In a shirt of 11 varas

To introduce oneself in a shirt of 11 varas is an old popular saying that I've probably heard my grandmother mention—who else?!

I think I've always known its meaning was related to asking for trouble by discussing a topic or issue unfamiliar to us. But I couldn't help myself, so I went to investigate where this curious phrase comes from and if it's interpreted as it was originally.

To my surprise, I discovered it's much older than I thought. Its origins are related to a custom from the Middle Ages, when, for some unknown reason, a strange ritual was imposed upon the adoption of a child. In those times, the would-be adopted child was wrapped in a shirt of enormous proportions, exactly 11 varas, which is approximately 9 meters long, to be given to his adoptive parents. This ceremony symbolized the birth into a new family.

The ritual fell into disuse, but not its symbolism, which transformed into a kind of warning or premonition of future problems that a person (or family in the case of adoption) embarks upon when deciding without knowing its true scope or complexity.

Up until now, I haven't talked about sports, even though I write for this important community, where that is the main objective of our posts. However, I like to learn and share knowledge. I'm using this phrase now because I'm going to write something about baseball, a sport I want but about which I know very little, especially now that I see the wisdom with which @fermionico, @limonta, @epirela22, and several other friends who are part of the feed write and describe it.

It's not that I'm going to give technical data, game summaries, statistics, or anything like that, so don't be alarmed. I'm just going to share my feelings after looking at the standings in the National League Central Division, where my Cincinnati Reds are located. They're not mine; it's just an expression to represent the team I love most in all of MLB.

Disappointment, that's the word that comes to mind now when I see that, with a good season so far, much better than in previous years and, according to @fermionico, expected because there's great talent in Cincinnati, we're still in fourth place. That means that despite giving more than usual, we're still at the bottom, and if the season ends now, we'll be out of the playoffs, as has been the case in recent years.

This situation probably occurs because we were lucky enough to be drawn into one of the most competitive and evenly matched divisions in both conferences. A real bit of luck, I'd say.

In any case, hope springs eternal, and with just under half the tournament left, it's still possible to qualify, provided the team continues to perform as it has been and, if possible, improve somewhat, just polishing a few details. I don't think much more is needed.

I don't know. As I said at the beginning, I'm delving into Honduras, not specifically into the Central American country, but into the depths of an unknown topic, another way of saying "shirt with 11 yards."

Perhaps one of the friends I mentioned above can get me out of this mess.