On TBS last night a camera caught novelist Stephen King, in his first-row Fenway box, reading a book during the Rays' slaughter of the Red Sox in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series. I found his behavior emulable. King was reading in the top half of an inning–as I recall the 7th. The Rays were probably up 11-1. As any baseball fan can tell you, at that point, nothing good can come of watching the other team at the plate. They can only score more runs, they can't lose any. Even if your pitcher is brilliant, it no longer matters. I am certain that King put the book down when the Red Sox came up. Because then something might actually happen, the deficit may actually get eaten away.
King must answer one question. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays had a losing record for the first 10 years or so of their existence. They dropped the word "Devil" from their name, made the Rays into a ray of light on the uniform, and now they're on the cusp of the World Series. How does this fit into his demonology?
nomen est omen
I always liked King's more realistic novels and stories better than the really supernatural ones. I'll take Misery over It every time.
Emulable? Not according to Merriam-Webster!
Seriously though, I admire the man for trying to keep his mind 'occupied' during a professional baseball game. Of course, if one were seated with the commoners and tried to read, he would probably have beer poured over him (or worse)!