. I never gave him and answer, it was an open ended catch 22. He finally decided he wasn't going to play. At the time, I was pregnant with the Gator, and his due date was a few weeks into the season and it wouldn't be nice to leave me at home on the weekends sans help to play ball. Props to all you single parents out there, I just don't know how you do it! I thought this was very sweet that he wanted to stay at home with me and the kids. He also told me that since he was beginning to fall apart (age not disclosed...) he wanted to save whatever playing he had left in him for when Monk and TBD (Gator) were old enough to play. I know sweet again.
Throughout the season, his coach would call and ask him to come out and play. Mr. Bacon Bringer Homer always asked if we had anything special planned and if I would mind if he went. I obliged knowing how much the game means to him. Being a guest player wasn't an every weekend commitment, so we could manage the few hours. Funny thing though, come the end of the season, the messages left by the coach ended up being for me rather than Mr. Bacon Bringer Homer. Begging, pleading and some groveling was usually involved, but I packed the kids and we cheered Daddy on.
During the games, the coach collects all of the broken bats from all of the players, then he has a end of season party where they burn all those collected bats. The first year I went, I thought they were nuts. It seemed as if they were eulogizing these broken bats before sending them to their etherial destiny...followed by eating cake! Over the years I have come to understand this ritual for them. These men, relive/retell their favorite brief moments that revolve around a passion that lets them feel as if they have the world in the palm of their hands, their future is limitless, and the can do anything mindset...a little boy mentality.
These are men, not children... from different backgrounds, ages, and demographics, coming together forming a camaraderie for the love of playing as if they were 12 again. Baseball boys at heart. It is this part of the man's world that I want to understand. Being a woman, I have a such vast different perspective. Probably, because woman are too catty and I don't get that. We have very few things in common with each other. Most of us have motherhood in common and yes that bares somewhat of a camaraderie, but...what else?
Being a mother, in the 21 century, I am petrified in the electronic age that my sons will have little knowledge of what true commonality and camaraderie is. So, it is up to us parents to understand and pass on. Crackberry's, iPhones, iPad, PC, Mac, Xbox,...you name it & Wii just can't bring the past time and cherished memories of sharing a human moment together.
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