I love that I'm emotionally invested in sports. And maybe too much sometimes but hey it's who I am and nothing's changing that. I could use a few reminders of some things though.
The Rangers could drop three ugly games in a row here and to me they would feel worse than the 11 out of 14 we just won. Don't ask me why though. I guess it's just from the fact I expect W's coming from 1000 Ballpark way nowadays.
But let's look past win-loss records and cant miss prospects for a second and talk about something more important than my desire for the Rangers to go and beat the Rockies tonight.
The bond that I share between the Rangers and my family is something that I have and will cherish forever. Isn't that what sports in general are really about? So Just for a little while let's push aside negative feelings towards Dwayne Wade and the Heat. Let's forget about how much the media wants to put the Yankees and Angels on a pedestal. We should also ignore, however hard it may be, that baseball is on the front burner of the American sports scene before training camp gets rolling, because there's something more important that needs to be addressed right now.
I remember playing little league back in the summer and fall of 2002. My dad was my coach and we were the Cardinals. I remember writing the initials 'DK' to the left of the STL logo on my hat and '57' to the right. I knew that I was supporting a team and a guy but I don't think I really knew what I was doing other than supporting a man who was taken too young and my family has had enough experience with that.
But as my parents and I were watching MLB Network last night before the game got rolling, a 10 minute excerpt from the new Darryl Kile movie was shown. It was tough keeping your eyes dry watching that, especially hearing it all over again now that I'm truly old enough to know what happened. A great man taken from his wife and kids way too soon at the young age of 33. He was born the same year as my dad and that really puts it in perspective. It's now been 10 years and a day since that horrible afternoon in Chicago that a clogged artery took Kile's life, but the pain is still there for some. For others it's a reminder that life is fragile, and some of us could use a reminder once in a while.
The point here is that as much is sports invigorates and enthralls us, it's just a game.
So whatever you're drinking tonight, raise your glass to Darryl Kile and say a prayer for his wife and kids. Make sure when you go home next, to hug your wives, husbands, daughters, sons, and whoever else you may hold dear to your heart because you just never know.
So to everyone near and dear to me, I Love You.
Cheyenne T. Bauman
