Walt was right. He knew the bond between the American people and “our game”. He knew that baseball was a game that afforded its fans the chance to fall in love, to feast and to feel; to bleed Dodger blue, dream of pinstripes or wait hopelessly for next year.
The game of baseball is chocked full of traditions. One of those great traditions that is so endearing to fans comes when a player flips a ball into the stands, The ball is meant to be caught by a fan, who’s memory of the moment shared with a big leaguer with be regaled at pubs and picnics for many years to come.
Last night, Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers caught a baseball and looked into the crowd. He spotted Shannon Stone who was yelling for him to throw him the ball. Josh Hamilton tossed the ball to an excited Stone. Stone misjudged the ball, lost his balance and fell twenty feet to his death. These encounters happen hundreds of times every year. Rarely is there any other outcome other than a fan that is thrilled with their souvenir. However the stadium did not have a safety net and a man died. In the blink of an eye a family was forever altered by what was intended to be a warm gesture.
This is significant in other ways as well. For those unfamiliar with Josh Hamilton his life’s story reads like a fiction novel; a former number one pick, his injuries and drug addiction addled his body. His three year blacklisting from baseball shook his confidence to the point of depression. Hamilton's struggles are widely documented and today Josh Hamilton will once again question himself. He will struggle with the part he played in the death of another. He will always wonder what would have happened if……
Josh will also know that in the blink of an eye the world can change. I hope he will realize that his part although intergral to the event carries no blame. I hope those questions that he will ask won't take him back to his earlier self doubts. I also hope the next time he’s in a similar situation…..he smiles and does the right thing. Toss it again Josh. No regrets.
Life is too short to live our days in fear and self doubt. Live your life, take a leap, feel the scrapes and have no regrets.
