The Mets have an almost impossible task with having to play 9 games in a span of 5 days. Five of those games are against the Yankees over this coming weekend. The Yankees have those with the Mets and two with the Braves. It will probably be more of a problem for the Mets than the Yankees as it relates to making the playoffs in this shortened season. It is just not fair. Oh the travesty of it all! How will we cope with this injustice?
There has been one thing that I hear over and over again during this pandemic, “This is not fair.” That statement is very true. This is a trying time for our city, state, country and the world.
People have gotten sick and many have died. Others have lost their jobs and been evicted from their homes. This most certainly is not fair. The baseball season, though it is not as important compared to the above horrific situations, is still something fans and players will put in that, “Not fair” category.
My whole life I have seen or been a part of things that were, “Not fair.” I do have a way of dealing with and understanding these situations and that is: Baseball. Baseball you ask? Absolutely and not by watching games. I have always believed that baseball is “The Game Of Life.” It has taught me that life is not always fair.
Lesson one: You are called out at second, you and the second baseman know you were safe. You argue with the umpire and guess what? You’re still out, get in the dugout, stop bellyaching, life is not fair. Now lick your wounded ego, get out there and hit a home run next time. Lesson two: You have a perfect game going in the 9th inning with 2 outs and a 3-2 count on the batter. The batter half swings at your nasty slider headed over the corner of the plate. He makes weak contact with the ball and it bloops into left for a base hit. Life isn’t always fair, pal.
Baseball should have a section in their rule book covering that. Let’s make it Rule 11, section 5, rule 2 (b) “Life is not fair.” As a former amateur umpire, I would have pointed that out to many of the players and coaches who sometimes gave me the phone numbers for eye doctors.
That old saying “When you’ve been dealt a load of lemons, make lemonade,” is something to think about. I am not saying the things happening today are easy or not a heartache for those who have been affected by either the pandemic or social injustice in the most extreme ways. It’s just that I keep hearing how unfair things are.
I understand that young people have missed proms, graduations, weddings, birthdays and what have you. I remember many things in my life that I felt were not fair. Heck, my wife and I will celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary alone next month. How about having to give up a career in professional baseball because you got your draft notice from your country? I thought that was the end of my life 50 years ago. Guess what? I’m still here and I have had more happy things in my life than bad things.
We all feel bad when things don’t go our way, it hurts. But as long as you can talk about them, life will go on. Thanks to what baseball has taught me, I can deal with most of life’s disappointments.
“Life is not always fair.”