Mudville is a Baseball State of Mind that seems to be losing it’s broad contact with the younger generations.
A Brief Saturday Dialogue Between Two People at George Ranch for the Babies-Combine Game with a Two Plus Generation Age Gap:
Younger Man in Early Twenties: “Your shirt says ‘Mudville.’ – Is that where you’re from?”
Septuagenarian in Mudville Jersey: “No sir. – I’m from Houston.”
Young Man: “Then why are you wearing a shirt that says ‘Mudvllle’?”
Septuagenarian: “Because it says ‘Mudville’. And it’s not a shirt. It’s a jersey.”
Young Man: “OK. Whatever. – But where is this ‘Mudville’, anyway? It’s not around here, is it?”
Septuagenarian: “It’s pretty nearby, my friend, but only if you have your mind open to see it.”
Young Man: “What?”
Septuagenarian: “Have you ever read a poem called ‘Casey at the Bat’?”
Young Man: “No.”
Septuagenarian: “Ever read any poems when you were in school?”
Young Man: “Probably. I’m not real sure.”
Septuagenarian: “Ever play baseball as a kid?”
Young Man: “Some.”
Septuagenarian: “Sometimes, ‘some’ is not enough.” Please check out ‘Casey at the Bat’ on Google when you get home.”
Young Man: “OK. Man, I will. – Meanwhile, stay cool. And good luck to Mudville today!”
Septuagenarian: “Thanks!”
Tags: Mudville losing cultural contact as symbol of failed expectations
The Pecan Park Eagle 
March 25, 2014 at 12:56 pm |
Having been a party to your conversation, I would say that his outlook wasn’t brilliant!
Mike
March 25, 2014 at 2:20 pm |
As a college English instructor, I have given up asking students, “Have you ever read (fill in the blank)?” The answer is “No” ninety-nine percent of the time, so I don’t ask anymore in order to avoid feeling depressed. Thankfully, I can still get a laugh out of someone being so clueless that he thinks Mudville is a real town. Go, Mudville! : )
March 25, 2014 at 3:20 pm |
Welcome to my world! Rick, I have also given up on the very same question!
And, ditto here: “Go Mudville!”
March 25, 2014 at 4:18 pm |
At the end of the game on October 26, 2005 after the Astros had been swept in the World Series, I thought of the last stanza of Ernest Lawrence Thayer’s famous poem:
Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,
And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout;
But there is no joy in Mudville – mighty Casey has struck out.
I use the phrase interchangeably with other sports. When Pearland lost the state championship in football or the Broncos lost the Super Bowl, I sent emails to friends with a three-word message: No joy in Mudville.
March 25, 2014 at 9:27 pm |
“Great Expectations” are attached to the heart of our most precious American Dreams. – “No Joy in Mudville” is the elegant voice of our most deflating disappointments in anything we value when things don’t work out as we had hoped,