Put me in coach

    By the time "Centerfield", the iconic baseball song by John Fogarty was a hit in 1986, I was already in my mid 30s.   By that time of life, most of us have put away our childhood fantasies.   Of course, my fondest dream while growing up on Long Island in the 50s and 50s was to emulate my hero, Mickey Mantle and play centerfield for the New York Yankees.
      Unfortunately for me, by the time I got to high school, my eyesight had worsened to the point where a game of catch became problematic.  I finally got glasses, but the bad impression my myopia had made on coaches at the school ensured I would be lucky to warm the bench.    Fogarty's song made an instant impression on me as it voiced the plaintive cry I had longed to make;  Put me in coach, I'm ready to play".
      Nowadays, I look forward to being  able to play catch with my grandchildren, but "Centerfield" always brings me back to the imagined glory of my youth.   Spring training is starting, it's time to play!