Fizzy Business - Regis College

who are most
successful continue
to enjoy
playing games
and, like Peter
Pan, refuse to
grow up.
These boys
marry young
girls who are
forced to grow
up quickly and
assume the role of
the responsible adult.
It is the baseball wife who
must organize the day around
her ballplayer’s schedule. Preparing nutritious meals
and making sure her athlete has time for an afternoon
nap is a must. If there are young children in the
household they must be kept busy so as not to disturb
dad’s pregame routine. Depending on the circumstances
of the previous night’s game, the morning
paper can either be placed quietly on the breakfast
table or conveniently lost. There is a fine line a baseball
wife must walk between chief cheerleader and
personal anger management therapist.
In the inevitable event that her husband is traded,
he is expected to report to the new team immediately,
often on the next plane. The new ballplayer is usually
excited about the opportunity to play in a different
city and receives a thunderous welcome from his new
fans when he arrives at the ballpark for the first time.
The baseball wife is left behind to clean the apartment,
pack up the car and the children, leave her
friends and support system behind, and move to the
next town on her own. When she eventually arrives in
town she faces the insecurity of trying to fit in with a
new group of wives who might resent the fact that her
husband just took over the coveted position of one of
their inner circle. Next she must secure an apartment
that will rent on a short-term basis, locate the grocery
store, and restock the pantry and refrigerator, all
before the team returns from their road trip.
At one time I thought that it was only the wives
of professional athletes who were thrust into this
protective custody role. I now recognize this same
quality in strong and supportive women from all
walks of life. The gift of an oasis of serenity has been
bestowed on countless families across our country
by ordinary women just “doing what needs to be
done at the time.” The military bride whose husband
can be deployed at any time, the politician’s
spouse who needs to maintain a serene presence in
her home state as well as entertain constituents in
Washington, the corporate weekday widow whose
husband is constantly traveling, the family of the
firefighter who can be sent anywhere at any time,
and the wife of the doctor who is constantly managing
life and death situations: all recognize the need to
provide a sanctuary for their hero to regroup in the
comfort of home.
As I move into the autumn of my life I am thankful
that my future is no longer manipulated by managerial
decisions beyond my control, but that the unconditional
love and the childlike wonder of our days
in baseball remain alive. For preparing me for this
magic carpet ride I would like to thank my college
adviser, Sr. Thérèse Higgins, who long ago encouraged
me to find my own voice in this noisy world.
Excerpted and edited from Major League Bride: An
Inside Look at Life Outside the Ballpark, by Kathleen
Lockwood (McFarland & Company, 2010).
Kathleen Lockwood will be speaking at the Regis Hollyfest
Luncheon at the Woods Hole Country Club in Falmouth on
December 8th.
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FALL 10