Afterword

Accepting the impermanence of life is one of the prerequisites of becoming an adult. Things change, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. And all that is out of our control, except that which pertains to our individual selves and actions.

So, I may miss a time when the only team uniforms that had black or gray in them were the ones that had those as part of the team colors; when all World Series games were played in the sunshine; when a bowl game was just a bowl game not (your corporate name here) bowl game; when I did not have to get “up close and personal” with an athlete, just admire his performance on the field or court or ice, but acceptance is the only healthy response. And ceasing to care is a regrettable option.

I am sad that the culture and character of sports I grew up with and which gave me so much pleasure is long gone and not coming back. But like Phil Elliott (played by Nick Nolte) says (quoting 1st Corinthians) at the end of the movie North Dallas 40 when he quits football, apparently it is, as I near my ninth decade, “time to put away childish things,”

Bob Stiles is a pseudonym.
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Acknowledgements: Many websites provided details that refreshed or corrected my memories about the events described here, and provided facts surrounding the events, and most especially allowed me to pinpoint exact dates of games I viewed or attended.