Like many on AN, I did not have the privilege of seeing Jackie Robinson break baseball's color barrier, so moments like today's inauguration are not only historic - for many of us they are firsts of some kind. The trouble with neglecting to be alive for more than about 100 years out of forever is that you miss out on so much history, from the first spoken word and the first lightbulb to baseball's equivalents, such as Joe DiMaggio's hitting streak - thought by some to be the least vulnerable of all baseball's many records and achievements. Some days you just fold the laundry, while other days you make, see, or participate in history.
Today seems like a good day to celebrate baseball's history and its related historical achievements. Are some of you, er, veteran enough to have seen Jackie Robinson's first game, or followed DiMaggio's hitting streak, or did your grandfather insist, as mine did, that he was at the game when Babe Ruth allegedly pointed to the stands and then proceeded to launch a majestic HR to the very spot where he had just pointed?
My brushes with baseball history have been few and far between, but I was at the game when Nolan Ryan no-hit the A's for the sixth of his seven career no-hitters. It was one of the few games in my life when I spent a portion of it rooting against the A's, who clearly weren't going to win the game anyway. I have a feeling many of you can top that, especially if you have (eh, how do I say?) been around a while.
So welcome to history on this January 20th, 2009. Enjoy it, share it, live it - and while you're at it, how 'bout we talk some baseball?