Reader Report: Joe Bell would have enjoyed the Fall Classic’s curve
I am not one to follow sports, but my late husband, Joseph N. Bell, was a baseball fan of the highest order. He saw meaning in the game, and the act of enjoying it, that I found inspiring.
Readers of Joe’s longtime Daily Pilot column, The Bell Curve, may recall that he wrote about baseball as “the ultimate therapy.” As Joe said, the therapy lies in the ability to invest “real caring and attention in people, places and games of absolutely no importance in the great scheme of things.” Preferably while sipping a martini.
For Joe, this was about living in the moment. He did that so well. I believe it was the secret to his longevity.
Joe used to tell me about how bewildered he was as a young man watching his Uncle Charlie spend the last months of his life watching baseball. Joe thought there had to be more meaningful activities to engage in as one’s life comes to a close. But he thought about this differently when he found himself in the same position.
Daily Pilot columnist Joe Bell
In the final months of his life, Joe was bedridden with Parkinson’s disease, and watching the World Series was one of the last joys he was able to experience as his health declined. He faced the end of a long, rich life with acceptance and grace —and a greater appreciation for his Uncle Charlie’s wisdom.
Joe died peacefully at home on Thanksgiving Day, 2013, at the age of 92. Until this week, I have avoided baseball, because it brought up great wells of sadness that I was trying to deal with in smaller doses. But I surprised myself this week by reading the sports page and getting caught up in the drama of the historic match between the Chicago Cubs and the Cleveland Indians.
As I watched the first game, I found myself cheering like a real baseball fan. I cared. Joe would call me a dilettante, but he would approve. Especially since I chose to root for the Cubs.
Though his heart was always with the Angels — he still has a brick at Angel Stadium that says “ever hopeful” — he lived in Chicago for many years, and I’m reasonably sure he would want the Cubs to win this series.
Tuning into baseball is a big milestone for me. I find I am able to watch the World Series and think of Joe and what he has taught me without feeling overwhelmed by sadness.
The healing is happening. I have shifted from standing outside my life thinking about how well I am doing despite my sadness to remembering Joe while being fully present in my life and living more joyfully.
This is where Joe would want me — back in the game.
As I watch the rest of the World Series, I will think a lot about Joe’s belief in the healing power of baseball.
As he wrote, “It’s a rock of sanity in a world gone mad. The distance from the pitcher’s mound to home plate hasn’t changed in 150 years. You can depend on it. How many other things can you say that about today?”
SHERRY ANGEL was married to late Daily Pilot columnist JOE BELL.