Now That You Mention It, I COULD Use Some Baseball

The local major league franchise has this advertising slogan they use to appeal to fans of The Great Game. It's simple, but effective: "You could use some baseball."

The Texas Rangers website explains it this way: "People are overwhelmed and overworked. They're bombarded with more information, yet less real communication and human interaction than ever. People don't have enough time with friends, family, or loved ones, making time one of our most valuable, diminishing resources. People want more passion, excitement, and genuinely rich experiences out of their activities than ever before. A Rangers baseball game is just such an experience. It creates memories."

Granted, there's been plenty of romantic drivel written about baseball. It gets sappy at times.

But every now and again, the stuff that life throws at me begins to wear on me and I begin to focus too much on stuff that really doesn't matter. I need to recalibrate. To re-focus.

That's a laborious process for me, though. I often wish it were as simple as just "spending some time in prayer and the Word" (to use the business jargon of my Tribe). But, for me, I need to get my bearings first. To decompress and get rid of the clutter. Some people sit by lakes or oceans or take walks in forests. Some drive with the windows down and the music up. Some pet their dogs. There was even a scene in a movie where a guy rode the go-karts at a local kid's arcade because "it centered" him. To each his own.

Well, my "own" looks like this 10 minutes before the first pitch:



Three hours worth of being centered.

A diving catch and great throw to complete a 9-5 double play.
A blown bunt attempt that elicited groans...followed by the same guy hitting a 3-run homer that set off fireworks a minute later.
A blown save by the closer in the top of the 9th that made it look like the game was going to get away from us.
A lead-off double.
Another failed bunt attempt.
And the fan-favorite ripping a base hit to win it for the home team in the bottom of the 9th.
Taking the back roads to get from parking lot to driveway in 45 minutes.

That little afternoon mini-vacation actually made the 3.5 hour elder meeting last night mildly enjoyable.

You might not "get it."

And I have few explanations of why.

But a 1:05 baseball game centers me. And yesterday, I used some baseball.