What the Nationals/Astros baseball game taught this 93 year oldster

There are so many things. I hardly know where to begin, but here (in some, hurried detail) let me begin with the first:

1. The importance of young and old working together!  The picture on the front page of the sports section of The Washington Post, shows the enthusiasm and vigor of America represented by Soto at 19 years of age. The underlying headline and tribute acknowledges the persistence and perseverance of Zimmerman, approaching 40 years of age!

And immediately I'm compelled to show my age and profession to use this first "teachers lesson" to apply what sports can teach a divided America today.  I'm tired of "Make America Great Again." I'm tired of hearing about the greatest generation. But most of all I'm tired of the divisiveness I see around me. Even the Democratic Party has fallen into divisive structure with young against old*. To me the true Spirit of America is found in cooperation of  young and old together. I'm embarrassed to use that term "Greatest Generation" as my age qualifies me. As I look back, I recall a generation that tolerated lynching, that condemned people for expressing love in ways the "majority disapproved."  I PERSONALLY FEEL I OWE THE FULLNESS OF MY 34  YEARS - and counting - TO THE LESSONS TAUGHT ME BY YOUNG PEOPLE. I truly believe that if we continue to move forward as young idealists point us and recognize our past (yes) sins and failures, we truly can approach greatness.

So that is the major lesson that "rang my bell."   And since I got it off my chest, I'll add a few more thoughts about the game, but hopefully get your responses of what YOU saw and learned

2. How easy it is to second guess a manager. Five months ago David Martinez would've been fired by many. Today he is a genius! How would you have used the relief staff yesterday.

3. Amazing how sports can bring the community together. Or is it simply superficial? How can wwe make it more than that?

4. I had feared that baseball, known to my generation as"America's Game" had lost it's appeal and was no longer that.   I know of few families who get up early on Sunday morning or go out late on school evenings to have their children play America's sport.  They almost all seem attracted to a "bigger round ball."

5. And what about a newspaper that  can have  at my doorstep seven hours after the game beautifully written essays about what occurred so recently. How casually we have discarded the printed page. As a closing reminiscence I recall that my lower middle-class family through the depression years subscribed to both the morning and evening local newspaper.

What a game - GO NATS

ALSO MAY BE SEEN {almost weekly) AT www.ronlehkersrants.blog spot.com

*I'd love to tell you of whom I think might be ELECTABLE meeting that young/old requirement, but feel this medium prevents my doing so.