Good People Along the Way...

Vin Scully told a story tonight. It was about Ted Lilly. Apparently Lilly's wife is a veterinarian, so I would imagine this means they probably have a deep love for animals. Scully's story included the assessment that Lilly is kind of a quiet, soft spoken guy. One night, when Lilly and his wife were out walking their dog, a lab, the lab was attacked by a pit bull. (Now me, personally, I don't believe in stereotyping the breeds, but I will stereotype irresponsible owners. Meet me in person, and I may use a more colorful adjective for those kind of "irresponsible" owners.) Anyway, Scully went on to tell that Lilly went after the pit bull: he pried the pit bull jaws open and saved his dog. Vinny also mentioned Lilly's thumb was torn up a bit from the encounter with the pit bull, but he added, "that's the kind of guy Ted Lilly is." GIRL TALK: This is why I love to explore and learn about the Players. You find the human connection to them every which way you turn. Me? I'm a HUGE dog lover. I have two myself. A jack russell, and a bichon/poodle mix. Here they are now...

Now, whether your favorite Team is winning or losing, there is always something to be learned from and about something you love. (And if you don't love Pepe le Pew, the question begs "What is there not to love?")

I learn lots from my dogs every day: loyalty, unconditional love, patience, and how to live in the moment. And within the baseball universe, I learn something new almost every day as well: that there are good people out there who are willing to put the greater good ahead of themselves in the most unselfish ways. When you hear of a Player doing something based from the heart, something that truly demonstrates character and loyalty and unconditional love, THAT is what brings the game as a whole around for me. When I can relate to a Player, whether they are on or off the field, I connect more with the game. And THAT is why I adore baseball so much: there is always something for me to connect with and remind me who I am and who I strive to be. Do I grab onto these philosophical lessons in other areas of life? Sure: art, theatre, dogs, hiking, surfing, shopping for shoes,... but everyone has a soft spot and that one special "thing." For me, that one special connection is baseball. When you win, it's sweet. When you lose, well... *sigh... there's usually a game the next day. You rarely get a day off. Just like real life. But when you DO get the chance to take a day off, hopefully you are surrounded by those who have your back... on and off the field... enter Carrie Bradshaw and friends... they always have each other's back...

And so hopefully, we are reminded that good does exist.  Isn't that what the sport is supposed to teach us, anyway? And hopefully we are surrounded by good people along the way. Good people like Ted Lilly. Good job tonight Lilly- we may have lost the game and split the series with that team in red just down the I-5, but I refuse to see red- it was a game and series well played. GO Blue!