Last week I was unable to write due to my drill weekend. Originally, I intended to put together some (hopefully) insightful thoughts on the 77th anniversary of the D-day invasion, those will wait for the 78th Anniversary. However, I did come home Sunday and watched Saving Private Ryan. One note of caution: do not begin watching that moving at 10:00 in the evening. It’s a much longer movie than I remembered, and when it finished, it was no longer June 6th.
This week I’m going to share some thoughts about baseball. Why? Sydney and I are going to watch the Indians host the Mariners this afternoon. Plus, a few weeks ago, the movie “A League of their Own” was on TV. Sydney asked, “Women can play baseball?” So began another history lesson in our house.
When Heather and I were originally asked to join a group of friends in their baseball ticket pool, we thought it would be a good excuse for “just the two of us” to spend some time together and hang out at the ballpark. The reality of the situation has become that each daughter now makes an argument about who should get to go with which parent to the next game. Sydney won today’s ticket with the “Rachel got to go with Dad when I was sick; I’m not sick now, so it’s my turn.” The 12-year-old (Rachel) then admitted defeat with a shrug of her shoulders and walked out of the room.
So, can women play baseball? It’s actually a good question. In researching information to share with Sydney, I came across some interesting perspectives. As in other sports, women are making advances in the Major League. Just this past winter, the Miami Marlins hired the first female General Manager in the League. I’m partial to the Little League World Series (it’s located in the town I went to college), so I like the story of Mo’Ne Davis. She pitched for a team from Philadelphia and became the first female to pitch a shutout in LLWS history. These and other barriers broken by women in baseball can be found at this link: https://www.mlb.com/news/
Of course, a conversation about women in baseball wouldn’t be complete without referencing the All-American Girl Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). For those of you not familiar with either the league or the 1992 movie, the League was created during WWII while many men were heading off to war. (You should have seen me have THAT conversation with Sydney.) You can read a brief history on the AAGPBL here: https://www.britannica.com/
Or check out what the organization is doing still today: http://www.aagpbl.org/
Until next week, Syd and I will be off to the park in search of some peanuts and cracker jacks!
Please remember that we are “here” and available for you as well. If you have any questions or concerns, financial or otherwise, please do not hesitate to call or email. If you have friends, family, or neighbors you feel would benefit from a conversation with me, I’m more than happy to have a call or jump on a Zoom meeting with them.
As always, I hope that you are doing well, and staying safe & healthy!