Heavenly Coach

Thanks to each and every one of you for your kind emails and blog comments upon the ascension of our Nina. I have news.

Apparently, based on fascinating reports from friends here on Earth, she was busy for the first day or two greeting family and previously-ascended old friends.

But on the third day, she appears to have gotten a job.

Nina liked nothing more than the Seattle Mariners. She was an avid fan who, once reminded that a game was on today, watched every game all the way through. Although she was a patient woman in most ways, she was not necessarily patient with her team. She talked to the TV screen, often with considerable vigor, regarding the players' behavior.

"Don't hit it in the air!" she would energetically reprimand the fly-ball hitter. "Hit it on the ground! Can't you see they'll just catch it?"

"You," she would admonish a second-baseman up to bat, "are getting too fat. If you'd lose some weight you could run faster."

Of course, she cheered like crazy when they did something right. At the big house on Capitol Hill, where she was the fourth member of the household for some twenty years, she never missed a game, watching it on TV from her four-poster bed. There would come a thump as she leapt from bed; then the house intercom system would ring with "Woowoo!" at every home run, triple, double, or final strikeout of the bad guys. She continued this way in her own apartment over the past six years, where she had the newspaper open to the sports page more often than not and cut-out photos of Ichiro on her walls.

The Mariners have been doing rather poorly this season. At least, they were until a few days after August 6. My sister Denise reported to me, in some astonishment, that Nina's team has won ten of their last twelve games since Nina entered the great dugout in the sky and turned her eagle eye on her team.

Headlines such as these have begun to appear:

Seattle Mariners: Playoff Contender? from CBS Sports.

Felix Hernandez Pitches a Perfect Game from USA Today.

and Mariners vs. Indians: Seattle Makes it 8 Straight, Sweeps Cleveland Out of Town from SB Nation Seattle.

Coincidence? Ha! Little did that last sportswriter know that Nina had been an avid Cleveland Indians fan in her young adulthood, and often told about the time in 1948 when the Indians won the World Series. She went to watch the parade that day and swore the Cleveland manager, Lou Boudreau (who was, by the way, "very handsome") looked directly at her as he passed. 

So of course, Denise and I watched with some interest to see which team she would choose from her new perch, where she is undoubtedly surrounded by her huge Sicilian family, all Indians fans. The record is clear: the Mariners beat the Indians three in a row.

Look, the woman had a certain power. Everyone knew that a rosary said by Nina for their cause was almost a guarantee of success. She had a direct line. And all lines have two ends. So she's at the other end now, and even though her team isn't the Angels...you get the picture.

I know I have readers from around the U.S. who likely have a bias toward their own team. I'm just sayin', if your team is playing Seattle any time soon, let it be known: the Mariners have an invisible advantage. 

Comments

[Lisa Flynn]

OMG - this is so amazing! She did have amazing powers and a fanatical love of the Mariners. She must be having an absolute blast up there in the clouds!

[Bill Boniface]

After I spoke at the reception Leslie told me that I failed to say something about Nina and the Mariners. It was so fun (especially in 2001 . . . 116 wins) to be out in the yard or on the back deck and hear Nina whooping it up. Especially if it was a tense game and there was a great play Nina would let us know! Usually when I was outside I would listen to the game on the radio . . . Nina would let me know when to go inside and watch the replay.

I was glad Nina adopted the Mariners and was loyal. The past 8-9 years only a true baseball fan would follow the Mariners. I'm glad Nina was a fan. Misery loves company.

[Char]

I just grin every time the Mariners win now....and I told the little boys who was helping all these amazing wins...they just looked at me in awe. Do you remember when she and Boop were in love with Joey Cora?...'oh he is so cute'...Keep it up Nina! We miss you!