The Real All-Stars

I don't really have much to add to this story. It's really easy to look at the misbehaving superstars and immature super-prospects and think that baseball players are in it for the money, glory, and fame. But while that's true for some, there are players who are still in it because they love the game and the camaraderie that comes with being on a team.

I still miss playing soccer. I miss the way that mist rises off the grass early in the morning, leaving the ball damp and dark. I miss the way that a ball sounds when it hits the net; I miss the mass exhalation that players and fans share when the first goal of a game whispers into the goal. I miss joking around with the guys and eating orange slices during halftime. I never played for money, I never got any real glory or fame. But it was never about that. It was about playing for love of the game and for the love of your fellow players.

There are still guys out there in the Majors who can't give it up because they still love everything that baseball is. It's those guys that I root for because they are the heart of the game. They're the ones I identify with and who are closest to the fans. So let's focus less on what's wrong with baseball and take a little time to appreciate the good guys for all they've given us, the fans, and to the game itself.