MY TEENAGE SON is somewhat of a mystery to me. When I was his age (13), all I read were sports books, especially baseball biographies, of players like Willie Mays, Ty Cobb, Lou Gehrig, Mel Ott... You get the idea. Him? He's read the complete Harry Potter series-four times!-and countless other fantasy/sci-fi offerings. As for television viewing, he and his mother endlessly devour all of those reality cooking shows. (He also is, I am compelled to point out, a talented alh-lete, having stood out as a baseball, hockey, and soccer player-plus he's the number-one tuba player in the state ... really.) Me as a young teen? Well, I certainly couldn't play the tuba, I'll tell you that I did play a lot of sports with my friends after school and on weekends-and, of course, all summer long. However, I much more enjoyed watching games on TV (or in person) or listening to them on the radio than actually playing. All I ever wanted to be was a sportswriter-the beat guy covering the San Francisco Giants. While I learned tons about baseball by reading, it was even better to listen to the announcers, many of them former players, describe the game, discuss strategy, and, of course, tell stories.
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