Thinking Different

A few weeks ago, my brother and I took my girls to see the Jim Henson exhibit now running at the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens. The wonderful exhibit chronicles Henson’s entire career, from commercials and Jimmy Dean talk-show appearances in the 1950s and ‘60s through the mega-success of Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock and the Muppet movies in the final two decades of Henson’s life.

I saw this exhibit with Eric and the girls in late September – before the passing of Steve Jobs, before the release of the latest Wilco CD, and before the St. Louis Cardinals’ stunning World Series victory. But as I reflect on these very different events from Autumn, 2011, they all remind me of that very rare individual – the one who can visualize and create something that is not there. Jim Henson, Steve Jobs, Jeff Tweedy and Tony La Russa fit that bill – and for different reasons.

Henson is so well-known for his creative genius that Jobs placed him and Kermit the Frog on one of Apple’s “Think Different” ads in the 1990s. Take a single image from any Muppet – say, Kermit playing the banjo at the start of The Muppet Movie – and you find yourself shaking your head at the sheer ingenuity. Since his death last month, Jobs has been eulogized by many as his generation’s Thomas Edison for his contributions to the technological revolution in which we currently reside. As Guggenheim perfected the printing press, Jobs perfected the smartphone. Jeff Tweedy has led Wilco to a place where pop music defies categorization, and that is meant as the highest compliment. Is this band, now well into its second decade, a pop band? Rock? Alternative? Country? Roots? The more you search for a clean label, the more elusive – and hypnotic – Wilco becomes. And as for Tony La Russa, anyone who is willing to buck the status quo in baseball deserves some kind of plaque in Cooperstown. La Russa’s willingness to think different in how to use pitchers and position players alike – and his ability to win a World Series with the likes of pedestrian players such as Nick Punto and John Jay in his starting lineup – is puppetry at its finest.

Tony La Russa retired yesterday – more than 2,700 wins were apparently enough for the man, and he’s ready for something else in life. With his jet-black hair and his bowl haircut, La Russa looks a bit Muppet-like. He and Jim Henson would probably have a lot to talk about. La Russa would surely compliment Henson on his adroit use of lesser-known puppets such as Bunsen and Beaker. Henson would likely fine-tune the Cardinals’ “rally squirrel” to give it a more human dimension. Jobs would probably recruit them both for an iPhone commercial, complete with Wilco soundtrack.

Yes, the geniuses are out there, and they’re still changing the world. It may seem as if we’re living amid a whole lot of ordinary sometimes. But in spite of the reality-show nonsense and movie-sequel mania, there are still innovative entertainers creating great art for us all. And despite the copy-cat technology in your nearest Best Buy, there are still inventors changing the way we live. Somewhere beyond all those American Idol songs, there are also still musicians crafting truly new sounds. And way out beyond the SportsCenter highlights, there are women and men thinking about sport in ways that no one has dared to think before.

The exhibit in Queens is titled “Jim Henson’s Fantastic World.” As we scan the headlines and the cable channels, this world doesn’t seem all that fantastic sometimes. But if we look within, open our minds and think different, it can seem damn near amazing. Great enough to make a frog sing. Or a Cardinal cheer.

The Wheels Come Off (One Sixty-Two: Day 91)

Writer’s note: One Sixty-Two is a season-long series of blog posts connecting baseball’s major-league players to life’s universal themes. Just as there are 162 games in a season, so there will be 162 posts in this series. Let’s play some ball.

Day Ninety-One: Pedro Alvarez, Pittsburgh Pirates

She started on a grass field, where the falls would be softer. Once she’d gained some confidence there, it was on to a tennis court. After a few laps around the court, she was ready for the parking lot. And when the asphalt seemed easy, all she could do was smile.

Chelsea, at age 5, has taken off the training wheels. She’s a two-wheelin’ girl now, and there’s no going back. When she hops on her pink and white bicycle, she looks comfortable and relaxed enough to take a ride along a boardwalk or through a park. It’s definitely a “big girl” accomplishment, and she will tell anyone who’ll listen about her latest triumph.

Moments such as these are incredibly exciting, yet also a bit sad for Mom and Dad. We encourage our girls’ growth and independence and celebrate their triumphant steps forward. But then, in our private moments together, Amy and I remember with fondness and longing the moments when our girls were littler, and depended on us more to carry them through each step of life. It all goes by so fast, and we know there will come a day when it will seem as though they went from two-wheelers to car keys in no time.

For now, though, Chelsea is thinking only of strapping on her purple helmet and taking to the sidewalk or tennis courts. “Daddy, you need to watch out,” she says, “because I make sharp turns.” OK, Chelsea, I’ll be on my toes. Her older sister, meanwhile, can see that our attention is on Daughter No. 2. Therefore, she begins cutting Chelsea off with her bike, and performing tricks that she really can’t do that well on her bike. Before long, she’s crashing into a tennis net. And so it goes. It seems as if the older one just started riding her bike ten minutes ago – and now her long, ever-growing limbs call to mind Kermit the Frog riding his bicycle in The Muppet Movie.

Two years ago, Pedro Alvarez was the second overall pick in baseball’s amateur draft. For the next 24 months, the Pittsburgh Pirates kept a set of training wheels on their talented third baseman. The Pirates transitioned Alvarez from Vanderbilt University to the pros by letting the lefty slugger learn in the minors. He played in towns such as Altoona, Pa., and Indianapolis, belting home runs at every step.

In the middle of June, Pittsburgh decided it was time. The training wheels came off, and Alvarez was called up from Indianapolis. He is now the starting third baseman and No. 5 hitter in a major-league lineup. The Pirates hope he’ll be theirs for many years to come.

In his second month on that two-wheeler, Alvarez is most definitely making sharp turns. He slugged a pair of home runs on Tuesday, then followed that up with another pair of homers on Wednesday. So far, the 23-year-old has seven home runs and 20 runs batted in after just 112 at-bats. He’s striking out a lot, and his average is at .250. But the young man is showing tremendous promise. That’s what was expected, and that’s what his team is seeing.

Someday, when Pedro Alvarez is holding some award in his hand or signing his first nine-figure free-agent contract, it will seem difficult to remember some of those days back in the minors, when the training wheels were fastened tightly. But if he thinks hard enough, he’ll remember. And while I’m sure he’ll be living in the moment, I’ll bet Alvarez will also yearn somewhat for that formative time, before he strapped on the black and gold hat and went out into the big leagues on his own.

Because once the wheels come off, you have to make your own way along the path you’re given. You can ask for directions, and you can get some tips on how to slow down or avoid obstacles. But ultimately, it’s in your hands now. You’re growing up.

And those tears you see? Oh, that’s just Mom and Dad feeling proud of you. Proud, and just a little bit older.