I Think I Won the Pennant Race
Souvenirs Tell Stories — Part 13: Pennants
Generally speaking, “pennants” have been around for hundreds of years. According to one online dictionary, they are primarily “triangular flags on a ship, especially flown for identification or signaling” (dictionary.com).
When baseball fans think of a pennant, however, they think of the flag awarded to the team that has the best record during the regular 162-game season in either the American League or the National League. Those two winners qualify automatically for the Playoffs leading up to the World Series Championship. In addition, fans often buy souvenir team pennants to commemorate that achievement or to remind those fans of their visit to the ballpark. Naturally, the sale of pennants now occurs throughout not only the entire tourist industry but to others as well, and I have many pennants to prove it.
Recently, I was looking for an old appliance manual in the basement when I came across a cardboard box full of old pennants that I had collected during the first half of my seventy plus years. When I was single, of course, I would hang these souvenirs in my apartment or in the high-school classroom where I was regularly teaching. Once I married Barbara, though, she made it pretty clear that these unique banners would not be a part of our home décor. Hoping to live “happily ever after” with my…
