Sparks from the Fire

Pete, with Wildcats hat – Summer before Link's Leopards

Putting Inspirational music aside for the moment, I’d like to recount still one of the most inspirational stories of my life.  This blog is about ALL things Inspirational, so here goes…

The Glendale Wildcats were suddenly defunct.  It was April and I was in the 6^th grade.  Baseball was my life.

The St. Louis Cardinals with Stan Musial as its Hall of Fame player were my passion, but the Glendale Wildcats was the Little League team I had played on the summer before.

The Wildcats had lost their sponsor and that meant no team, no baseball for the summer — an impossible situation to face for a 6^th grader. (more…)

New York Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez follows through on a two-run walk-off home run to beat the Boston Red Sox 2-0 during the 15th inning of a baseball game Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009 at Yankee Stadium in New York.

I am a huge baseball fan. I live and die with the Yankees. Mostly I live. They’re an easy team to watch. They win a lot. I know, I know, they’re the team with all the money. But at this moment in time, this year, they’re now officially the team to beat.

Last night after 5 1/2  hours of scoreless baseball, Alex Rodriguez hit a walk-off homer to win the game in the 15th inning. I know, you just read it in the caption above, but I just had to write it, to say it, to yell it. I just had to crow.

I’ll have to admit it. OK, I went to bed at the end of the 14th inning with the score tied 0-0.  Today’s a big day for me in the studio and I couldn’t jeopardize that – even for my Yankees.

(more…)

I’m a Yankee fan.  As baseball is my hobby, they’re a good team to root for because they make the hobby a mostly pleasant experience.  They win a lot.  I’ll admit that I’ve become a pretty fair weather enthusiast.  If they’re losing big time, I turn it off.  If they’re doing poorly in one inning, I’ll switch the channel and surf for a few minutes.  Life’s hard enough.  Why should I be bummed out while participating in my favorite hobby?

Yanks' Brett Gardner slides into home

Over the last few years since the great Yankee clubs of the late 90s through 2001, my Yankees have been a bit harder to watch, so I’ve watched them a bit less.  Why suffer?  I got very used to winning back then and it was a hard feeling to give up.  Who doesn’t like to win?

This past weekend they were great fun to watch once more.  In baseball, the home team bats last.  If the score’s tied in the 9th inning or in extra innings,  and if the home team scores a run, the minute they do, the game is over.  It’s called a “walk off”.  You score and ‘walk off’ the field.  Since the Yankees were playing at Yankee Stadium, they were the home team.

A good solid Minnesota team was in town.  The Yankees won 3 games in a row, each one in a walk off.  The first, Melky Cabrera won with a basses loaded single in the 10th inning, the second, A-rod won with a homer in the 11th, and the third, just yesterday, Johnny Damon won with a homer in the 9th.  This hadn’t happened since 1972.

(more…)