There's No Crying in Baseball

Have you ever seen a pitcher in the big leagues collapse and break down into sobs on the mound after a homerun sails over his head? How about a right fielder who has a heads up play for the force out at 3rd base giggle around the outfield with his hands on his head not being able to control his excitement?

This is why I have just LOVED watching the Little League World Series - the pure, unbridled, unmasked emotional ride you get to experience with every change in the game - because it's written all over the player's faces.

These kids are just that - KIDS! I love the statistics - Height: 5'2" Weight: 96 pounds Favorite book: Mickey and Me. How precious are these little boys? They wear their emotions on their sleeve - they feel every emotional high and low all within five minutes of one another. They go from a pouty, fat bottom lip to doing the wackiest dance moves in the dugout when they have a great inning - it's wonderful! It embodies the true roller coaster, yet joyous ride of sports. They are learning the life lessons of handling success and defeat - all in front of our eyes, on national television no less.

Make sure you tune in TODAY at 3:00 pm as the boys from Pearland (suburb of Houston), Texas take on the boys from Hawaii! You bet I'll be watching and cheering on these new darlings of Houston, as will the whole city and state of Texas - MOVE OVER Yao Ming, Matt Schaub & company - there are new stars in town!

GO PEARLAND!

The BIG Picture

We're all guilty of it - getting ticked off, crying, or being down in the dumps when our favorite team loses in the last second of the game, when we don't swim close to our best time or when we lose to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game (okay... maybe that's just the picture above). We wear lucky t-shirts, lucky earrings, won't wash our socks and do other unthinkable superstitous acts so we ensure our team will win... but is it all worth it?

Now I'm going to momentarily get up on my soap box for a while in this entry... I've felt inspired to write this after a long talk with a really great long lost friend who recently lost his father. We both discussed how it's the BIG things in life that you should focus on, and all the little, insignificant matters that just seem to disappear...

This year has been so deeply eye-opening for me when it comes to perspective. Life is all about changes, peaks and valleys - and it's all been revealed (sometimes in harsh fashion) the past year or so. I've had some of my best friends lose parents and siblings - and known people whose lives were changed in one single moment. With the ever-changing power that is life - it's so important to focus on how you treat people EVERY SINGLE TIME you interact with them. You must put all your efforts towards being compassionate, loving and steadfast at every single moment. Is it worth yelling at someone when they don't text message you back in .2 seconds? No. Is that dirty towel on the floor really hurting anybody? No. Just BREATHE...

That being said - does it really matter when your beloved Houston Texans don't get that 1st down? Does the Fiesta Bowl defeat really seem as important? Does your time in the 500 freestyle from when you were 18 years old really mean ANYTHING in the scheme of things? The answer is simple - NOT IN THE LEAST.

Sports are a fantastic outlet, an incredible provider of lifelong lessons, and a wonderful support team but they do not define you. When your life is over does the person presiding at your funeral read your stat sheet from your athletic career? Not in a million years. What defines you is the way in which you live your life. The people you touch with your compassion and those whom you reach by your giving spirit. You're remembered by the way you loved and cared - not the way you threw touchdowns or hit homeruns.

Remember this... and it may make the last second losses, the interceptions, the upsets, the blown calls, and all of the other insignificant details a little easier to stomach.

Rapid Fire Rewind

Sound the alarm! I'm BAAAACK! With the clock ticking down to football season, I feel like I now have some passion behind my posts again! It's time to be back in business, folks.

To get started I'm going to quickly review the year in sports from the last time I posted (Ehhhh mind you it was Fall of 2009...) some of it you may not agree with what I have to say, but hey - you can't please 'em all.

1. NCAA Football -Alabama stomped Texas for the National Championship. PS - Texas did not lose because Colt McCoy got hurt (cough WIMP cough). Texas lost because Alabama was and is a better, more aggressive more physical team. They just flat got out-played. As always, I would just LOVE to see Texas play a mediocre SEC schedule (at best) - what a wake up call that would be.

2. NFL - The Saints won the Super Bowl in the MOST exciting, inspiring, energizing, FANTASTIC professional football game that I've seen in a long time. Between the images of Drew Brees with his ear-muff clad son, or the owner waving around his LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL umbrella - it was unbelivable. Talk about a feel good sports story (for once!) coming out of the NFL. Thank you, New Orleans.

Oh yeah - The NFL also lost a legend, class act, first rate QB in Kurt Warner. What a fantastic role model for children growing up in the sport. Hey, maybe he could even be a role model for Brett Favre (NOTE TO BRETT - Give it up already before you break your hip out there.... Oh, and make a decision - then actually MAKE it)

3. NBA - The Lakers won the NBA Championship. Yuck. Bryant? Over it. Gasol? SHAVE for crying outloud. Odom? You're more fun on Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Jackson? Aren't you like 100 years old? Haven't you won like 38 championships? Retire already, dude.

LeBron James has a HUGE, RIDICULOUS, OUT OF CONTROL ego. I hope it fits in the franchise at Miami - yikes! He said he wanted to win championships with Wade and Bosh. Well, I have news for him - it's not going to happen. You have a successful team with a leader, support players, and those who fill VITAL non-on the court attributes. You don't have a successful team with three egos... and some other guys...

4. NCAA Baseball - On a more personal note, my Horned Frogs reached the College World Series for the first time and became the darlings of Omaha! Needless to say, after Matt Curry's grand slam - I was hoarse the next day. Wow, what an unbelievable moment in TCU history. I'm SO proud to be a Horned Frog - then, now and ALWAYS!

Oh and South Carolina won - good job Cocks... (heehee)

5. World Cup - Uhhhhhh.... they went to South Africa? There were loud annoying noises? There was an octopus that was really successful in picking the winners. Spain won. That's all I've got :) Needless to say, soccer ain't my thing!

6. MLB - The Astros are HORRIBLE TERRIBLE NO GOOD VERY BAD baseball team. End of story. That's where my baseball care stops - and it CRASHED AND BURNED this year with the Dis-Astros.

Well, folks - that's all I've got for now! I'm excited to be writing again, it feels good.

Let me know if I missed anything - I'll gladly give my 2 cents! :)

Until we meet again.... (and I promise it won't be August 2011!)