There's No Crying In Baseball

There’s no crying in baseball, right? Like hell there isn’t. I was crying just last night when my CARDS lost the second game of the World Series to the Rangers. I bet there were a lot of Cardinals fans crying right along with me. If you didn’t see the game, too bad for you. There were some definite nail biting moments...kind of like in the Big Game...you know, the game of life.

Now, I’m no sports reporter, by any means, so please forgive any mistakes I may make with the terminology as I give my brief overview of the game... 

For the first six innings, the score stayed an even zero to zero. It wasn’t for a lack of trying, though. Both teams had their strike outs, ground outs, line outs, and fly outs. It wasn’t until the bottom of the third that anyone got a hit that actually put a man on base, although someone did walk in the second inning. Finally, in the bottom of the seventh, the Cardinals scored the first run. 

The Cardinals held the lead until the Rangers stole it (literally) in the top of the ninth. First, the Rangers got a single, then the pace suddenly picked up after a steal to second. An error turned the next single into a double which put the tying run on third and the winning run on second. Then, wouldn’t you know it? The next two batters sacrificed to get both men home. With the Cardinals at bat, in the bottom of the ninth, the score was Rangers -2, Cardinals - 1.  Molina got a walk, giving the Cardinals a brief moment of hope for at least tying it up, but two strike outs and a fly out later, it was all over.

Even though my boys lost, it was a great game. I kept thinking about how things changed so quickly at the very end. I was sure the Cardinals were going to win. It was strange how, in that ninth inning, when the Rangers took the lead, I felt my spirits suddenly drooping. It wasn’t until later, after I was in bed and unable to fall asleep, that I figured it out.

Life is kind of like the game last night. You try your best, you have your ups and downs, but for the most part, you go about the business of daily life on a fairly even keel. Sometimes, you have a little cushion, and you feel like you’re on top. I guess everyone has their own idea of what that cushion is, but for Anthony and me, we’ve always been happiest when the kids are all doing well, everyone is happy and healthy and life is normal. Sorry if that sounds boring. We don’t need a lot of extraneous stuff to make us happy. Kind of like the Cardinals having that one point lead. It’s not a lot, but it was all they needed to feel on top.

Then, one event starts a whole chain of events, and suddenly everything is upside down. You find yourself wondering what the heck happened and how it all happened so fast. You start looking at what you could have done differently, where you may have slipped up, dropped the ball, missed a play. If you could just go back and try it over again, maybe you could hold on to the little edge you had, that extra little slice of happiness. 

Well, I certainly don’t want to start my day being a sore loser. That’s no fun at all. Besides, it was only one game, and there is still a good chance my Cardinals can win the Series. I’ll call my 92-year-old Aunt Mame in St. Louis and we’ll give each other a little pep talk. And, as far as Anthony and I go, we’re going to be fine. We’re still very much in the game, too, and we’re not giving up any time soon. We’re hoping and praying and believing that Anthony’s going to come sliding into home base with that big winning run. And let me tell you...There will be plenty of joyful tears. Who said there’s no crying in baseball?