Relative Something

The new major league baseball field in town is getting its grass installed! The Twins won 5 games in a row! Are we getting baseball fever?

I am a pretty intermittent baseball spectator. That’s too bad, in a way. I think one big charm of true followers of baseball is their ability to harvest entertainment from the periods when individual games don’t seem to hold great value. They get creative, transforming a game that on the surface can appear boring to the casual observer, by manufacturing intensity, tracking and recording statistics down to every single pitch, if necessary. I don’t seem to have that level of interest, even though Dad was one who seemed to track every game on radio or TV. It didn’t rub off, at least, not thoroughly. I do recall he taught Judy the art of filling out the scorecard on a game.

I don’t pay close attention to every game, but I tend to peek in on at least part of a majority of Twins games on a regular basis, if they are being broadcast. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve felt like my watching must be bad luck. All too often, when I stop the channel surfing on a game in progress, it ends up being just in time to see an inning get away from my team and it goes from bad to worse until I can’t stand to witness any more and surf on.

I admit that one of my favorite features of the broadcasts has become the “Circle Me, Bert” routine. Something that has very little to do with the actual game. One of the best things about a gimmick like this is that it is the fans that have made it so popular, and I believe a bit of dumb luck for the team’s Marketing Department to have it take off as it did. Television color commentator, Bert Blyleven, uses his telestrator to circle fans who hold up signs urging him on during the broadcast. I love how it inspires fans who show up at away games to put a lot of effort into being very visible Twins fans.

I think we could all do with a little circling of our cheery little selves in a whole variety of life’s day to day situations. Doesn’t really translate, but somehow, I think it should. Or maybe it’s just that I like uttering the phrase, “Circle me, Bert!” regardless whether there is a ball game on, or not.