...Those 2019 Astros World Champions Shirts - weekly column 10.31.19

Lawrence Hall, HSG
Mhall46184@aol.com
poeticdrivel.blogspot.com

What Will Happen to all Those 2019 Astros World Champions Shirts?

Last week y’r ‘umble scrivener happened to be visiting the local elementary school on Book Parade Day. The little children were all dressed up as their favorite characters from their favorite books, and then while holding their books processed joyfully through the halls.

One of the extra joys was seeing the great number of old friends from our own books of the long-ago: Hank the Cow Dog, Robin Hood, Little Bo Peep, Minnie Mouse, Three Blind Mice (they were teachers, and I’m sure there’s no symbolism…), Alice in Wonderland, Bob the Builder, the Little Mermaid, butterflies, firefighters, elves, cowboys, fairies, cops, princesses, bears, football players, baseball players (no Washington Gnationals among our well-brought-up children, of course) one shark with gynormous flippers, somewhat fewer than 101 dalmatians, the Cat in the Hat, Princess Ella, astronauts, ballerinas, a giraffe, honeybees, dinosaurs (one of them a great big green one), some witches (not the math teachers), rabbits, farmers, and, oh, all sorts of childhood pals.

One of the principals was got up splendidly as Raggedy Andy. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen your principal costumed as Raggedy Andy.

C.S. Lewis wrote that a good children’s book is one that is again a joy when re-read in adulthood. So when was the last time you saddled up with Roy and Gene, sailed with Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver, or fell down that rabbit hole?

Well done, librarians and teachers and office gnomes and aides and parents and scary principals!

Y’r ‘umble fellow citizen also had an occasion to indulge in volunteer fire department takeaway barbecue on Sunday after meetin’.

There is nothing more truly American than our local volunteer fire departments. Firefighters have jobs and families and other community commitments, and then after work they spend hours and hours in training programs (and polishing up the big red fire trucks). And all this so that, for no pay at all, they can be ready to roll night and day, in all sorts of weather, to serve humanity in fires, floods, car crashes, medical emergencies, and the heartbreak of an Astros loss. And they hold fund-raisers to help fund the the gas and the gear.

Volunteer firefighters - they’re the best.

Finally, what indeed will happen to all the Houston Astros World champion shirts that were (sniff) never sold?

I don’t know what the sporting goods stores and suppliers will do this year with all those shirts they had manufactured with high hopes. In the past, such shirts have often been written off and shipped to religious and secular charities to be given away in poorer countries.

Thus, if you take a nice vacation this next year and see a little kid wearing a shirt boasting that the Houston Astros are the 2019 world champions, enjoy the moment. A kid who didn’t have a shirt will now have a shirt, and that’s good. And the shirt will read “HOUSTON ASTROS, 2019 WORLD CHAMPIONS.” And that’s good too. You might even say that the occasion is its own championship moment.

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