Yo La Tengo

It’s a fairly natural baseball pose.  You’re playing in the field, and the opposing batter hits a fly ball your way.  You look up, you raise your glove, you wait for the ball to come down to you.  Seems like a natural for a baseball card too.

So, explain to me, please, why this pose is so open to interpretation.  We’ve got guys who look like they can barely tilt up their ball cap and guys who are jonesing for that Oscar in best supporting actor in an outfield role.  We’ve got zombies and we’ve got looks of genuine panic and concern.  How curious that such a seemingly innocuous pose could illustrate such a broad swath of the human experience.

Oh, the title?  It’s actually the name of one of my favorite bands.  And, yes, for those of you out there who speak Spanish, it does mean, ”I’ve got it.”  Complete explanation (and it does come from baseball) right here.

When things got boring in the outfield, Al liked to watch the contrails.

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Poor, Jim, he went back for that can of corn and just froze solid.  They had to cart him off the field, just like that.

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Lee looks like he’s seen an old friend up there.

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“Whoa, dude, is that like a pop-up or something?”

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Jim, that’s not a pop up!  That’s a line drive!  Pop ups don’t come at that angle.  You’re a third baseman, remember?
 

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“Oh God, I knew they were going to hit the ball to me!  What do I do now?”
 

Wow, here’s the first guy who does what I always told my 9- and 10-year-old outfielders to do – drop step!

“It’s up there somewhere, I just know it is.”

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“I’m sorry, boss.  We don’t have any other pictures of Mr. Yazzertrewsky.  What’s that?  He’s one of the best players in the majors?  Funny …  That was the only picture I could find of the guy.”

"Aw, come to papa.”

* - author has this card