Baseball and Life Lessons

You might not have heard but the Tri-City Valley Cats defeated the always-tough State College Spikes 10-4 last night, winning back-to-back games for the first time in three weeks, and improving their record to eights wins and 15 losses. But that wasn't the highlight of the evening for me.

We spent three bucks for a program that included a fascinating Q & A with the Valley Cats manager, a baseball lifer named Jim Pankovits, a benchwarmer for the Astros and Red Sox in the 1980s. It may be just the stage of life I'm in right now, but I thought some of his answers were especially poignant. For example, he was asked:

- Do you have aspirations of managing in the major leagues?
Not anymore.
- What's the toughest aspect of your job?
Releasing a player and telling him that his dream is over.
- What's more rewarding: instructing players on how to behave between the lines or away from the clubhouse?
Away from the clubhouse. Playing between the lines is temporary. Outside the lines is for the rest of their lives.

So, here's a guy with no illusions, limited dreams, and a clear idea of what's important in life. I would like to think that this will more closely describe me when I come out the other end of my current situation. As hard as this has been, I am trying to appreciate the new perspective that comes from going through this ordeal.

For those of you who want to cath Pankovits' team in action, tonight might be the perfect night: they are giving away Michell Obama bobblehead dolls to all attendees.