And the Ballgame is Over! 07/24/26

For the two or three Met fans remaining in the world, that headline was for you. Every time the Mets win, their longtime announcer says, “And the ballgame is over!” Trouble is, he doesn't get to say that much these days. As for Al and Marv, the ballgame is also over. For good. Last week I wrote about that fact that many of us still think we’re capable of doing the same things we used to be capable of doing. Not me of course, but most people. I used to play softball every summer. And if there were an Over-60 league in my town, I might still consider it. I mean everyone else is over 60 as well, so how bad could it be? I’d be fine, except for the throwing part. And diving for a ball, uhhh no. It’s my back, my arm, my surgically repaired knee (not mine, but I threw that in there to get you readers to feel sorry for me), and whatever other injuries people “our age” have. I remember the last ad agency I worked at had a co-ed softball team. I was in my late 50’s. I was on first base after hitting a single. The next batter hit a ground ball and I ran towards second base. A girl, who couldn’t have weighed much more than 100 lbs. was standing on second with both feet waiting for a throw. I slowed up to avoid a collision and was declared out at second. As I ran back to the bench, one guy said, “Slide! Why didn't you take her out?” For those of you unfamiliar with baseball terminology, the guy wasn’t suggesting I ask her out on a date. He was saying I should have slid hard into second base, thereby forcing her to fall and drop the ball. Uhh no.

When you think about it there is a natural progression regarding our athletic abilities or lack thereof. If it’s tennis, you go from singles to doubles to trying your hand at pickleball doubles. I once tried pickleball singles against my son and it did not go well for me. Or golf, where you go from walking 18 holes carrying your bag to 18 holes in a golf cart to 9 holes in a golf cart, to trying to putt the ball through the windmill and your local miniature golf course. Or take jogging. You go from training for the marathon to jogging a couple miles a couple times a week to walking. Once I can’t do that, shoot me. Of course if you do that there would no longer be a comic unless John decided to carry on alone.

Lastly, John and I have discussed what direction the blog should take. Now it’s currently about what life experiences he and I have gone through that led to the comics for that week. We have talked to many younger experts about becoming “influencers” for the over-60 crowd. We both spent many decades in advertising where we had to use our creativity to sell products. The comic allows us to use our creativity to (hopefully) make people laugh. If we became influencers we’d have to go back to selling products. But let’s take a crack at it. Hi boomers! This morning, after a hearty breakfast of Kellogg’s corn flakes and Chiquita bananas, I brushed my teeth with the incredible Oral-B io Series 3 electric toothbrush available at your local Target and fine drug stores everywhere. Are you influenced yet?

Have a great weekend soaking up the sun, but not too much sun. But if you do, don’t forget to apply Coppertone sunscreen, spf 50.

Andy and John