Thursday, May 01, 2008

SPORTS: Give That Fan a Contract!

My favourite sports story ...

It's opening day in a brand new baseball season. It's early in the 20th century and the beloved Bums of Brooklyn are opening up the season at home. The Dodgers had fallen on bad times the previous few seasons. Despite that, the stands were full of well-dressed men in suits, a few women in stately Sunday best (it wasn't a Sunday, but getting dressed up was a requirement back then), and more than a few kids, playing hooky from school for this most important day in the spring calendar.

The Brooklyn pitcher gets the ball. The Batter digs into the fresh dirt of the batter's box and finally gets his feet in just the right position and cocks the bat back behind his ear. The Umpire motions with his hand and bellows, "PLAY BALL!" The pitcher rears back and delivers a pitch plateward. "BALL ONE!" yells the ump.

From deep in the grandstand comes one leather-lunged fan's rejoinder.

WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR!

For the Canadiens and Sharks fans in the pools and in front of their TV sets.

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