Baseball, Chevrolet & Apple Pie is America

Now wait, I know what you are saying! A-Rod and steriods, $200 to take the family to an average Major league game, players holding out because he feels dis-respected because the team ONLY offered him $45 million over 2 years. General Motors is asking for ANOTHER $20 BILLION just to keep afloat for the next 6 months.


Apple pie is still in pretty good shape.



I agree that taken in that context, America is looking more like the 98 lb. weakling on the beach than the muscle bound "HUNK" all the ladies are flocking to.


Baseball the sport is what I am referring to. More people attend and watch baseball games than any other sport in America. In what I consider one of the best documentaries ever made, (maybe I'm just a tad bit prejudiced because of my love of baseball), Ken Burns BASEBALL, the sportscaster Bob Costas makes the comment that baseball is the best sport ever invented because:

It is a true TEAM sport. It is the only sport where the superstar of the team

still bats only once every ninth time. He can only play one position of 9.

Every other sport can be completely dominated by 1 player.

The team can keep going back to him every play if they want to.

It takes a true team effort to excel in baseball.

That's where I think baseball and America are one in the same. America is a true team. We have such a diverse population, with more freedoms than anywhere else on the globe and yet we are the strongest country on the planet. We still lead the globe in any number of things. People still WANT to live in the United States. We are the largest philanthropic country in the world. When disasters strike anywhere in the world, who is usually the first there?

There was one baseball player in particular that I think embodied "The American Spirit".

John Jordan "Buck" O'Neil

Buck O'Neil was a player / manager in the Negro leagues before baseball integrated the sport. He is personally one of my favorite people, not just baseball players, (I never even saw him play), but people. He is a hero, not only to all African-Americans, but to thousands of people who had the good fortune to hear him speak. He was one of THE most positive people I have ever heard. When asked if he was bitter that he never got to play in the major leagues because of the prejudices in baseball at the time he played, he responded,"No. I'm not mad. I helped to pave the way for all those boys that followed. Jackie Robinson, Frank Robinson, Willie Mays, Roy Campenella. Yes Sir, I helped them. No, I'm not mad at all." Everything that came out of his mouth was positive, encouraging and never negative. Look him up on the internet or youtube. He is INSPIRING.

America is baseball and Buck O'Neil. America is still the country that I live and work in and am proud to say, "I'm an American!" Buck realized that even with all the things wrong in the America he lived in during the 40's and 50's, that it was still the best place to be. If he was asked today about our country and the problems we are experiencing, I think Buck would say, "Don't worry. We'll get through this and we'll be stronger and better because of it."

This is just another challenge for the greatest country in the world and like baseball, we'll get through this and be better for it.

R.I.P Buck. (Nov 13, 1911 - Oct 6, 2006)

Sunglasses on or off

"Whether your sunglasses are on or off, you only see the world you make."-Bonnie Raitt
This is a line in one of her songs, but it is somewhat profound.

What do you see?

Do you see a dark world like the one in the Spiderman movies? The last few movies of that series portray a very depressing city, with crime and filth everywhere and people almost without hope.
I'm not talking about the person looking for situations or individuals that they can uplift or help, I'm talking about the person who reads or watch's the news media and only see the bad things happening in their community. The majority of what is published as news is unfortunately negative, so it is easy to do.

Then there is the person like the line in a ZZ Top song.

"The future's so bright., I gotta wear shades!"

Boy, that's the one I want to be.

I noticed yesterdays news was slightly upbeat. And what happened today? The stock market goes up almost 400 points! What would happen if we had a regular dose of positive, upbeat stories? We might be seeing 10,000 soon in the Dow Jones.

So which world do you see?

I love quotes, so let me give you a couple of good ones;

"America was not built on fear.

America was built on courage,

on imagination and unbeatable

determination to do the job at hand."

Harry S. Truman

"Keep your eyes on the stars,

and your feet on the ground."

Theodore Roosevelt

"The future starts today, not tomorrow."

Pope John Paul II

I hope that your future is so bright, YOU GOTTA WEAR SHADES!

So....Feeling sorry for yourself?

What's to feel sorry for yourself?

• Your 401 K is now a 201 K?
• Spring baseball is here and the Dodgers still haven't been able to sign Manny Ramirez.
• The spin doctors are now telling us we are in a depression instead of a recession.
• Michael Phelps party ways cost him an estimated $60 million in endorsements.

There are a lot of things that we can control and even more that we can not control. If you spend your time concentrating, worrying and fretting over things you can't control, you will soon be helping your psychiatrist make his house payment.

"If you worry about what might be, and wonder what might have been, you will ignore what is."

Anonymous

I ride my bike several times a week as my schedule permits. On my ride this afternoon, I saw a man who I would guess was in his 50's, riding on the trail. He was moving along at a good pace, not burning up the trail, but not just a casual rider out for a scenic afternoon cruise. His bike looked normal except for one thing about it that was different.

It only had one pedal.

That's because this rider only had one leg. This guy is out doing what 95% of the population probably couldn't do with two healthy legs. I saw him later on the trail. He was probably doing at least a 20 mile loop. I pulled along side him and said, "Not to be patronizing, but you're an inspiration to most of us out here on the trail." He very humbly replied, "I'm just glad to be out here." No feeling sorry for anyone here!

I know I felt uplifted and grateful for what I have after seeing this special person. I don't his name and probably never will, but I started waving "Hi" to everyone I saw on the trail after that. Amazing how many people smiled and waved back. (Normally, riders on the trail just try to stay out of each others way and not run over the people walking.) It reminded me a little of the movie, Miracle on 34th Street, where "Kris Kringle" started a "I can help more than you can" revolution in New York around Christmas time by getting the big department stores to work together instead of against each other. It infected the whole city with a joy and friendliness and it started with one person. Now, I am not saying I'm Kris Kringle or that I am trying to start a "Friendliness" revolution. I am just saying that if you look for a little inspiration, you can find it almost anywhere.

There are a lot of people who are stressed out, worrying about everything. How far would a wave and a "Hi" go towards making them feel better. Maybe it would go nowhere. But maybe, it would uplift them a little and then they would wave to the next person they come to meet. I know this sounds REALLY SIMPLE! Maybe even simple minded. Maybe it is. Maybe I am.

SO WHAT!

I would much rather be called simple and a good, friendly person than be that "grumpy guy" that people want to avoid. What the heck do you have to lose? Do It Right Now! Make somebody feel good because you recognized them. If nothing else, you sure won't end up feeling sorry for yourself!