Play Ball!

I came into this weekend with a bit of a spring in my step and a smile on my face.

And I bet I'll keep them both throughout the day.

The reason is admittedly a little silly, given all that's going on in the world.

But today I can't shake the thought that things are looking up.

Because I'm going to get back to a summer Sunday ritual that I've really missed.

Cooking up something fun for dinner, something that takes a little more care or prep. With a baseball game on the TV in front of me.

It's almost hard to believe they're playing again. I feel like a lost friend of mine is returning from a long trip, months overdue.

I'm downright giddy about it.

Now Karen is a good sport, so though she's not much of a baseball fan, she knows how much I love it, so she's tolerant.

And sometimes I catch her getting into the game, and even getting excited or nervous about the outcome.

Maybe she's just nervous about whether I'll be sad if my team loses.

But the thing about baseball is, no matter what happens, tomorrow's a new day.

The crazy ride of the Washington Nationals last season proved that even if you've been written off for dead, if you come together and focus on today, anything can happen.

Their manager, Davey Martinez, had a mantra: "Go 1-0 today."

When you're well behind in the standings, you can't make up all the ground at once. But to climb back into it, you have to win today. Just win today's game, and worry about tomorrow when it comes.

Simple philosophy, but it stuck. And at the end of it all, they were hoisting the trophy.

It's good advice for anyone, when you think about it. Focus on what's in front of you, and commit to tackling it. You can't lose 10 pounds in a day, but you can make good food choices today.

You can't walk out the door and run a marathon if you've never exercised before (or at least, I wouldn't recommend it). But you can start with a walk around the block today.

When you think about sports too deeply, it's all a bit nuts. Grown men paid gobs of dollars to play a kids' game. And people live and die emotionally based on what guys they've never met do when someone tries to throw a ball past them.

So I get it. It's silly. And compared to "real world" things, not all that important.

But you'll have a hard time convincing me it's meaningless. Especially today.

Play ball!