Life is a Subset of Baseball

Mike Meyers, an old friend of mine was a very wise man. One time he made the statement “life is a subset of baseball.” I never fully understood that statement at the time, but now it has suddenly dawned on me 28 years later, that life is a subset of baseball. Bear with me as I explain. There are rules in the game that must be followed, just as in life. Strategy is essential to the game as in life. Just when you learn to hit a fastball, life throws you a curveball; just when you learn to hit a curveball, you begin to be thrown a knuckleball. When you learn how to hit a knuckleball, you start to see a slider coming at and by you. Baseball and life never end until after the last of the ninth. Errors are made along the way, but with each loss, you learn lessons on how to win the next game. If you have a losing season, there’s always next season. Look at the Chicago Cubs, they have not won a world series in 104 years, but they still show up hopeful for every new season.

Mike loved the San Diego Padres, even when they were a AAA ball team. The Padres finally made it to the major league and Mike went to Las Vegas before every season to bet on the Padres winning the pennant. The bet was so far out of possibility the odds were very high against them, until they finally did win a pennant. Mike cleaned up on his bet that year and all previous year’s bets, proving that hope and perseverance pays off in baseball and life. Some day on a warm fall Sunday afternoon, the Cubs will end the season atop the major league and there will be joy in Mudville as mighty Casey will not strike out.