• When the St. Louis Browns moved to Baltimore in 1954 and became the Orioles, I was fourteen.
• When my iPhone 5 arrived this week, and I visited Robert and his family, I was seventy-two.
Here’s the connection:
In 1954, a bunch of us teenagers decided to form a neighborhood baseball team. Since the Orioles were the brand new team and, perhaps in the excitement of the moment, our team decided to use the Orioles name, and decorate our uniforms as such.
Last week I was excited while waiting for my new iPhone 5 to arrive in the mail. What could I ask Siri, the iPhone’s voice-activated assistant? I spent hours perusing the internet to find out what questions she would be able to handle. When the phone arrived on Friday, I began teaching Siri relationships. My sisters are . . . My son is . . . I had read that Siri was an expert in the area of sports. Just for fun I asked questions like, “What are the standings in the American League East?” and “What's the score in Baltimore right now?” I wondered “Wouldn’t it be great if I were turned on to baseball after all these many years? And, how much more fun Siri would be that way.”
My friend Robert LOVES the Baltimore Orioles. While I was with him this week, I recalled that I was an Oriole, too. Robert showed me how he was able to watch baseball games on his iPad. Upon arriving home that day, I signed up for the MLB app, and now I can watch games, too. In fact, I am now watching the Orioles and Blue Jays game, writing this essay on the same computer screen.
I haven't watched a baseball game in years. This is fun. During the game I am enjoying asking Siri for all kinds of baseball information, including “How are the Yankees doing?” – since they are Baltimore’s rivals in the playoffs race.
How long will this new baseball excitement last? Well, there are only nine games left this season. Then it will be exciting to watch the playoffs, and the World Series. Will I still be excited next season? When I asked Siri just now, she said, “Sorry, I don’t know the answer to that one.” Isn’t she brilliant?
Mr. Ebsen may be contacted at robertebsen@hotmail.com.
