The Ballad of Brett

I met a man on the Denver Light Rail (like the New York subway only above ground, clean, cheap, and rarley used) System who loved the Kansas City Royals. He had a blue Royals cap. A pro-back. Seemed like it was too tight because he kept fidgiting with it- taking it off and putting it back on again and each time it was tilted a bit differntly. Either it was too tight or he was tweaking out hard core. He was too clean to be a crak-head though. Too groomed to be a meth fiend. He told the same story over and over again. It wasn't really a story I guess; actually more like a chorus of statements. Exactly the same everytime. He never rushed a word. He never slowed a phrase. Same inflection, same tone, same subtle matter-of-factness. Everytime. And this is what he repeated (like a catatonic canto paying homage to a simple fact that made the world all make sense):

"George Brett is Brett Butler's brother. She was 'Grace under Fire'. She taught him how to play third base and he played it. Yes he did."

over and over and over and over again. From the Evans station to the Colfax intersection.

Now, at first I tried to make sense out of the statement. Of course I did not. I went through all of the images it created for me. George Brett always reminded me of my friend John's cousin. He owns a bar. He was our little league baseball coach. Then came the images of Brett Bultler on the short lived "Grace Under Fire.' She coached a little league team. I remember her coming home in her baseball uniform. Then I thought of George Brett again. The man considered by many the greatest third basemen in Major League Baseball history. I remembered the monster-sized wads of sweet, juicy tobacco in his cheeks. Brett also spat, did she not?  Maybe there was more here than I thought.

However, as these images surfaced, the droning statement became a ballad that buried me somewhere alltogether different than the baseball diamond or the set of the classic t.v. show. I thought about nothing. And everything. The world made sense. It was as if this repeated statement answered everything at once. This guy was a genious. I almost wanted to follow him when he got off- just to keep hearing it. I stayed on. And I thought of ... Brett Favre. That guy loves him some chaw!