Updike PassesI was not a big fan of his "Rabbit" novels, but the man had some talent. One of my absolute favorite bits of baseball writing was his "Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu", the story of Ted Williams' final game.
A tight little flock of human sparrows who, from the lambent and pampered pink of their faces, could only have been Boston politicians moved toward the plate. The loudspeakers mammothly coughed as someone huffed on the microphone. The ceremonies began. Curt Gowdy, the Red Sox radio and television announcer, who sounds like everybody's brother-in-law, delivered a brief sermon, taking the two words "pride" and "champion" as his text. It began, "Twenty-one years ago, a skinny kid from San Diego, California . . ." and ended, "I don't think we'll ever see another like him."
Indeed.
Labels: John Updike
