Baseball is Life

Ok, time to let out another little secret........I LOVE BASEBALL!

Well, for those of you who know me, this comes as no surprise. The license plate on my car reads BSBLLVR, for goodness sake! Call it obssession, call me a geek, call me insane....but I LOVE it! I love it even more when my beloved San Diego Padres are kicking some butt.

The Padres are cruising right now, having won 16 out of their last 19 games. They have won 7 games in a row, 9 straight games at home and they have an outstanding record of 16-4 at Petco Park here in San Diego. A few weeks ago, I was moaning about the fact that they were several games under .500 and were in danger of slipping to 4th place in the NL West division. Now my Padres are in 1st place and are in front of the Arizona Diamondbacks by a 1/2 game. Better yet, the Padres are ahead of the stinkin' Los Angeles Dodgers by 2 1/2 games. I love it!

Now I know the winning streak won't last. All good things come to an end at some point in baseball. Whether it is a hitting streak, or a winning streak or the end of the baseball season in October....it is just part of the ebb and flow....the essence of life. Seasons change, players come and go, teams win, teams lose...but each day brings a new challenge. Each day brings the chance to do better than the day before, that is what I love about baseball.

One of my favorite ballplayers right now is Mark Loretta. His philosophy on playing the game, which is shared by many, is that you can't get too high when things are going well and you can't get too low when things are not going so well. You have to look at the bigger picture, play the game of life as you should play the game of baseball. Keep the faith and work to get better and keep trying until you get it right.

My all-time favorite player is Tony Gwynn. In fact, my son is named Anthony after Mr. Padre. One of the things that he carried with him on the field was something his father told him as a child. Mr. Gwynn said to his children, "Work hard and good things will happen." I try to pass that on to my kids as well. If you are cruising along and things are going well or if you are stuck in a rut and struggling, maintaining a positive attitude, putting your faith in God, and working hard will always bring out your best.

As for my Padres....hey, they had a bad April and they are having an awesome May. They may have a horrible June, but I hold out hope that they will come through in August and September and be in first place when the race for the ring begins. For now, I'll cherish the fact that they are in first place and playing well....and rejoice in the fact that they are ahead of the Dodgers....

GO PADRES!