Baseball and Community: The Moth Podcast
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Welcome to the Moth. I'm Larry Rosen, and it's October. It's time for sweaters, leaves turning, and pumpkin spice. And perhaps, most importantly, if you're a baseball fan, the World Series. Well, there's a lot to say about the series and about October baseball in general. This is why I am thrilled to be joined for this episode by a beloved moth storyteller and my really good friend, Manish Jain. Manish has worked in baseball for 21 years as a producer, writer, photographer, and the host of several baseball themed podcasts. Hello, Manish. Hello, Larry.
Thanks for being here. Thank you for having me. I love you. I love the moth. I love baseball. Let's go.
Okay, great.
So you've always told me that October baseball is a complex experience. What is that about?
October baseball is the best. October baseball is the worst, especially if your team is in it. For those of you listening at home, I have an old English D on my head. I'm a born and raised Detroit Tigers fan, and I've always got some type of Detroit paraphernalia for the world to see. And as of this moment, not to timestamp the episode, but the Tigers are playing the Guardians in game one of the wildcard. So my heart is beating 4 million miles per minute. I hope it doesn't come through on the podcast. And my stomach is in one giant knot. When I was walking to the studio today with my Tigers gear, I had strangers yelling out to me, How you feeling? Scoobs looks good. I hope y'all do okay today. I mean, baseball is a cheat code for connection.
I don't have to know anything about you. You don't have to know anything about me, but you see the logo on my head and you understand the stakes of what we're all dealing with right now. And honestly, I don't think there's anything else in my life, at least, that instantly connects me to a stranger more than baseball, especially in October.
All right, let's hear a little bit more about this connecting power of baseball. We're going to play a story by Bridget Flaherty. Bridget told this in a Detroit story slam where the theme of the night was dazzled. Here's Bridget, live at the mall.
In 2007, I took my two-and-a-half-year-old son to a baseball game. We lived in Dayton, Ohio, and someone had given us some free tickets to see the Cincinnati Reds, so we drove an hour and a half to the stadium. I was under no delusion about what it would be like to take a toddler to a baseball game. I fully expected that we would walk around the stadium, do some of the kids' stuff, eat stadium food, maybe watch a little bit of baseball, and then drive home. But that is not what happened. Ian was completely enthralled. He loved the wave and cheering and he got to meet Mr. Redlegs and he actually enjoyed watching baseball. And that day began a love of baseball in general and the Cincinnati Reds in particular.
In fact, I had to start DVRing Cincinnati Reds baseball games for those of you that remember when we used to have to do that, because he watched baseball like other toddlers watch their favorite show or their favorite movie over and over and over again. And he would stand in front of the TV acting out what he saw on screen, hitting and throwing and sliding and cheering. By the time he was in kindergarten, he knew the entire Cincinnati Reds starting lineup, their names, their numbers, and their positions. So when he was 10 years old, I arranged for a special treat for him to go to see the Cincinnati Reds at spring training in Arizona. And I really didn't know what to expect, but I had heard that if you showed up on a day when they didn't have a game, that you could watch them practice.
So we did that. We got there early and we sat on the little bleachers outside of the practice fields. And lo and behold, we were just a few feet away from his idols. And he was just over the moon. He had brought a brand new ball and a Sharpie, hoping to get some signatures. And other than the two of us, there were only like a handful of other people in the stands, all of them young men with binders full of baseball cards, hoping to get signatures.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:02–9:59
2
What special experience did Bridget Flaherty and her son have at the baseball stadium?
9:59–10:47
3
How did Ian's love for baseball develop during a game with his mother?
10:47–16:41
4
What unexpected moments occurred during Ian's spring training visit?
16:41–18:07