Baseball is a kid’s game
of Chutes and Ladders.
We cheer for the Triple A player
who has climbed the highest rung
and is told by the manager
he has made the opening day roster.
We feel for his teammate
who has not met expectations
and is told by the manager
he will be sent down for
more seasoning and playing time.
And we have compassion for
the highly touted pitcher who
was a lock for the starting rotation
and now suffers an inflamed elbow
and must be shut down for six weeks.
We love baseball because
it mirrors our own challenges,
the climbing and the falling,
the chasing of the dream,
no matter what the dream may be.
It is the saga of American life
where a few will rise to the top
while the rest of us will slip back
to the splendid commonplace
of everyday, ordinary life.