We love baseball for many reasons. One reason could be something like this:
Another reason could be something like this:
And that is totally fine! The thrill of the big moment, the possibility of seeing something incredible, the strange sense of pride from a favorite team being successful - all are wonderful reasons to enjoy something.
But baseball is a long season and while those reasons are all enticing, are they really enough to keep a fan around for months of the year, year after year? There must be more, right?
Seven months of the year, every single year, is a long time to dedicate to something. During that time, whether we realize it or not, we become deeply invested in these people we have never met. Maybe the joy of their triumphs is why we stick around. While watching these people that play such a big part in our lives succeed on a baseball level is fun, watching them succeed on human level is more so.
Rick Ankiel is one of those stories. He was a player that captured our hearts less because of baseball, though baseball is how we came to know him in the first place, and more because of what he represented to us as a person, as someone who never game up and through determination and hard work, overcame. This is not more evident than in his MLB debut as an outfielder:
About fifty things needed to go exactly right for that moment to happen. Baseball rules. (It is why deep, deep down somewhere you pretend doesn't exist, you truly enjoy Eric Thames mashing all the dingers.)
If you are interested in learning more about Rick Ankiel and his story, check out his new book, The Phenomenon: Pressure, the Yips, and the Pitch that Changed My Life.
For Baseball's Rick Ankiel, Losing His Pitching Ability Led To An Unusual Comeback | NPR
what else is going on in baseball...
- Nationals Trea Turner hits for cycle | MLB.com
- Rod Carew shares bond with Reuland family | MLB.com
- Evan Longoria hit a ground ball that was apparently possessed | MLB.com
- It is time to remember the time Giants outfielder Kevin Mitchell caught a fly ball with his bare hand | MLB.com
- These MLB team stats in April won't last long. | Sports on Earth
- Derek Jeter and Jeb Bush don’t have the money to buy the Marlins yet | SBNation.com
- Help Evaluate Some of the Game’s Worst Hitters | FanGraphs Baseball
- Is baseball too slow? The battle lines are drawn -- and MLB is taking a side | ESPN
- Doug Glanville tries to make sense of some of baseball's unwritten rules | ESPN
what the cardinals are up to...
- Willie McGee arrives to help Cardinals as instructor | St. Louis Cardinals | stltoday.com
- Familiar Mistakes Cost Cards Series Opener | Viva El Birdos
- Free Tyler Lyons: Cardinals Bullpen Can’t Afford An Extravagance, So Put This Good-Looking Lefty To Work | 101Sports.com
KNOW THINE ENEMY...
the toronto blue jays
- Stroman's double, clutch run | MLB.com
- Chris Coghlan Takes Flight | FanGraphs Baseball
- Chris Coghlan went full Superman to jump over Yadier Molina and scored ridiculous run | SBNation.com
- What, exactly, was Chris Coghlan thinking with that slide? | SweetSpot | ESPN
- Chris Coghlan goes airborne in wild 6-5 Blue Jays win | Bluebird Banter
- A Toronto Blue Jays Community | Bluebird Banter
the nl central
- Brewers' Eric Thames' homer sets club record | MLB.com
- What Would You Pay Eric Thames Now? | FanGraphs Baseball
- Eric Thames tied an MLB record in April and has 'plenty of blood and urine' for his haters | SBNation.com
- Chicago Cubs' Jason Heyward leaves worst days, and bad habits, behind | Chicago Cubs Blog | ESPN