Teddy Roosevelt, Vince Lombardi, Earl Weaver, Stephen King and Don Quixote
Prior to a World Series game between the Baltimore Orioles and Cincinnati Reds Earl Weaver was reviewing the Reds lineup for the pitchers and catchers.
"Conception," he said referring to shortstop Dave Conception, "dead fast ball hitter... can't give him anything to hit". "Griffey." he continued," terrific fastball hitter" and Bench just kills fastballs, Foster hits fastballs 500 feet and we cant throw him fastballs, Rose is hitting fastballs on his way to record for most hits-cant throw him fastballs. Jim Palmer, the future hall of famer, upon hearing all this said, "hey skip, every guy there seems to crush fastballs, that is what i throw. And Weaver with a wink says to Palmer, yeah, but not YOUR fastball.
My buddy Sandy Rosenburg catches for me at Alumni games up at Amherst and prefaces my going to the mound with "it is time for YOUR fastball" and we exchange knowing smiles. But today it is time . We have heard the Pallidins are great fastball hitters--but not today!
The players all arise today feeling fatigue as they approach the 7th game in 5 days. Vince Lombardi emhapsized conditioning to help overcome fatigue in football as he opined that fatigue makes cowards of us all. No fatigue for me today--I am ready to go.
Teddy Roosevelt had a lot of nice quotes but I have always liked this one: "Far better it is to dare mighty things, to enjoy glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirts who live in the gray twilight and know neither victory nor defeat". Well, no gray twilight for me today and a I am truly excited to be daring to win out there today challenging them with my best fastball.
Stephen King points out that fear is a survival impulse and the adrenaline that kicks in when we are fearful is there to help sharpen our wits and pump blood to the muscles we may need. I can tell you I feel the adrenaline starting already--waking up periodically with the game on my mind, and walking to this office to generate this report from your faithful correspondent. And let me offer this : Is this great or what?--I go to the mound today to pitch a playoff game and everyone involved is treating it with the urgency and importance.
Don Quixote devised his own quest to be a knight errant. He battled windmills , endured humiliations , battled evil and was "willing to march into hell for a heavenly cause". But his quest was really about selecting the journey he wanted to be taking rather than defining a destination. Selecting the journey is a choice we all make and mine today is to be on that mound throwing MY fastball. The Pallidins are going to get all I have today.
posted by Dave Moriarty at 6:08 AM
5 Comments:
Rooker Swats -- Your account of this baseball trip is reading like a picaresque novel.
How about this A's anthem from TR: "The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by sweat...; who knows the great enthusiams, the great devotion, spends himself in a worthy cause; who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly..."
Richard Boone's theme song: "Paladin, Paldin, Where do your roam? Paladin, Paladin, far, far from home." (Arizona, in fact...)
Go get 'em A's -- in your worthy endeavor, MJC
November 2, 2007 at 9:45 AM
MJC nailed it old buddy. I love your literary allusions, and I'm sure the god's of baseball do too. The indomitable As are indeed playing in the best traditions of Lomabardi, Pliny, et al. Certainly Vince L., often quoted for his view that "it's not whether you get knocked down; it's whether you get back up," would approve.
Macauley put it more sharply in the voice of Horatius:
Then out spake brave Horatius,
The Captain of the gate:
‘To every man upon this earth
Death cometh soon or late.
And how can man die better
Than facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his fathers,
And the temples of his Gods."
Not that the As are going to die in Arizona. No, with your pitching performance today, you'll hold the line in Moriarty fashion, and like Hank Stamper, "Never give a inch."
Strength and honor! JR
November 2, 2007 at 10:08 AM
I'm still waiting from Mr. Craven to show up. Best of luck in the playoff and keep praying to the baseball God. Ohh Joe please help us as we go on the field, the these fast balls be fast and curve balls to curve. Leave the fumble out with Jets and let’s bring home the Trophy.
Let's go Yanks....opps
November 2, 2007 at 10:10 AM
Even Roger Clemens would be big-time envious to be in your shoes now. Even a (soon-to-be-on-strike) Hollywood screenwriter would be shamed by the dramatic surge toward today's crescendo evident in your astounding and occasionally LOL prose this week.
Am sure just thinking about the possibilities of what you might write has inspired you and your colleagues to Herculean heights, especially in past few days. Yet it all might have fallen for naught without the inconceivable cliff-hanging ender of that game-ending triple play to foil the Chicago villains.
Just caught up on all the excitement in one giant dose (apologies, the Work Gods were toying with me all week...Lombardi's dismissal was fitting more than once). Catch you later tonight. Travel Coach
November 2, 2007 at 2:37 PM
Glad to see you are having a great time. Now that your Red Sox have more championships in the 21st century then do the Yankees its time for you to replace Scott Boras as A-rod agent. Its a much better paying job and just think you can throw BP to A-rod in your spare time. See you in the office
November 2, 2007 at 4:22 PM
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