I realize that the purpose of this blog is commerce, not art, and that I haven't posted much lately. Part of the reason for my lack of focus on this blog is that my father is in declining health, and has been in and out of the hospital recently. I am taking a few minutes to think of him and honor him here publicly. Read on if you wish, or you can re-join the conversation when I am able to re-direct to more business-relevant content.
Last week, my father's and my beloved baseball team, the Phillies, won their first World Series since 1980, and just the second in his lifetime. We were both thrilled to see our team reach the pinnacle of their sport, but at the same time, the end of the World Series, even when our team wins it, means that we're deprived of baseball until the start of spring training. Winters are longer, colder, and darker if you're a baseball fan.
The late commissioner of Major League Baseball, A. Bartlett Giamatti, wrote a poem called "The Green Fields of the Mind" about the end of the baseball season. I'm thinking of it a lot lately, as it evokes thoughts of my father. An excerpt is below:
"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone. You count on it, rely on it to buffer the passage of time, to keep the memory of sunshine and high skies alive, and then just when the days are all twilight, when you need it most, it stops."
My Dad imparted in me an immutable love for baseball and of reading. I'll have both forever. Thanks, big guy.
Recent Comments