A bur (also spelled burr) is a seed or dry fruit or infructescence in which the seeds bear hooks or teeth which attach themselves to the fur of passing animals or the clothing of people. The hooks or teeth can be irritants and very hard to remove from clothing, such as wool or cotton. The bur of burdock was the inspiration for Velcro. – Wikipedia
On Sunday home games this year at PNC Park, my favorite MLB team is sporting the uniforms they wore in the early 70’s when they broke in Three Rivers Stadium. The look is a classic one – I almost dare say it is “timeless”. Modern, yet understated. Who the hell knew polyester could ooze such class?
The Bucs wore these uniforms until the Lumber and Lightning year of 1977, when new manager Chuck Tanner, in conjunction with the speed game he brought along with him from Oakland, introduced the infamous “Nine Permutations”. These were the various mix-and-match combinations that were created from jerseys and pants, each available in three different looks: white pinstripe, gold, and black. Some of those worked nicely together – I was partial to black with white pinstripes. Others didn’t mesh so well – the all gold look was particularly gaudy.
Recently, I was in Northern VA to visit with my Big Bros and Sister-in-Law Lora and attend the Washington National’s home opener. (OK, recently is kind of relative – I started this post and then sat on it for about a month.) It was a really good time. On Sunday evening, there was this glorious stretch of about four hours, spent just shooting the shit and reminiscing with Rich, Steve, and Lora about Joan and Cody N™. We were at Rich's basement bar, surrounding the two-tower keg system, which was efficiently dispensing copious amounts of Sam Adams Boston Lager and Miller Lite. Those were just about the best four hours Your Faithful Servant has had over the last six months. Really need to figure out a way to do that more often. Nourishment for the soul, indeed.
Not a unique observation, but I have always felt that the appeal of shows like Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm (starring Seinfeld co-creator Larry David) is due, in large part, to their universal nature. So many of the plots revolving around ordinary everyday occurrences and our reaction to them. It is uncanny how many personal incidents in one’s own real life can be mapped back to some moment or scene in some episode of Seinfeld or Curb.
