In the January 31-February 6th issue of USA Today Sports Weekly was a wonderful article by Paul White about players who seemed to be the next best thing but have been unable to stay in the major leagues. For one reason or another they are stranded in the minor leagues.
Every roster has these journeymen (a generic description). The official term is six-year free agent. This is a phrase that leaves as indelible a mark on someone as a bad reputation. Erasing this mark, like fixing your credit report, can be next to impossible. No matter how hard you work at correcting this "flaw" there seems to always be a chink in the armor and you are back at square one.
So you start over.
What touched me was that I play ball. It won't make any headlines and I'm okay with that as long as I can contribute to my team. I'm thinking, this has to be what motivates these players who are past their prime and yet they continue to play a game they have loved since they were little kids.
Every major league roster has players of this ilk. These ballplayers are the backbone of baseball. It's important that teams have ballplayers and not people who play ball.
These players exemplify the greatness that is baseball. Because some of us can never get enough and we want to see that others enjoy it as much as we do, we will do whatever we can just so long as we are a part of the game of baseball. (To me, the Bad Company song Can't Get Enough is about baseball with a girlfriend.)
Oft times we get away from the game because we think there are other priorities in our lives that need more attention. So we tend to that business. Then when things should be okay we still have this uneasy feeling about how things are in our life. Time goes by and someone asks if we would be interested in doing something baseball related and suddenly the passion is reborn.
So you dig for that Bad Company album -- their first -- and put on the song Can't Get Enough and your girlfriend begins to purr...
-- KevinMarquez
UPDATE:
Well, I'll take whatever I want
and baby I want you
You give me something I need
Now tell me I got something for you
lyrics from "Can't Get Enough"
UPDATE:
The Can't Get Enough reference is merely to say that there are other things AND BASEBALL.
It's not all mushy...
Well, here's an example of mushy lovey dovey lyrics from the song Misty that could be baseball related..
On my own
will I wander through
this wonderland alone
Never knowing my right foot
from my left
my hat from my glove
I'm too misty
and too much in love
Look at me
No thanks.
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