It's the top of the first inning in the first game of the season and Charlie Brown is standing on a pitcher's mound covered in dandelions. His team has lost 98 straight games - all by shutout. His infield includes a dog at shortstop, a dust cloud at third and a second baseman who would much rather twirl around his blanket than turn a double play. These worries weigh heavily on Charlie Brown's heart. Even in his warm-up tosses, the round-headed kid is pressing. Schroeder, who has made a seamless transition from Beethoven to the backstop, trots out to the mound to calm down his pitcher. The timeless exchange goes like this.
Schroeder: "All right, Charlie Brown. Let's get our signals straight. One finger will mean the high straight ball; two fingers will mean the low straight ball."
Charlie Brown: "What about my curveball, and my slider, and my knuckle ball, and my sidearm, and my submarine pitch?"
Schroeder: "One finger will mean the high straight ball, and two fingers will mean the low straight ball."
It's the simple things that count. This is true of school, sports, family, friends - life. When you start overthinking, overcompensating or trying to be something you aren't, even the most well-intentioned gesture can take a turn for the worse. Of course, even with the sage advice of Schroeder, Charlie Brown and the gang suffered their 99th shutout loss in a row. Based on the game's final score, I wouldn't be surprised if the slaughter rule was invented immediately after "A Boy Named Charlie Brown" made its television debut in 1969. Nevertheless, the important message shines through, and it has stuck with me since I first watched "A Boy Named Charlie Brown" with my family more than a decade ago. Now, with the Thanksgiving holiday upon us and Christmas a mere month away, I want to apply that message to the art of holiday gift-giving.
Disclaimer: I have always loved literature. You may not be as big a bookworm, but you can't deny that reading for pleasure gets that much better after a semester of reading that was probably anything but pleasurable.
Here are my top five recommendations for simple, sports-related gifts that you can find - all without leaving the comforts of your local Barnes & Noble.
"Moneyball" by Michael Lewis: I have been lucky enough to enjoy two transcendental moments in life. The first came when I learned that my childhood passion for paleontology would not translate into a viable career path because all of the dinosaur bones have already been - you know - discovered. The second came after I read "Moneyball." There are oodles of baseball books about great games, players, managers and even the dark side of the game - "Ball Four" by Jim Bouton is another unforgettable read. But none of them will fundamentally change the way you view the game like Lewis' bestseller. If you love baseball, numbers and especially if you love both, do yourself a favor and indulge in the accessible and engrossing story of Billy Beane, the Oakland A's and baseball's higher power - sabermetrics.
"The Book of Basketball" by Bill Simmons: I realize the hypocrisy of stumping for a pro basketball book a week after I criticized the NBA. But if "The Book of Basketball" isn't a veritable bible of basketball in terms of influence, it certainly is in length - more than 700 pages. Whether you love or hate the NBA, Simmons' colorful commentary on the history of pro hoops is a must-have. He writes with equal parts dedicated research and unapologetic opinion, all infused with the wit, humor and pop culture potpourri of a classic Sports Guy column. From interviewing Isiah Thomas to selecting a starting lineup for a "Space Jam"-style basketball game against alien invaders, this has it all. With apologies to Rick Reilly - he'll get his due soon enough - Simmons is the signature sportswriter of 2010, and this will likely be his magnum opus.
"Friday Night Lights" by H.G. Bissinger: The book! Not the movie - though it definitely does the novel justice. Not the TV show - even if Matt Saracen is my boy. The book - a non-fiction account of the 1988 Odessa-Permian high school football team, which inspired the motion picture and TV show, is the gift of choice for the discerning Panther Football fan. Bissinger's journalistic microscope vividly uncovers the fascinating - and frightening - world of Texas high school football culture. If you still aren't sold, consider the Harry Potter example. No matter how saucy the Harry-Hermione kiss is in the new "Deathly Hallows" movie, the Potter films will never be more than an addendum to the true Hogwarts experience found inside J.K. Rowling's tomes. So too with "Friday Night Lights." Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose!
"The Life of Reilly" by Rick Reilly: Despite its bestseller status, I rarely see this collection on any top sports book lists. I can't explain this, but I can do my part to give such a formative text its due. Bill Simmons may be the most influential sportswriter today but he is hardly a unanimous favorite - if the favorite at all. In contrast, Reilly lapped the field during the 1990s as the back-page columnist for Sports Illustrated. Lately, Reilly - now with ESPN - has been labeled a fading star, but re-reading this collection of his best early columns for SI keeps me hopeful that a resurgence may be just around the corner. In 800 words, Reilly can elicit laughter, tears, enlightenment and inspiration; by the end of this book, he will remind you why he will always be the gold standard.
"A Boy Named Charlie Brown": It's not a book, but you can find a DVD of the television special at any Barnes & Noble - as promised. Like "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" and "A Charlie Brown Christmas," this family-friendly classic is chock-full of laughs, lovable characters and life lessons - and all three would make perfect holiday gifts. You may even start a holiday viewing tradition in your household.
This Thanksgiving, try to give simple gifts and enjoy simple pleasures. Turn off your cell phone and admire the autumn splendor when you walk across Grounds. Offer to help the parents cook and clean up after dinner, even if it threatens your post-turkey "pass-out-on-the-couch-watching-football" tradition. And whatever you do, don't forget that one's the high straight ball, two's the low straight ball. Life throws enough curveballs as it is.
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