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Barber by Brent K.
"Little League Baseball: the highlight of the Barber Shop"�
I have had my hair cut by the same man for the past 11 years. His name is Curly. Curly is an old man. He has gray hair and curses. There is football crap on the walls, and even an old black-and-white photo of his high school football team. Curly has been married twice. He has a son in his late twenties from the first marriage. He has a daughter in high school and an 11 year-old son from his current marriage. I call up Curly when my hair gets too long. I say, "Hey Curly, it's me. Do you have time for me today?" He says, "How fast can you get here?" And I respond, "I'm leaving right now." Out of the eleven years, I was late (by ten minutes) only once. When I walked in, he was mad, and yelled at me why I was late. He cut my hair in a very rough manner, and I think he even cut me if I remember correctly. But I know you want to hear about Little League. When I'm getting my hair cut, guys will always stop by and say hello to Curly. Most of them are trashy guys. They like to bet. On baseball. On Little League Baseball� When I was younger, I wasn't aware of this gambling ring, but that was probably because Curly wasn't involved yet, being how his son is only 11. The first time I heard them talking about baseball, I was thinking Major League. They said things like batting average, Yankees, Red Sox, era, fastballs, and championship. They referred to the players as kids, but I didn't think anything of it at the time. Baseball is not my favorite sport, but I still know what is going on these days, and the names of the players they were talking about did not sound very familiar. Then, one day I finally heard the phrase, "U-12" Holy Crap! These guys having been talking about statistics, placing bets, and getting into serious, I mean really serious verbal fights about Little League Baseball! Every time I listen to them I get a huge smirk on my face. One day they are going to ask me what I am laughing at. I will lie, because they will probably kill me for thinking it is funny. Little League baseball means the world to them. Not necessarily how their own sons do, but how their team does. When I found out that kids can be traded in Little League Baseball, that definitely topped the cake. These guys freak out over little league baseball! Who the hell keeps track of serious statistics for an eleven-year-old-boy? I was always aware of how I was hitting and that I had a lot of RBI's when I was a kid, but I never knew any numbers, because the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were more important. I know that these boys don't keep track of their own stats, just their fathers do. I got my hair cut last Saturday, and the phone rang while my hair was being cut. Curly said, "Hello, �ya�ya�ya�ok bye." He then said to me, "That was my source telling me how the game is going." I think it's great that these dads are so involved, but I can't stand how they take it so seriously and put pressure on the kids. I hope this story has amused you as much as it does for me. If Little League Baseball is what some people have to live for, then good for them!
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