To Thanks to You

Some final notes as we enter The Void.

A thought on the World Series. During the clash between Alan (Domino's Pizza) Monaghan's Tigers and Joan (Mrs. McDonald's) Kroc's McPadres, Harvard students had good reason to be disinterested.

As-residents of what must be the only major university campus in the country without either of these great American fast food emporia, we had no vested interest in seeing the Domino's and McDonald's hired hands battle it out for the title.

Thanks a bunch, Cambridge zoning commission.

In the nice to see it happen folder'. A phenom who loves to throw 93 mph heat, a pitcher who makes me really appreciate the strikeout.

Thank you, Dwight Gooden, it couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

In the I can't believe he's younger than I am and I guess this means my plaque will never be in Cooperstown file. There is an extraordinarily talented major league ball player who is just 19 years old.

Thank you, Dwight Gooden.

In the you can forget about having my firstborn named after you file. I went to a Mets-Cubs clash late this lamented summer and saw Dwight Gooden set down the visitors without a hit in the first four innings.

In the top of the fifth, Gooden induced Keith Moreland to ground routinely to third base. All the third sacker had to do was scoop up the ball and fire to first to preserve the no-hitter.

But he didn't.

He fielded it cleanly, but then he just stared dumbly at ball laying in the webbing of his glove.

The slowest human being in the National League was rumbling down the first base line and he didn't throw the ball.

The scorer ruled the play a base hit and that was that Gooden put the rest of the Cubs away without a hit, but it really didn't matter.

No one remembers one-hitters.

I lost my only, chance ever to see a no hitter and I have hold accountable.

Thank you, third baseman Ray knight.

Finally, a brief note on the summer. I spent three months in the capital of the free world and had to drive to Baltimore in order to see a ball game.

My Washington Senators left on a road trip when I was six years old.

I am still waiting for them to come back to the nation's capital.

Thank you, major league baseball for robbing me of my childhood.