LATEST AND GREATEST
The year was 1912. New Mexico became the 47th state that January, and Arizona joined as number 48 in February. Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen was the first man to reach the South Pole. The Titanic sank in April, sending 1,494 people to an early grave. A gentleman by the name of Woodrow Wilson was nominated as the Democratic Party's Presidential candidate. Columbia University opened the doors to its new School of Journalism.

There were some notable births in 1912, too. Pope John Paul I was born in October of that year, and chef Julia Child was born in August. It was a good year for golfers, with Ben Hogan (May), Sam Snead (May) and Byron Nelson (February) all making their appearances in 1912. And, most importantly for my purposes here, my neighbor, Bea Ledger, entered the world on December 30, 1912.

It's a little overwhelming for me to think about all the history she's seen in her ninety-five years, but Bea is still going strong. She knits like a fiend during the day, and she watches a lot of TV in the evenings. So it was a little bit of a problem when her television set went on the fritz a couple of weeks ago. She called her son, and her son called the TV repair guy, and the TV repair guy said that it would cost more to fix the existing TV than it would cost to just buy a new one. So her son ordered a new set for his mother. A brand-new, wide-screen, high-definition set.

PHOTO BY JILL SANDOLE As Bea Ledger has discovered, with neighbors like Andrew who needs you-know-what?

That's right, kids. It took her 95 years, but the old gal finally got herself what can only be called a wicked cool television.

I've never really been one of those "gotta have the latest TV" kind of guys, but I'm here to tell you that Bea's new television set is almost enough to make me go out and get one like it. The picture on this thing is so clear that it feels like the show is actually happening in your living room. And it's got a better pair of

speakers than any stereo system I've ever owned.

And my take on the whole thing is that if Bea likes her new TV, then Bea deserves her new TV. Bea's the first one to admit that this new TV can be kind of confusing, but, like I said, she likes it. Sure, there might be buttons on the remote that never get pushed and features of the thing that never really get used, but that's beside the point. Here's a woman who is older than the modern zipper. I'd say she's paid her dues.

The thing about this whole hi-definition craze is that I've been hesitant to embrace it at all. I've always been content watching my TV, all the while laughing at these people who complain about how this game or that show isn't being broadcast in hi-def. I mean seriously, people, there's bigger issues in the world, right? Of course, this was all before I really experienced high-definition. Now things will never be the same for yours truly on the television watching front. I understand those people who cry when their favorite show isn't in hi-def. But you know what all this talk about new TV sets reminds me of?

Fishing equipment.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the English word "segue" was first used circa 1850, and comes from the Italian "seguire," meaning "to follow."

Friends and neighbors, there is plenty of new-fangled gear out there for anglers, and much of it will be making its way to Nantucket's shores in the coming months. And, just like a hi-def television is a lot more than I actually need, a lot of this new fishing gear is way more than any of us really need to go out on an average day and have an enjoyable time catching a few fish. But, just like Bea's hi-def TV, some of it is really nice, and once you use it, "need" becomes a very relative term.

Consider surf-casting reels. There are plenty of less expensive reels on the market today that will certainly retrieve your plug. But then you get into things like higher gear ratios and ergonomically-correct handles, and suddenly that old clunker doesn't seem to be quite so much of a realistic option any more. Of course, that super-smooth and super-fast reel doesn't come cheap, so if you do decide to try one out, be forewarned that a) you're going to want to buy one and that b) it's going to cost you dearly.

And that issue of cost brings us to the other point here, and that is a discussion of cost-benefit analysis. I don't have an MBA, but I do know that you have to weigh the costs of something versus the benefits that you're going to get out of it to make sure that whatever you're buying is worth it. For Bea and her TV, it's a no-brainer. Like I said, she's paid her dues and deserves any TV she wants. But a $600 surfcasting reel might be a tough sell for her. Then again, she's never experienced what can only be called the ecstasy associated with cranking a Shimano Stella reel.

So my advice to you is to try before you buy, but remember that you're probably going to like whatever it is more than what you've got now, so if you're serious about trying, make sure you can afford to go out buying.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get over to Bea's. There's a Celtics game on tonight, and once you've had the hi-def experience, there's no going back.

Tight lines. I