Good news, bad news, and baseball

Two of our readers had significant birthdays this week: Dolores Sommers and Helen Fowler. The Sommers family put a birthday notice in the paper last year when she turned 100 and did so again this year. That got me thinking. Deb Bently really enjoys the company of Helen Fowler each time they’ve visited. These over-100 ladies really are famous (and loved), so, why not send Deb to chat with Mrs. Sommers?

As my work day was winding down Tuesday evening, Gloria Butler gave me a call to let me know Mrs. Fowler was celebrating her 103rd birthday at Lakeside Golf Course. I learned how personable Mrs. Butler is when I interviewed her last year as she retired from the insurance business at State Farm. I’m grateful to see business continuing smoothly there as Gloria enjoys the “full week of Saturdays” that is retirement. 

Speaking with Gloria last year was very memorable. At some point most of my interviews for feature stories usually stop being a flow of questions and simply transition into a rich conversation. That’s what happened with Gloria, basically from the start. Those are the best kind of interviews/stories. I don’t know if it’s selfish, but I generally use the excuse of the newspaper to hear really good stories in person, and/or through our writers at the paper. Everyone has a story, and hearing the best parts over an hour (or sometimes three) is truly enriching. I’m grateful for the opportunity and the privilege of hearing about people’s experiences and insights. 

Speaking of experiences, I made it to the Saturday Braves game. We won 4-2 and breathed a sigh of relief as we earned two more games this season. I kind of had a feeling we would play poorly on Sunday given the high stress nature of Saturday’s game. Unfortunately I was attending a birthday party and did not make it Sunday. Well, we lost that one. 

So what was the feeling like Saturday? Both coaches, Tink and Blake, spoke about how it’s hard to watch from the sidelines. “Players don’t understand what it’s like.” 

They’re both right. I only coached baseball for two years, and at the middle school level, but man is it hard to watch while also being in charge of the players. 

I remember a “relay” gone bad after which I almost stormed onto the field. I’m not much of a “yeller” but in this instance, I lost my temper a bit. A parent (I knew all of the parents because of my role with the newspaper at the time. Oh, and I was 19.) cautioned me, “Eli, they’re kids,” or something to that extent. “I know,” I growled back, “but I just care.” 

Another time I found coaching hard was when I wanted to pinch hit (then eighth-grader) Ben Schoenrock late in a game we were losing. Ben, who currently also plays for the Braves, was on the eighth-grade team at the time; I was coaching seventh-graders. The move wouldn’t have been illegal, but it was much too competitive for that level of ball. One of my coaching and umping mentors (I umpired baseball up to the sophomore level from age 15 until about 22) pulled me aside and vetoed my decision. I’m grateful he did and I’m grateful for the lessons learned. 

That said, I agree with Tink. I don’t know how he made it to his age looking much younger than his years in the face of all this baseball-induced stress. 

On a more personal note. We will not be running the Waseca Jail roster in the paper again. Many readers asked/requested that we include it; I was not a particular fan of the idea, but I am a fan of doing what readers want. After it appeared last week, more than one reader reached out via phone and email. After hearing their concerns, I agree. People who are interested in the roster can easily access it online: As much as possible, I prefer that the Pioneer remain a “good news” publication. 

“A lot of times good news happens slowly and bad news happens all at once. And so we tend to focus on the bad news that’s crashing over us in waves, and not on the slow long-term work that people are doing together to try to make a better world for us to share.” 

— John Green

“Bad news travels at the speed of light; good news travels like molasses.”

— Tracy Morgan

‍“The good news is that every morning we have the choice; not to be controlled by circumstances nor our past but by purposely designing our day, hence our lives better. Not to react to life but to respond with love.” 

— Bernard Kelvin Clive