May
29
Playing Like Kids Again
May 29, 2008 |
I’m talking baseball today and it’s all because of Jay Bruce, the newest member of the Cincinnati Reds.
He is the #1 prospect in baseball, the next can’t miss kid. And the Reds finally called him up on Monday.
Tuesday night, he was on base all five times he batted; last night, he reached base another three times. He didn’t make an out until his 7th at-bat. Start carving his plaque for Cooperstown.
But what’s more exciting about him is that he is playing like a kid, full of enthusiasm and pure joy. The way we used to play on summer afternoons at the neighborhood field. He hustles, smiles, and plays the game like our baseball heroes of old.
And his joy is already spreading to the rest of the team. The Reds have experienced nothing but misery and losing in this millennium. It’s been trying to all of us fans who came of age when the Reds in the postseason was considered a birthright.
So, it’s great to see a joy in this team the past two days. The team is suffering through another losing stretch but the last two nights have been electrifying. In one inning alone last night, Joey Votto (another great rookie) dove to his right to snag a hit away, then Adam Dunn made a sliding catch on a sinking line drive, and then Edwin Encarnacion channeled Brooks Robinson in getting a ball hit behind the bag at third and throwing the guy out from his knees. Plays that weren’t happening last week.
They are having fun playing; and we are having fun watching them.
So, in watching Jay Bruce and the rest of the Reds the past two nights, a question comes to mind - why can’t we all have this joy and enthusiasm about our own lives? Why can’t all of us face each day the way we did on Summer afternoons playing ball for hours on end? No matter what we do, why are too many of us not able to find joy in our career, family, life?
Christ wants us to find joy in our lives. He wants us to live every day with the peace that comes from being one of God’s chosen people. We can be facing the most difficult of trials, but he still wants us to put a smile on our face and peace in our hearts because we walk with him, and that should be good enough for us.
I’m actually looking forward to watching the Reds throughout this summer. I know Bruce’s average is going to settle in around .275, he is only 21-years old. I know the Reds will probably play .500 ball the rest of the way. But, I can live with that, because I enjoy watching athletes having fun. And, the current crop of young players on the Reds gives hope to us because they just seem to have fun playing the game.
And as I’m watching them, I’ll be reminded to find peace and joy in my own life. After all, peace and joy are emotions that are entirely up to us, no matter our current circumstances in life.
