a grievance, admittedly minor, that returns repeatedly (but only irregularly, and as quickly does it subside and is forgotten), is how in 7.5 years of living in the u.s. of a., no one ever thought to ask me to a ball game, understandable in charlottesville but surely not quite so explicable later, in the city of the red sox, to have never seen the inside of fenway park? (where does one play baseball in ch’ville, anyway? and is there even a major league team in virginia? i shall google this anon.)

this comes, i expect, of not knowing any jocks, and being an indoorsy, reading sort of undergrad whose friends live in brown college playing the cello and writing scathing articles for the dec, to none of whom it would have occured to invite her to a game had they themselves even gone to one: she’s an english major, she doesn’t like sports, and she’s not even american. in my final week in cambridge i very nearly went to see one with sarah c, but with the complications of connectivity and plane schedules and last minute throwing things into suitcases these plans came to naught.

i am now nursing the very faintest hopeful glimmer, that this summer if i can contrive to get myself to pittsburgh, i might be taken to see a pirates game at pnc park, which i am told is one of the most beautiful ballparks in the country, although, john d, my informant and educator in all sports american, scoffs and says it is ‘new and pomo’ and, in all kinds of uncomplimentary terms i shall not repeat, nothing to shout about and especially not a patch on the now-gone forbes field (“get a time machine.“) and vaughn tells me i have missed nothing, he having been bored out of his capacious mind during the sole game he had attended. still, as i have been promised a ‘view over the outfield fence […] of bridges and the city skyline’ i cling fervently to the idea.

after the exams, i shall educate myself about baseball.

not by reading wikipedia, obviously. american friends: are there any famous baseball novels one might read, to get oneself in the right frame of mind, she queries? recommendations to the usual address, s.v.p.