Skip to main content

The Subway Series

 


 This comes from the Book of Norman…

“The Subway Series”

---Jody-Lynn Reicher

     I was always involved in sports. I still am, and also not just because of my job. Yet, at times it has been my way to wind down at the end of the day, week or from my own physical endeavors.  One thing I have done was watch Monday Night Football, Boxing matches, Wrestling matches and the like.  Anything with a set of skills, showing great strategy, strength and decisiveness, in real time.

   However, my husband Norman, never really liked this.  Even though he played football in high school.  He would say to me, “I just can’t understand why anyone watches sports, let alone on television. I see it as a waste of time.”

    So, at that point in our marriage, it was understood, he would let me yell at the television set during games and matches.  Then I would never talk to him about such things.  Besides, he couldn’t relate to them, anyway.  But when we got together with his old fraternity brothers I was in like Flynn.  Totally comfortable.

    The only time when my husband, Norman who watched no sports at all, would watch with me. Would be if he wants to be with me.  So, one night in October 2000 B.C.  Before Children. On a Wednesday.  My husband asks me what station the World Series is on.

    I give him a queried look, “Really. Why?”

    He responds, “I thought you’d be interested and watching it.”

    “I don’t like baseball.”  A truth he never knew until then.  I added, “Honey, it’s a game, not a sport.”

    “He responded, “There’s nothing really on.  And everyone at school is talking about it.  I feel left out.”

    So, I begin to realize that since Norman is a high school math teacher.  Although the women out-number the men at the school, they know more about sports than he does.  This I found out, also bothered him.  So, I decided to oblige.

    “Okay.  I guess we'll turn on the baseball game.  There’s nothing good on anyway.”  We are in our bedroom. We are laying side by side, pillows propping our heads up to watch the game.

    He chirps, all happy, “Hey, can I ask questions?”

    I respond with a little reluctance, “Yeah, sure.  But only during advertisement.”

    So now, the game is being played. A half hour passes.  Norman volleys a question during advertisement here and there to me.  I answer and explain as quickly as possible.

    Then comes the big question of the night, Norman asks, “What are they doing?

    “What do you mean?  What is it that has got you?”  Me seeing him unable to put into words what he is witnessing. Seemingly, every once in a while.

    He responds as soon as he sees it happen. Norman gets excited and says, “Right there!  Like that thing.”

    At this point I think I know what he might be asking, but not too clearly. “What?  Show me again.”

    “There! They do this thing.”  He answers.

    “What? The touch thing?”  I ask. Thinking now as one of the coaches I see is signing. “Oh, you mean signing. Like this this this this… ” Showing him tap my head shoulders, etc…

    “Yeah. Yeah. Why is he signing? What’s that?” Norman asks.

    “Oh.  Well, I guess you didn’t realize the really big story behind this Subway Series. I mean like, who really cares about two teams from the same state, playing against one another. I mean like, how could you sell a lot of tickets, Right?”  I reply.

    He tilts his head, with a queried look.  He appears to get more interested and excited.

    “Honey, this is history in the making.  It’s stupendous. The reason why they are signing so much.  It’s really how they communicate.  They have to sign. And the most amazing thing is everybody on the METS team, except Mike Piazza, is deaf. And it’s just amazing.  No other Major Baseball Team, has ever had a near all deaf squad and made it to the World Series.” I apparently conclude.

    A stunned Norman, “WoW!!!  Now I understand, why all the women are into this at school.”

    I nod assuredly to my husband. “It’s amazing isn’t it.”

    I ponder, how long can I convince my husband of this untruth?  I wait ten minutes.  I got him convinced. I decide, that I’d better not let him go to school tomorrow morning this way.  He will never live it down.  So, I then tell him the truth. Yep. I had him.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2023 Holiday Letter from the Reicher's

Well, I didn't think I'd be doing a Holiday Letter this year, but here goes... The Spirit of Norm is in the air. As the wind whips with minus a true snowstorm.  In hopes the Farmers Almanac was correct, I pray to the snow gods. Rain ensued the month of December thus far. We have nearly tripled the amount of rainfall usual for December in New Jersey. And I've witnessed its treachery. Storms such as these hit us hardest in July. Then remained fairly intense through til about early October.  Our daughters are doing well, Thank God.  Their Dad would be proud of them. Our oldest Sarah, now a Junior at UCLA pursuing her degree in Chemical Engineering. She's digging the whole California scene. Which I thought it was for her. She's had some good traveling on her off times from school. For her March 2023 week off, she drove her and a few friends out to Lake Tahoe and went downhill skiing for a first in nearly 5 years. She had to rent the ski equipment.  Funny enough when
3 comments
Read more

Sledging the Hammer

  "You could have a steam trainIf you'd just lay down your tracks..."---Peter Gabriel's 'Sledgehammer' lyrics. This is not the tune that lay in my mind this morning as I reminisced about yesterday's volunteers to help on trail crew.    However, as I looked up the proper definition of sledging that song popped up. I say sledging, which is my own take on swinging a hammer that we call a "Double Jack". The Single Jack is six pounds. I know that because our regular crew of five including me and one staff supervisor are handling Harriman State Park Trails, and have to carry about four of those, two shaping hammers, along with a hoist, belay bag with heavy equipment, first aid kit, double Jack, three 18lb rock bars, a lopper, three buckets, three eye to eyes, two burlap straps, two green wrapping straps, two pick Mattox, a roe hoe or two, a bar for either the two ton or one ton hoist, the feathers with pegs for splitting rocks that we drill... s
Post a Comment
Read more

It Follows Me...

One may wonder what would inspire someone to work hard labor voluntarily. For me it’s the love of many things. It’s the passion that won’t be broken. Because there are so many aspects to such service for me, that it may seem beyond comprehension. I’d compare it to my youthful desire to enter the military as a young child. Then for a multitude of reasons only to follow through thirteen years later at age eighteen entering the Marines. There were things that followed me throughout my life. Sometimes they were questions of how I ever gave up my over decade’s life dream to become a New Jersey State Trooper. My childhood desire to never wed—to never have any serious relationships with another human being. I desired only service in military and law enforcement nearly my whole childhood. Too the extent that even one of my Marine Corps superiors expressed to me last July, “I never thought you’d ever get married. It just wasn’t who you were. You were always a loner.” I replied, “Yeah. I know.
Post a Comment
Read more