Tag: baseball

Anniversary Presents

Men get the short straw when it comes to a lot of “special” days, don’t you think?

Take Valentine’s Day. Pretty much everyone knows the stereotype gift of what the man is supposed to buy for the woman: chocolate candy and flowers. And what is the woman supposed to buy for the man, stereotypically speaking, that is?

Right. No one knows.

Then there are birthdays, anniversaries and Christmas. A man can’t hardly turn around before it’s time to figure out the next perfect present. And they are all supposed to be perfect, right? I can’t say that I have the answers to these questions. In fact, I don’t have the answer to all these questions. I can say that couples should look to their common interests for gift ideas. Hubby and I both like baseball.

You know the stereotype anniversary gift story: the man buys a woman what he wants to receive: golf clubs, new tools, a wax job (for the car!), sports magazines. I thought, “What a great idea!” Here’s how I’ve applied that structure. And it’s not a stereotype if I’m the only woman doing it. (Just how many of something does it take for a stereotype to get started?)

Anyway, the traditional gift for the 5th wedding anniversay is wood. The modern gift is silverware (if I can believe everything — or anything — I read on the Internet). I gave my lucky hubby a baseball book that I wanted to read: Wait Until Next Year by Doris Kearns Goodwin.

The traditional gift for the 10th wedding anniversay is tin or aluminum and the modern gift is diamond jewelry. I gave my lucky hubby a baseball book that I wanted to read: Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig by Jonathan Eig.

The traditional gift for the 15th wedding anniversay is crystal; the modern gift is watches. I gave my lucky hubby a baseball book that I wanted to read: Baseball in the Garden of Eden: The Secret History of the Early Game by John Thorn.

Of course, I let him read them first. After all, they are his gifts. I’m still trying to figure out perfect gifts to get him for his birthday, Valentine’s and Christmas. Hey! We both like football. Now that gives me an idea ….

Postaweek2011

Exploding vampires or baseball?

Dear Baseball Commissioner:

There are not enough baseball games on TV during the evening hours. Having a professional baseball game on TV is crucial to my getting the housework done, especially the supper dishes.

Washing dishes (which I do by hand) is boring enough, but having to wash dishes while my husband watches yet another show with exploding vampires is just too much for me. Our agreement is that if there is a baseball game on while I’m doing dishes, I get to watch it.

Each night I surf the satellite channels and many nights I come up empty-handed, baseball-wise. My husband, who is retired, informs me that there were several games on TV during the day. These games are wasted on him, as he doesn’t watch them. He likes to watch reruns of That ’70s Show. As if the ’70s weren’t bad enough the first time around! (Those reruns seem to be on all the time. Is there a ’70s Show channel?)

Please broadcast more baseball games during the evening hours, especially between 5:00 and 8:00 p.m. Central Time. And no, I can’t afford the MLB Extra Innings package.

Sincerely,

A Fan