Another Bronx tale

In the movie, A Bronx Tale, Sonny (the local mobster) tells an impressionable young boy who he calls "C" that he shouldn't care about Mickey Mantle because Mickey Mantle doesn't care about him. The boy, an avid Yankees fan, takes the advice to heart and soon realizes the mobsters can do more for him than any baseball idol.

I root for the Yankees and am glad they are going to the World Series. I even met Mantle back in his playing days. But at age 52, and in one of life's real binds at the moment, it's hard for me to generate the kind of enthusiasm that I once had for sports and professional athletes. I am happy that Alex Rodriguez has broken his post-season slump, but in reality, A-Rod isn't going to solve my problems. The Yankees aren't going to make me feel better about the dismal job market or the future of our economy.

At best, for most fans of a certain age, sports is a distraction from life's problems for a few hours. Similar to a movie or concert. Grateful the Yankees can take my mind off of a couple hardships, but very well aware that those issues aren't going to go away when the game is over.