This phrase is an exerpt from a poem by Alexander Pope, an English writer who died in 1744. The full quote goes:
Hope springs eternal in the human breast;
Man never Is, but always To be blest:
The soul, uneasy and confin'd from home,
Rests and expatiates in a life to come.
Interpreted, it basically means that no matter the circumstances, Man always hopes for the best, that no matter that things may appear bleak, but better times are around the corner. That Man continues to live through hopes and expectations. Perfect for referencing this special time of the year. Baseball Season has begun! And, while Mr. Alexander Pope most certainly wasn't a baseball fan, further research makes me think that he would have been. This familiar sentiment has always been deputized during Spring Training and at the very beginning of the baseball season, because it perfectly encapsulates what all teams, and players, in baseball feel. No matter that they lost 105 games last season, the Pittsburgh Pirates, with a new manager (Clint Hurdle) enter the 2011 season full of fresh optimism that the Pirate organization is on the upswing and headed in the right direction. No matter that the Colorado Rockies lost 12 of their last 13 games to end the 2010 season and sink completely out of playoff contention, this year will be different, better. No matter that the Rockies' offensive roster remains almost unchanged, Carney Lansford, the new hitting coach this year, will work miracles with the approaches of Ian Stewart, Chris Iannetta, Seth Smith, Dexter Fowler and Todd Helton and this year's team will be much improved. The team will NOT strike out 1,245 times this year. Maybe, maybe not. Franklin Morales and Huston Street will NOT give us all high blood pressure everytime they pitch. Hopefully, though Street's performance last night gives me no reason to think that he'll be the next incarnation of Mariano Rivera. And Franklin, well he hasn't made an appearance yet, so we'll see. Positive signs from newcomers Ty Wigginton and Jose Lopez after two games, Matt Lindstrom throws real hard. As good as they've been, why do the Rockies have such a difficult time with the Arizona Diamondbacks?
Back to Alexander Pope. More quotes from his writings:
"To err is human" (and an Arizona Diamondback)
"Men would be Angels, and Angels would be gods" (what, one World Series title in 50 years of existence?)
"And after all, what is a lie, 'tis but the truth in masquerade?" (Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens never knowingly used steroids)
"Blessed is the man who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed" (never a better definition of a Cubs fan)
"Fools rush in, where Angels fear to tread" (remember Kendry Morales breaking his leg moshing into the reception committee at home plate last year at the end of his walk-off home run?)
"Get place and wealth, if possible with grace; if not, by any means get wealth and place" (Scott Boras' motto)
"Never find fault with the absent" (any Red Sox fans here?)
"Order is Heaven's first law" (Who's on first, What's on second, Idontknow is on third. Because in leftfield, Why in center field, Tomorrow is pitching, Today is catching and the shortstop is Idontgiveadamn).
So you see, Alexander Pope wasn't writing about baseball, but there are many universal truths that parallel baseball and illustrate its infinite appeal. I've always said that the difference between football and baseball is the same as the difference between checkers and chess. I don't take time anymore to argue with idiots, idiots that see baseball as boring, idiots that don't see the nuance in the strategy and skills necessary to play and manage at the major league level. I don't bother with fools who dismiss baseball as a true American tradition, as I was reminded standing there at Coors Field on Opening Day and experiencing the chills as the introductions were made, the National Anthem was sung, the F-18's roared overhead, the balloons were released as fireworks boomed overhead, and those magic words "Play Ball" were voiced. I like football (not soccer), I like the new Nuggets (Carmelo-less), I used to follow the Avalanche (the Sakic-Forsberg-Roy ones), I was glad to see the Colorado Buffaloes begin to succeed in basketball. I like most sports, but I LOVE baseball. And, I guess it's no accident that all my kids do, too. I'd guess you could trace it back to my Mom and my Grandmother. My grandma never spoke fluent English but there were two things she watched every day in the summer - General Hospital and Cubs' baseball games. She raised five sons and my Mom, and they all loved baseball. My mother took me to Denver Bears games at Bears Stadium (before it was Mile High Stadium) back in the 1950's when the Bears were a Yankee AAA farm team. That golden age of baseball featured Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, Stan Musial, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Casey Stengel. Trying to get the old Sylvania transistor radio to pick up the occasional Cardinal game on KOMA or a Cubs game on WGN, listening to Bill Reed broadcast Denver Bears baseball every night on KOA radio. Attending games at Bears Stadium with my Mom, carrying bushel baskets of produce to bribe the gatekeepers and ushers into letting us sit in the section that the players' family and friends sat. Getting to visit the clubhouse after a game to get baseballs autographed with my friends Eddie Mizunaga and Walt Chikuma because Mom worked with the wife of Denver Bears pitcher, Mark Freeman, at the May Company (department store, before it was May D&F). Following, and coaching, my kids Alison and Ted all over the state when they played in Little League and high school. Visiting Yankee Stadium (the old one) with Alison and Sara, for the first time, on my 56th birthday, when Sara was pregnant with my first grandson, JD. Going to Comiskey Park to a White Sox double-header with my mom and two of my sisters. Wrigley Field for the first time (Cubs beat the Rockies and Bryan Rekar, 1-0). Oriole Park at Camden Yards with my family. My 59th birthday at Petco Park in San Diego with son Ted and his girlfriend, Amber (Rockies won two out of three). Memories, nothing bad about baseball memories.
Alexander Pope, as prolific and wise as he was in his writing, he had nothing on the ultimate philosophers in baseball: Yogi Berra and Bob Uecker. Google these guys, read some of their quotes. I guarantee you'll laugh out loud, oh I meant LOL.
Apologies for not delving into such more worthy topics like Libya and Qaddafi (or is it Gaddafi?), the tragedy and continuing drama in Northern Japan or Charlie Sheen's latest. But, I love baseball, and that's what I have been longing for since the end of the season last year. The season for me ended on October 22 when the Yankees lost game 6 to the Texas Rangers in the ALCS. Oh, I watched the World Series, hated it when the crybaby Giants won the title, but I was already looking forward to the off-season deals that the Rockies and Yankees might pull off, Spring Training, and now, the season is under way. Cheers to all you baseball fans, so much the pity to those who are not. As Alexander Pope once wrote, about a person who doesn't like baseball.... "A wit among dunces, and a dunce among wits."
