SAINT PAUL, Minn. - When Maya Angelou wrote, "It is not that I have confidence, but I believe if I fail, so what? Now I have the chance to try again." I do not think she had baseball in mind however, I believe the quote fits. Baseball has its own historic records just waiting to be broken. Those records were achieved only after someone tried to do something incredible, failed and kept trying until they got it right.
If anyone watched baseball last season you witnessed evidence of this with the Boston Red Sox. The way they came back from defeat to win the World Series, 1918 is behind them now for certain. All the Sox fans who hung on and had faith that one day they would be able to make it had heart season after season until that magic came together like it was written in the stars.
In life, like baseball, you are presented with opportunities. In baseball, your opportunities occur with each pitch, at bat or awesome play on the field. You have to learn, practice after practice how to hit a fastball or see a curve ball a split second before you try to make contact with it. In that split second this game can change in someone else's favor. In my opinion, baseball is an art form. You have to have skills, speed, agility and a trained eye to succeed in this game. More importantly, you have to have heart! I hope this season overflows with heart from the fans and the players of the MLB and the Independent leagues.
In Minnesota, we are already seeing evidence of mass fan support for the home team with the 40,000 person turn out for the Twins home opener on Friday night. The MLB season is off to a good start and in a little more than a month, the Northern League will present everyone with incredible opportunities for game wins, new RBI's, new ERA's, and most of all a chance to share the wonderful heart this game has. I am looking forward to the 2005 season, and I hope you are too. Remember Mark Twains advice when you are rooting for your favorite team this season, "It's not the dog in the fight, but the fight in the dog."
