Transcript for the Piece Audio version of Sunglasses for Baseball: a commentary

Yeah right. You HAVE to wear your sunglasses because it?s so bright out. You HAVE to keep them on for the whole baseball game that your nine year old son is playing at the park district field. Cause it?s so bright. Uh huh.

He goes up to bat and you smile and sort of look away, not wanting to appear too anxious, shouting out a nonchalant ?Go!? just so he knows you?re paying attention. You might have met a few of the other parents and casually made conversation about how busy this time of year is or whether it?s going to rain tonight or where your kids go to school.... and your son steps up to bat and he loves baseball so much and the kid who is pitching to him is tall and it?s sort of a fast ball that he pitches and your son stands there at the plate, gripped in terror.

?Give it a swing buddy,? you shout. Then behind your sunglasses you feel that burning in your eyes and you fix your face so that it looks calm and encouraging. This is all too much. You might be remembering your own successes or failures at baseball or at some other sport, you might be wondering if you should be the kind of parent who sets aside time to pitch to your kid each day after school. You might be wondering if baseball really is his sport. You might be astounded to notice how tall your boy is and how lanky he looks in his baseball uniform. Another pitch. He swings and he makes contact. Yes the bat has actually hit the ball and the ball is flying out into center field and your son is running to first. It?s the first time he?s ever hit and you shout ?YAY !! Way to go!!!? and now you really are crying, thank GOD for those sunglasses. You?re so proud of him and so nervous for him and so shocked by how big he looks and so tired of living at the park every night, feeding the kids a quick supper of fishsticks and trying to fit in some homework time at 9:30 p.m. But here he is, and he HIT the ball!

He?s on base! He made it on base! And you flip a wave in his direction and he is looking at you and beaming. Another kid is up to bat now and you can relax. You sort of step back and banter with the other parents a little, maybe hand your little girls a juice box. The next kid makes it on base and soon your very own son has made it all around the bases and HOME! ?Good job!? You shout. ?way to go!?

It?s another night at the park-- another night trying to make a grocery list on the back of the checkbook pad. You might have brought other work with you to the games early on, thinking that all you would have to do is just look up once in a while. But very soon you realized that you were in the thick of it just by being there. Thank god you had the good sense to wear sunglasses.