[speaker001:] Okay [static].
[speaker002:] Okay [static].
[speaker001:] Um, well, I'm not, I mean, I read a lot, but I don't, I don't read a whole, I mean, [stutters] uh, eh, eh, eh, I, I, I, I tend to read like only out of a couple, you know, groups.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh, uh-huh.
[speaker001:] Uh, and I'm, a, uh, I'm a big baseball fan, so I tend to read a lot of the baseball books and,
[speaker002:] I'm a big baseball fan too.
[speaker001:] Oh, okay.
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] And, uh, I read a lot of science fiction.
[speaker002:] E-, well, I like, I teach school, and so during the school year, I just don't have time to read. And I, you know, I would love to, to be able to read more because I, I enjoy it so much. But with correcting papers and, and I, two o-, kids of my own, I just don't have time. But in the summer, I try to read a lot.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] And, and, of course, being a woman, I like romance novels and stuff like that a whole lot. I just, I really enjoy that because it's kind of a, a getaway type thing.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] So I, I read a lot of that. But I also love sports. And, uh, uh, I, I don't have time to read in, but I do read SPORTS ILLUSTRATED
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] i-, during the, the year because my son gets that. And, uh, but, uh, I don't read a lot of nonfiction, and I really should because there's so many self-improvement books out right now that would, would be, benefit me greatly, but I just don't.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh [pause]. Yeah, I, um, I don't really, I pro-, [LAUGHTER] probably should. I don't really read the self-improvement books or things like that. I, uh, um, I'll get like, uh, books on history and stuff like that that look interesting. And I, uh, of course, I don't ever get around to reading them [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] Yeah, yeah.
[speaker001:] You know, I got, uh, um, I b-, I belong to Quality Paperback Book Club.
[speaker002:] Oh, do you?
[speaker001:] And I'll get, get stuff out of that. Like I got BATTLE CRY OF FREEDOM, you know,
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] like a couple of years ago. And I started reading, and got about sixty pages into it and it's like eight hundred pages [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] Oh, my word.
[speaker001:] And it was like, uh, I want to read something else for a while [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] Yeah. It's, i-, some of those books are real tough to get into, but after you get into them, they're really good.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] But it's just tough to get through that first two hundred pages or so.
[speaker001:] Yeah. Well, especially, you know, well, BATTLE CRY OF FREEDOM starts off, you know, in the eighteen forties, you know.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] And it's like, wait, the war wasn't until the eightee-, you know. It's like, okay, and I realize these things, you know. These things take awhile like to move up, but it's, you know, it's hard sometimes.
[speaker002:] It's right, that's right. I find though, that if, when I find an author, uh, and you don't read a lot of fiction, you said. But when I find,
[speaker001:] I read a lot of science fiction.
[speaker002:] Do you?
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] When I find an author I really like, I try to read everything they write.
[speaker001:] Yeah. That, and I, I do the same thing. I,
[speaker002:] Because you, you get used to their style and you really enjoy it.
[speaker001:] Yeah. Uh, there's one science fiction writer named, uh, Allen Dean Foster.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh. I've heard of him.
[speaker001:] Oh, okay, yeah. He, um, I must have like fifty or sixty books by him [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] Is that right?
[speaker001:] I mean, I have, you know, I have everything he's ever well, almost everything he's ever done.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] And, um, you know, I, I know that when I, you know, when I get his book I'm, I'm usually going to enjoy it.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh, uh-huh.
[speaker001:] Um, so it's really, you know, it's, it's fun to, to do that. Uh,
[speaker002:] Isn't it amazing that somebody can write that many books [LAUGHTER] about science fiction? I think that's unbelievable.
[speaker001:] Yeah. Well, he does a lot of like, um, uh, movie adaptations and things like that.
[speaker002:] Oh, does he really?
[speaker001:] Yeah. And, uh, his adaptations are usually really good.
[speaker002:] Oh [faintly].
[speaker001:] Um, it's, it's funny he, um, the, the novelization of STAR WARS was list-, you know, it, it was out in the, uh, in the stores as being by George Lucas. But it turns out that, uh, Foster actually, uh, ghost wrote it for him.
[speaker002:] Is that right?
[speaker001:] Wh-, which, you know, when I read it, I should have realized that because, I mean, it had Foster's style written all over it [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] Is that right?
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh. Well, I, I've never read anything of his, but I've heard about him. But wouldn't you think he would, does he get some royalties from that, hopefully?
[speaker001:] Oh, I'm sure he does [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] Well, I would think he would [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] I'd hope so. Well, I mean he's doing all right, probably [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] Oh, I'm sure he is, I'm sure he is. But sometimes the more you get the more you want too, so,
[speaker001:] Yeah. That's true.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] Well, yeah. You, you're a baseball fan, you're, you're aware of that kind of thing [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] Oh, yeah. Oh, right, right, [LAUGHTER] right. I, in fact, I'm a sports fan, period.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] We, I mean, th-, that's why I like to read SPORTS ILLUSTRATED so much because there's everything in it.
[speaker001:] Yeah. I had a, uh, had a subscription to that last year, but I'm, uh, I'm mostly a baseball fan. So I'm,
[speaker002:] Oh.
[speaker001:] I'm not, as inter-, you know, the other stuff is interesting but, um, I was mostly interested in the baseball stuff.
[speaker002:] So you're probably, uh, a Baltimore fan, right, an Oriole fan?
[speaker001:] Uh, actually I'm a Red Sox fan more than anything.
[speaker002:] Is that right?
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] Boston? Oh, well, that's good too.
[speaker001:] Um, but, uh, I, I, I do like the Orioles also.
[speaker002:] I'm, I'm sure you do. Well I'm a Ranger fan simply because I live here.
[speaker001:] Yeah [faint].
[speaker002:] But I, I was, uh, I'm not from here. I'm originally from Ohio, so I've always followed the Tigers. Because, you know, I was,
[speaker001:] Toledo.
[speaker002:] I was born and raised in Toledo. Yeah.
[speaker001:] I was in Toledo last summer. Went to a, uh, to a Mud Hens double header [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] Oh, I love the Mud Hens [LAUGHTER]. They're great. I love the name and, there
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] was a b-, really big article on the Mud Hens in SPORTS ILLUSTRATED last year.
[speaker001:] Y-. I saved that issue, actually.
[speaker002:] Did you?
[speaker001:] Um, that's when I had the subscription.
[speaker002:] .
[speaker001:] Yeah, it was a lot of fun.
[speaker002:] Yeah. I li-, I really enjoy that team. I, we used to go there all the time. I used to live in Iowa too, and they have the Iowa Oaks. And we used to go, [LAUGHTER] go to their games all the time. And,
[speaker001:] They don't exist anymore, I don't,
[speaker002:] I know,
[speaker001:] think.
[speaker002:] I know they don't.
[speaker001:] At least not by that name. There's the Iowa Cubs, but I don't know if they play,
[speaker002:] Oh, they must,
[speaker001:] in the same location.
[speaker002:] they must have changed then. Because it used, well I haven't lived there for l-, I've been here for like twelve years now, so. And I haven't been back to Des Moines in a long time. But
[speaker001:] Um.
[speaker002:] we used to always go to their games, and it was kind of fun. It's almost, uh, more fun than going to a major league game. I don't know, I just really enjoy the,
[speaker001:] I, minor league,
[speaker002:] farm teams.
[speaker001:] baseball, I think [LAUGHTER] is a lot more fun than,
[speaker002:] Yes,
[speaker001:] major league baseball.
[speaker002:] it is. It's not quite so serious, you know.
[speaker001:] And it's a lot cheaper [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] That's for sure, that's,
[speaker001:] Yeah. There's, um,
[speaker002:] for sure.
[speaker001:] there's a city just west of Freder-, of, uh Baltimore, called Frederick. It's about
[speaker002:] Is that right?
[speaker001:] forty miles west. And they have a minor league team. And I go out there almost as much as the Orioles and, um,
[speaker002:] Is that right?
[speaker001:] I, it's just a lot of fun. I mean, it's free parking and three bu-, bu-, you know, four bucks now to get in. And, you know, the hot dogs are a dollar and, and it's just great.
[speaker002:] Well, how, like how much is an Oriole game?
[speaker001:] Oriole game? If you park in the lot across the street from the stadium, it's four bucks. The ticket, the ch-, the cheapest ticket you can normally get is like six fifty to seven fifty.
[speaker002:] Oh, gosh. See, it's higher than the Rangers.
[speaker001:] Yeah. And, um, hot dogs like start at a dollar fifty [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] Oh, yeah. A-, the food here is outrageous. But, uh, you can get a good seat for, uh, well it used to be three dollars. But I think it's gone up to fo-, four dollars this year.
[speaker001:] Oh, that's nice.
[speaker002:] But, you know, it's in the bleachers, way out in the, you know, in center field, but it's still nice.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] You still can see well. And, uh, we usually sit there unless somebody gives [LAUGHTER] us tickets, you know, box seats
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] or something, then we usually sit out there.
[speaker001:] Well how much are the box seats there? Do you know offhand?
[speaker002:] Box seats run from, oh, like eight dollars to twelve dollars.
[speaker001:] Yeah. That's, um, that's a little steeper. I think the, uh, most expensive seats in Memorial are eleven bucks. But we're getting a new stadium next year so,
[speaker002:] Oh, so it'll go up.
[speaker001:] Yeah, it'll go up. And, if it opens [LAUGHTER]. It's, uh, something we're really irritated about around here. Or some people are really irritated about. They're, they're building this new sta-, they built the new stadium downtown. And they're saying how there's going to be a lot more parking for the stadium.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] But I park for free up at, at Memorial Stadium because I know where I can do it for free [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] Oh, oh.
[speaker001:] And, um, I'm not going to be able to do that downtown [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] Uh, that's, yeah, that's a bummer.
[speaker001:] Yeah. We,
[speaker002:] Well, see, baseball here though is the cheapest game in town. Because the Cowboys, it's out-, it's outrageous
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] to go to the Cowboy game. And the Mavericks are t-, it's high too.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] So baseball's cheap,
[speaker001:] Weren't you guys,
[speaker002:] compared to other games.
[speaker001:] supposed to get a stadium in downtown Dallas?
[speaker002:] Well, that didn't go s-, over,
[speaker001:] Oh, it d-, it didn't,
[speaker002:] now. They, they,
[speaker001:] go through.
[speaker002:] they decided, you know, George Bush, who, who's the main owner of the Rangers, decided that, uh, they'd stay in Arlington. So Arlington's going to build a stadium, a bigger one.
[speaker001:] Oh, okay.
[speaker002:] So we're going to, they're going to stay there. Which is fine, because Arlington's got a lot of things to offer. And, and that was their main, main money making, you know,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] deal for the city. And it would have devastated them if they would have taken it away.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] Because everything, there's Six Flags right by the stadium, there's a Wet 'n Wild and,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] and it, you know, that's, all the tourists come there.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] And, and they, it would have been devastated, they would have collapsed. So I'm kind of glad they're staying there. Because it's right in the middle of Fort Worth-Dallas, and, you know,
[speaker001:] Yeah. That's, that's what I'd always heard, I've, uh,
[speaker002:] Yeah. We, you know, we, I like it there. And I think Dallas has enough to offer that they don't have to hog everything [LAUGHTER]. So, I'm glad that they're staying in Arlington.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] And it's takes us maybe, uh, we-, well, thirty-five to forty minutes to get there from Plano, which is not too bad at all.
[speaker001:] Yeah. That's about what it takes me to get to Memorial.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] Um,
[speaker002:] So,
[speaker001:] it's actu-, it actually funny that, um, I live just outside of Baltimore. And it takes me almost the same amount of time to go to Frederick, but as it does to go to the, the ballpark in Me-, in, uh, Baltimore.
[speaker002:] Is that right?
[speaker001:] Because, um, to go out to Frederick, I just jump on the Interstate and, because I live just south of the Interstate.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] H-, hop on the Interstate, and the stadium's right off the Interstate [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] Oh, gosh.
[speaker001:] So, it's like I drive west and I'm there. And, you know, and then to go into Baltimore, I mean, it well, it's fewer miles, but I've got to go, stop and go traffic and everything.
[speaker002:] Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
[speaker001:] Do you read, um, I guess you read SPORTS ILLUSTRATED but you don't read many sports books or,
[speaker002:] Well, not really. Now my son does, I have, I have a son that just turned sixteen,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] and he reads everything he gets, he gets his, get his hands on. He's reading a Dick Vitelle book right now because he's a real big Dick Vitelle fan.
[speaker001:] Um.
[speaker002:] He's a basketball fan because he, he plays for the high school he goes to and
[speaker001:] Huh.
[speaker002:] uh, just loves D-, Dick Vitelle, [LAUGHTER] which not many people do. So, but he's reading it, [sigh] and he's r-, and he says, He's so interesting, Mom. You just can't believe all the things he's done.
[speaker001:] [Sniffing].
[speaker002:] And he's really enjoying that. And I, and he said, Mom, you need to read it after I get finished. So maybe I will.
[speaker001:] There was, uh, I understand there was a really good basketball b-, book called, uh, A SEASON ON THE BRINK.
[speaker002:] I never heard that one.
[speaker001:] Yeah, I'm not sure. I don't know. [pause] I'm trying to think of the guy's name. It was like John Feinstein or something like that
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] wrote it. I just heard about it the other night.
[speaker002:] Huh.
[speaker001:] Uh, I was listening to something on the radio
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] about, uh,
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] you know, a talk show about sports books, and they, and they mentioned that one.
[speaker002:] I'll have to tell my son about that. I'm sure he'd like it.
[speaker001:] Yeah. And, uh, I was thinking about, there was a, I saw a book kicking around on the history of the A B A, which,
[speaker002:] Oh, that would be good [hiss or static].
[speaker001:] Yeah. I get in to, even when I don't like the sport so much, [sound fading] I get interested in the history of sports franchises [hiss or static],