I am a suburban mother and I love sports. I understand the “squeeze play” in baseball, the “pick and roll” in basketball and the “play action pass” in football. I think sports were better when there were no steroid scandals and when pro sports were more about teams than “personalities” and/or superstars. I have a satellite radio subscription so that I can listen to sports broadcasts when there are not any on television.
Recently, I am eating my Saturday breakfast when a newspaper business blurb, CASKETS FOR BASEBALL FANS, catches my eye. I go on to read that a company named Eternal Image, Inc. has reached a licensing agreement with Major League Baseball that will allow the casket designer and manufacturer to begin offering customized caskets and cremation urns with the names and logos of Major League Baseball teams. Honestly, I cannot decide if I am more offended or amazed! I mean, I understand team loyalty and devotion, but there are plenty of die-hard, lifelong Boston Red Sox fans that have been laid to rest since 1918 without a logo on their casket. More of those fans than would like to be remembered spent their entire lives with just a mere hope that the Red Sox would win another championship. Maybe some of them would have jumped at the opportunity to adorn their eternal abode with a logo or a team name. I daresay, however, that, given the option, they would have traded a World Series Banner during those long, dry years for anything that might possibly have been printed on their casket!
More than anything, I am amazed there could really be a market for this in the world. Unfortunately, I have no doubt that there is. With all the things that are wrong with this world (and with baseball) it seems that the, literally, thousands of dollars that will be spent on these customized caskets could go to so much better use in other ways. After all, Major League Baseball has numerous community interests and initiatives that could, no doubt, benefit from EACH $3000 – $3500 spent on a logo casket and $600-$1000 spent on a cremation urn with the recently deceased’s favorite team name.Either way, baseball fans will have a little while to start saving their pennies for their final team tributes. The logo products won’t be available until 2007. As for me, as much as I love and enjoy sports, I cannot imagine any part of any sport that would make me want to live out my eternity in a casket with a team logo. So please remember this, IF I should have an extra $3000 laying around when it’s time to plan my funeral, don’t bother with a logo. I’d rather the Braves win another World Series!
Copyright, RPL Communications, 2006
October 13, 2006
Baseball and The Great Beyond
War Games
The shots rang out just a few days ago,
And the kickoff is but moments away.
A world apart, at least it seems,
Many men are fighting – in respective teams.
Our life goes on, as normal as possible,
And maybe these games will be a diversion.
“Play Ball!” the official said.
“THE SOLDIERS WOULD WANT US TO PLAY,” shared a player.
And even the President, said he would watch the games this afternoon!
Copyright, RPL Communications, 2006
