Thursday, September 11, 2008
Bill Palaschke on Mark Maguire
Yesterday I was watching "Around The Horn" on ESPN and Bill Palaschke was the winner. If your not familiar with the show, four panelists from different media outlets around the country take on certain topics in an attempt to earn points and be the last man standing to get a few seconds of face time. When Palaschke, of the Los Angeles Times, won he was giving his 30 seconds of air time in which he used the time to remind everyone of the anniversary of Mark McGwire's record breaking home run. After which Palaschke spoke about McGwire fumbling in front of congress about his steroid use, Palaschke went on to urge Mark McGwire to come back to baseball and give back to the sport that had given him so much.
After seeing what he had to say I realized that Mark McGwire had been absent from the spot light for awhile and that Palaschke, who I normally have mixed feelings about, was right about McGwire. I think that after all that he did to bring baseball back, he might have done just as much to set baseball back. McGwire should have to come back and clean up his image, he has made millions off the people who adored him and came to watch him play and he rewarded them with monster homeruns. But McGwire did not do justice by his fans by fumbling in front of congress. Mark McGwire should now come back to be amongst the fans and reward them in other ways; working with young baseball players, giving speeches on the effects of steroids, and help major league baseball clean up the sport.
After seeing what he had to say I realized that Mark McGwire had been absent from the spot light for awhile and that Palaschke, who I normally have mixed feelings about, was right about McGwire. I think that after all that he did to bring baseball back, he might have done just as much to set baseball back. McGwire should have to come back and clean up his image, he has made millions off the people who adored him and came to watch him play and he rewarded them with monster homeruns. But McGwire did not do justice by his fans by fumbling in front of congress. Mark McGwire should now come back to be amongst the fans and reward them in other ways; working with young baseball players, giving speeches on the effects of steroids, and help major league baseball clean up the sport.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
The inspiration who's gone but will never leave.
When I was a young boy I remember that there was one thing that I enjoyed more then waking up early to catch Saturday morning cartoons, it was sitting in the living room of my grandfather's house listening to stories of his time in major league baseball. We talked for hours in those days about his experiences with Jackie Robinson and Jimmy Fox, which were always my favorite two stories. It was during that time that I developed my life's purpose, I was going to make it further then my grandfather ever had in baseball so that I could tell stories of my own. Obviously this was goal of every seven year old baseball fan to one day make it to the pros but mine wasn't for fame, fortune, or even to go down in history as one of the greats like Ted Williams. I cared not for any of these things. I wanted only to one day come to the on deck circle in a major league ballpark and look up in the stands and see his face. I imagined the sense of pride that he would have had in me and I always thought he would have loved to see me out there.
I worked so hard as a young kid giving up weekends and hanging out with friends to hit balls off a tee or work in the batting cage against live pitching for hours and hours. The goal never left my mind and it's all that motivated me. I was just an average player as a young man and by average I mean I could field and hit with no problem. When I was 10 though, I hit a snag in my career, a point where I thought about quitting because of some a**hole coach who took things a little too serious. I remember that summer like it was yesterday and how I pondered my decision for hours while I talked to my parents about it. At the age of 10 my dream almost came crashing down. I didn't quit because to me the goal was more important to me than this coach who was just a parent who coached because his kid wasn't good enough to make it without him. When I was 15 I finally had blossomed into a spectacular player. My all star team that summer had won the state championship aided by my 3 for 4 two home run performance in the championship game and he was there to see it all. He always brought his friends from the old days to see me play and I'll never forget the look of pride on his face when he introduced me as his grandson.
In the last days of his life he was no longer the joke friendly, light hearted individual who I had known most of my life, he was now a man whose life had taken a visible toll on him. It saddened me deeply to see him this way and I'd be lying if I said there weren't nights when I cried myself to sleep begging God to give me just one more day. I remember the day he passed, when my cell phone woke me in my dorm in college. The news had hit me like car barreling full speed into a brick wall. I spent the next hour with my face in my hands on the edge of my bed waiting for my father to pick me up, it was Super bowl Sunday 2003 and a part of me had died along with him that day. At his funeral I gave the eulogy and watched as the people around me wept.
I never made it to the pros; in fact I played 2 years in college before I hung up my spikes for good. The goal I had once had as a boy to surpass a legend in my mind could no longer be fulfilled. I remember that he once told me that the worst day of his life was when a doctor told him he couldn't play baseball anymore; well I felt the same way when I quit. It's sad to say I know and I don't think that everyone would understand but for me it was because quitting meant letting him down. In the end though I realize that it wasn't how far I had gotten or even that I played, he loved me because of who I was and who I had turned out to be. There are days I still miss him and I don't expect people to share my feelings but I think everyone has someone special, someone who makes a difference in their life and that is how anyone can relate to my story. I realize now that he will always be in my heart and that phrases said, lyrics to songs, and people who loved him will always remind me of what he meant to me. The inspiration who's gone but will never leave.
I worked so hard as a young kid giving up weekends and hanging out with friends to hit balls off a tee or work in the batting cage against live pitching for hours and hours. The goal never left my mind and it's all that motivated me. I was just an average player as a young man and by average I mean I could field and hit with no problem. When I was 10 though, I hit a snag in my career, a point where I thought about quitting because of some a**hole coach who took things a little too serious. I remember that summer like it was yesterday and how I pondered my decision for hours while I talked to my parents about it. At the age of 10 my dream almost came crashing down. I didn't quit because to me the goal was more important to me than this coach who was just a parent who coached because his kid wasn't good enough to make it without him. When I was 15 I finally had blossomed into a spectacular player. My all star team that summer had won the state championship aided by my 3 for 4 two home run performance in the championship game and he was there to see it all. He always brought his friends from the old days to see me play and I'll never forget the look of pride on his face when he introduced me as his grandson.
In the last days of his life he was no longer the joke friendly, light hearted individual who I had known most of my life, he was now a man whose life had taken a visible toll on him. It saddened me deeply to see him this way and I'd be lying if I said there weren't nights when I cried myself to sleep begging God to give me just one more day. I remember the day he passed, when my cell phone woke me in my dorm in college. The news had hit me like car barreling full speed into a brick wall. I spent the next hour with my face in my hands on the edge of my bed waiting for my father to pick me up, it was Super bowl Sunday 2003 and a part of me had died along with him that day. At his funeral I gave the eulogy and watched as the people around me wept.
I never made it to the pros; in fact I played 2 years in college before I hung up my spikes for good. The goal I had once had as a boy to surpass a legend in my mind could no longer be fulfilled. I remember that he once told me that the worst day of his life was when a doctor told him he couldn't play baseball anymore; well I felt the same way when I quit. It's sad to say I know and I don't think that everyone would understand but for me it was because quitting meant letting him down. In the end though I realize that it wasn't how far I had gotten or even that I played, he loved me because of who I was and who I had turned out to be. There are days I still miss him and I don't expect people to share my feelings but I think everyone has someone special, someone who makes a difference in their life and that is how anyone can relate to my story. I realize now that he will always be in my heart and that phrases said, lyrics to songs, and people who loved him will always remind me of what he meant to me. The inspiration who's gone but will never leave.
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