Thursday, November 13, 2014

Seven

If you detest sports, please move along...

Art and Sports are entwined today. When I think of the number 7, there is but one person that comes to mind: MANTLE, Mickey Mantle of my hated New York Yankees. My love of baseball was groomed watching "The Game of the Week" on Saturday afternoons. That I could sit there by myself in front of the Philco and watch a baseball game someplace around the country was a pretty big deal for this kid. This game, the Friday night fights, the Olympics and a little hockey was about it in the early days of TV up here in my corner of the world. Dizzy Dean, an ex-pitcher for the Cards, Cubs and Browns, was a colorful figure, who broke just about every grammatical rule on the planet each telecast, but I loved listening to his broadcasts. Jay Hanna "Dizzy" is in the Baseball Hall of Fame, made the cover of TIME magazine and was the last National League pitcher to win 30 games. Now, that's a record that's stood some time.  It seemed that just about every Saturday I had to watch a Yankee game, but at least I could watch Mickey bat. He was amazing!
When I heard that the Portland Museum of Art was going to install the Robert Indiana, a resident of Vinalhaven, Maine, piece "SEVEN" in front of the museum, it was Mantle's number not art that came to mind. Why the 7 at the museum? The building is located at 7 Congress Street. The sculpture will stand there indefinitely.
Didn't think I could connect, two of my loves, baseball and art?
Sort of a 'tangled web' today.
Play Ball!

19 comments:

  1. It seemed when we had less choices we enjoyed it more. I don't know why but I as a big Red Sox fan when I was a kid in Utah. Yaz was my favorite.

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  2. For a moment there, I thought it was in honor of my birthday. :-)

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  3. I am not much of a sport fan and I ignore almost everthing about baseball, but even I know of Mickey Mantle...

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  4. Good job making that connection.

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  5. I never doubted you for a minute Birdman.. you ARE Peter Pan :)

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  6. I had no idea that Mickey Mantle's number was 7 but, I think the "7" art piece is quite attractive and very fitting.

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  7. I didn't know about Mantle and the 7 either, but I like this piece!

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  8. All I could think of was the Seinfeld episode with George Costanza wanting to name his kid 'Seven' after Mickey! I was a Tigers fan when I was a kid before the Jays arrived on the scene.

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  9. It's a good piece.

    I'm not too much of a sports follower, but I can watch a baseball or hockey game and completely get what's going on and enjoy it.

    Football and basketball, on the other hand, are pointless to me.

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  10. Sorry but unless you're talking rugby union, you'll lose me. :-) I've never particularly liked the number 7 either. I prefer round numbers.

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  11. I'd like to have house numbers this size right next to our mailbox. Our relief postie doesn't seem to otherwise notice.
    Nope, not a sports fan. Art's another subject, though...

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  12. Nice sculpture. I like Robert Indiana's work.

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  13. I don't understand how a Red Sox fan could devote an entire post to a Yankee.

    That seven sculpture fits nicely in front of the museum.

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  14. It looks pretty!
    It looks solid!
    And it is LUCKY SEVEN.

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  15. Great way to call attention to the museum!

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  16. I have no idea what you're talking about re: sports, but I like that sculpture. xx

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