When my grandson and I visit Hitter's Edge in Whitehall, we always finish by window-shopping in the store. I usually just buy one $3 backyard hardball, but we always love to look at the different bats, gloves, jerseys, caps and other baseball equipment available. DeMarini Big Barrels, Easton Stealths - all the bats under lock and key in the chain stores - are just sitting there, begging to be swung. There are beautiful wooden bats on display, too, inviting you to try them out.Over the weekend, we were checking out the merchandise like we always do, when it suddenly dawned on me that sunglasses might help my grandson on the diamond. I had a little extra money burning a hole in my pocket. Dat quickly found a pair he liked, $30 Easton eyewear that says it's "100% UV protective" with "shatterproof polycarbonate lenses." Cool. They weigh less than an ounce and my grandson was particularly impressed by the pouch, which contains a strap and little cleaning cloth.
He wore them to his game on Saturday, which was rained out after one inning.
When his mother saw them, she claimed I had just wasted $30, but I piously told her that sunglasses are essential to healthy eyes. After I got home, I quickly looked it up on the Internet's Library of Alexandria, Google. Sure enough, there is some study somewhere to back me up. Unless you wear sunglasses, you'll get cataracts, macular degeneration, then your eyes pop out and you die. Something like that.
Google taught me that May is actually UV awareness month, and Business Week reports children are "particularly vulnerable to the harmful ultraviolet A and B (UVA and UVB) damage that can accompany sun exposure."
So wearing shades has nothing to do with looking cool. It's for healthy eyes, damn it.
Tonight Dat wore them during his entire game in Lower Nazareth against the Athletics, except when he was batting. After the game was over, and it as beginning to get dark, he wore them home. His mom later emailed me to tell me he's walking around the block, still wearing his shades, hoping someone notices him.
I think I'll get a pair tomorrow. Aviator glasses. It's too late to help my eyes, but I can try to pretend I'm cool, too.
