Summer has finally arrived in the Willamette Vally, warm days and cool evenings. Spring is over and people can finally move out of doors. It is not that people here are weather sensitive it is that our lives are ruled by allergens, pollen if you will. Each evening news cast now carries pollen levels and people plan their day according to what the pollen count is in regards to their specific allergen. When Lewis and Clark discovered the Willamette Vally the natives referred to it as the valley of sickness and if you will take a walk with me around my neighborhood you will soon notice after admiring in awe the beautiful flowers, trees, green lush lawns and vegetation and taking in all the wonderful smells that your eyes are itchy. The smells quickly are replaced by a runny nose and difficulty breathing. Come on back to the house and I will get you a Claritan D. Just one though. Thanks to the idiots in charge, I know they are everywhere, I can only purchase my Claritan D from the pharmacist who records my name with each purchase. Just another example of how the Jeremy Mayfields of the world have ruined it for the rest of us. Nascar blows!
My neighbor is a ham radio operator, yeah he is weird but in this case I need his expertise to pull in an AM signal so I can listen to the Mariners on my front porch. Remember I live in a vally. The closest station to carry the Mariners is sixty miles away and God forbid that any local station carry anything that is not related to the Duck's. During basketball season there are two stations in this podunk town who carry womens basketball. You would think all the fat pimply face boys who give a damn would already be at the game. Sorry fatman I digress. I learned to listen to baseball on radio from my dad, Big Lee. On warm summer evenings we would sit in the Galaxy 500 and listen to road games of our local minor league team. On Sunday evening after the local stations went off the air at sundown we could pull in the Giant's or Dodger's if we were really lucky. Big Lee would drink Carling Black Label in the stubby bottle while smoking non filter Camel's. Life was good. Mama Eve and I watch the Mariners 162 a year and due to the time zone on east coast trips we will watch the early broadcast and listen to the evening rebroadcast on the front porch. Maybe we are the weird neighbors? These have become social events in that neighborhood walkers have become familiar with our ritual over the last three years. Some have even brought a six pack and listened along for a few beers before going on their way. The police have visited a few times because there is an a-hole in every neighborhood. Never any trouble and being a small town I went to high school with the father of the cop who shows up in most cases.
The Mariners are in third place in the west trailing the Angels by five as of today. In spite of injuries to Endy Chavez, torn acl, Adrian Beltre, shoulder surgery out until September or longer, they have been exciting and competitive. Pitching is outstanding both starting and relief. The impressive part of this team is the new management these guys know baseball and baseball talent. New manager Don Wakamatsu has my vote for manager of the year. Yeah I'm a homer but I also know baseball. They may not take it into post season but at least they are going to be in the hunt through September. If you have a radio and love a team and you do have to love a team, leave your back yard and move out to the front porch or yard or drive way and get to know your neighbors. Weirdo!
