A nice Fathers Day e-mail from Mark Robinson of Iowa City:
Hi, Ron;
I spent Fathers Day with my dad in Marshalltown. Fox Sports Midwest, which I don't get in Iowa City, showed the game between St. Louis and Kansas City. It was a joke of a ballgame, but that is just what I wished for. That my dad would not have to fret over Cardinals hitting, pitching and the bullpen. As it happened, it was a perfect Fathers Day. Kansas City is a poor excuse for a baseball team, though.
Here, my 80-year-old dad and I were watching, and my dad is a really hard-core Cardinals fan. It is generally difficult to watch a game with him because he, like you, Ron, is a critic. Here's a sampler of you and dad. "Oh my God, we might just suck more than any other team has sucked before. That guy can't hit worth a good goddam. He's worthless against lefties. He can't drive in anyone in scoring position. He can't get the ball over the plate." And further Cardinals woes: Why does LaRussa put that guy into pitch,(?) he is terrible. The manager is clueless.
Further: We traded who? We gave a billion dollars to whom? Uh, this guy is hurt for life and we gave him just how much money?
I sat with my dad in the basement while the Cardinals loaded the bases. The pitcher couldn't avoid Pujols and the ball went over the wall. Four runs. Tied Stan Musial for Grand Salamis in a Cardinal uniform.
Next up a few innings later, Albert Pujols. Another home run. His stats are off the charts.
It was fun, Ron. My father became a Cardinals fan in the mid-1940s, when KMOX was a 50.000-watt blowtorch station that broadcast the team's games west of the Mississippi, thus creating a huge early fan base. His mother, who died in 1959, was a bigtime fan of the Gashouse Gang, and it is true that a boy will pay attention to his mother.
Dad did.
Keep writing,
Mark
[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Few things are better than spending Fathers Day with your dad, Mark. And to be able to watch the Cardinals with him made it en even better day for you and him. The nice thing about being in this part of the state is that, thanks to DirecTV, I'm able to get telecasts of the Cubs, White Sox, Cardinals, Brewers, Twins and Royals. Some are major league teams, some aren't. I especially like hearing what the announcers from the Cardinals, White Sox, Brewers and Twins say when their teams are playing the Cubs. I always like getting a different perspective. The Royals haven't played the Cubs for a while and -- like you say -- Kansas City isn't a very good team. So I watch the K.C. games less than the others. Thanks for your thoughts, Mark.]
