Friday — April 9, 2004

The Way I See It…
Commentary by Chris Millspaugh

Baseball is
a reflection of life

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The season of spring means it’s baseball time. Clearly, it’s my favorite time of the year in the Wood River Valley with the exception of breezy days in summer, sunny days in winter and the entire fall season. OK, all right, I love every day up here except just a few … Mondays are tough. But, then, so is 7:30 in the morning on any weekday if you went to bed at 2:30 a.m. the night before.

But, hey, I’m not complaining, because, like I said, it’s spring and that means baseball. Baseball with its sensory rewards that have been so dormant for what has seemed like an eternity after all the cold—the smell of a leather glove and newly mown grass, the sound of ash wood cracking on a horsehide ball and infield chatter, "Swing, batter, swing batter, swing batter, blow it by him, son, no stick, easy out, can’t hit a beach ball with a bass fiddle, hitter, I don’t think so, take three, sit down, next? ... Dominate, baby, you da man."

It’s all so wonderful. I get so overcome with the joy of all the nostalgia, the memories of all the statistics and the quotes of the heroes of the past sharing their favorite moments, my favorite one being a Bob Uecker quote. Bob, a former journeyman catcher for several teams and a career .200 hitter, once said with a straight face: "My favorite thrill in baseball was when I saw a fan fall out of the upper deck in Veteran’s Stadium in Philadelphia in the summer of 1962."

It doesn’t get any better than that.

Baseball has always been a reflection of all the things in life that have meant so much to me. During a crossroads a few months ago, I remember fervently hoping to witness one more season. I recall equating the game of baseball with the trials of life. Being up at bat is the same concept, which is why baseball jargon is often used to explain life.

In baseball, you are either out or safe as a result of stepping up to the plate. "Out" in life means something went awry and the opportunity is over. You must change and start again. If you’re "safe" it usually means you have made the right decision, you’re in agreement with a situation, the mood is calm, you review and press on.

In baseball, when you hit the ball, you initiate action. At that point, it either goes into play in fair territory or lands foul beyond the confines of fair play. In life, "fair" means you have played by the rules, have reached an agreement with those you have faced in a dilemma and achieved an equitable, balanced decision. "Foul" in life could be using questionable tactics, which could be considered manipulative.

In baseball, an inning comprises three outs. An inning equates to a space of time in life. Three outs and the inning is over. In, life, if you’re out, you are usually wrong. Three wrongs in a particular space of time means you had better change the pattern of your actions.

When you win in baseball, you’ve gone through the appropriate amount of innings, scored a number of times and have come out ahead. In life, you win when you have completed a task correctly and successfully. If you lose, you have invariably been wrong and must still deal with it before you can go on.

The whole deal is how you play the game, and, at the end, you go on to the next game. In baseball there’re 162 games. If you come out on top, you go to the playoffs and if you win, you go to the World Series all the way to the last game.

Life, too.

Enjoy the season … enjoy your life. Nice talking to you.

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.