THE BLOG

In just a few days our nation will celebrate its 249th birthday. That means the Declaration of Independence is celebrating its 249th birthday as well. With the signing of that Declaration by members of the 2nd Continental congress on July 4, 1776, our nation was born, emerging from a womb of great discontent with our past and present, but also with a great hope for a new tomorrow. Whereas all of the Declaration is important, what sets it apart for me and causes it to be such a powerful, beloved document is the preamble – and not even all of the preamble. For me it is the first 106 words which pack such great power and which resonate with me and others 249 years later.

Her name was Mae. She passed away recently one week shy of her 100th birthday. Much about Mae intrigued me – her longevity, clarity of mind, physical condition. Another was her fondness for technology. At age 97 she told me, “I love computers, cell phones, email, and zoom.” But what intrigued me most was what I learned from her family members as we put the final touches on her Celebration of Life Service.

January 5, 1920 the Boston Red Sox stunned the major league baseball world with the announcement that on December 26, 1919, they had “traded” George Herman “Babe” Ruth to the New York Yankees –  not for other players, but for cash. The actual amount exchanged for “The Babe” in this blockbuster “trade” differs depending on which account one reads. It appears the amount was at least $25,000 in immediate cash, with additional $25,000 payments due in 1920, 1921, and 1922 – an astounding  amount in those days. History shows that the Red Sox got the “short end of the bat” in the trade. Up to that point they had won five World Series titles. After that “trade”, the Red Sox would not win another pennant until 1946, and no other World Series title until 2004. The long drought was attributed to the “Curse of the Bambino” – coined from one of Ruth’s several nicknames. Meanwhile, with Ruth  establishing himself as the Sultan of Swat, the Yankees won four World Series titles during the 1920s.