Baseball: A Literary Anthology edited by Nicholas Dawidoff, includes an excerpt of the story Yankee Ends Real Corker of a Mystery by Buster Olney. This piece discusses the story of James Grimsley and his 'mission impossible' to retrieve Albert Belle's illegally corked bat from the umpire's room. This piece was by far the most humorous one we have read yet. In our class discussion, we envisioned what it would be like for Grimsley to be crossing the complicated terrain of a drop ceiling, that without a doubt, included many wires and pipes, something that would not be an easy task for 6'3", 180 pound Grimsley to accomplish.
Our class shared many good laughs while talking about this mission. We envisioned the sly grin on Grimsley's face when Mike LaValliere, Chicago's catcher, complimented the Red Sox outfield players on their beautifully orchestrated mission impossible. This piece not only allowed a good laugh to be shared, but it also brought a new perspective to the game of baseball.
Often times we think of baseball players as the untouchables, the elitists if you will. This narration provides a behind-the-scenes look into the dugout. Onley makes you feel as though these players are the beloved friends from your high school friend group. We see that although these players are paid millions and millions of dollars, they risk it all to save a friend from getting in trouble. It speaks to the camaraderie that is associated with game of baseball. All in all, this piece was very enjoyable and did an excellent job of bringing the game of baseball down to a real-world level. Not to mention, the stellar pun in the title provided our pun-loving class a good laugh.
Until Next Time -
Kaylie & Ryan
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