The Power of Baseball

Yesterday, I read two separate articles that discussed two different people and how baseball affected each of them differently.

The first, I read in regards to Mike Flanagan, the Baltimore Orioles pitcher, who, sadly, took his own life earlier this week.  A lot can be said about suicide - how it's an easy way to escape problems, how it's a selfish act and how no one thinks about those that are left behind.  And I can admit that I don't know all of the details and it's very possible that Mike Flanagan was selfish and only thinking about his own personal problems and not about the family he was going to leave behind.  But one thing that was on his mind was baseball.  The article that I read was written by ESPN's Tim Kurkjian, a personal friend of Flanagan's.  It is a beautifully written tribute to not only a great friend, but a great man, as well.  According to the article, Flanagan loved baseball and loved being a part of it.  When he was fired as GM of the Orioles, he was devastated and for good reason.  It's hard to come out of depression when the one sport that you so love and the team that you love throws you to the curb.  I'm sure a lot of us might feel the same way.  Baseball was so important in Flanagan's life that for some people, it's hard to think of Oriole baseball without thinking about him as well. 

And yes, he had his own demons that might have led to his suicide, but isn't it better to remember all of the good about someone while they were alive instead of thinking about the way they died?  I certainly do. 

I don't like suicide, for some of the reasons that I've already mentioned and I'm not here to argue for or against it.  What I am here to tell you is that no matter how you die, it's how you're remembered afterward that really counts.

As for the other article that I read yesterday, it was written in the Los Angeles Times, by sports writer, Bill Dwyre.  I received a link to the article from Joanna because the man that it is about, John Rountree, is a friend of her father's.

That article talks about the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (I still hate that name) and how much John Rountree loves to pay attention to the team.  Sadly, Rountree was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) and it has gotten increasingly harder for him to enjoy the sport that he so loved.  Dwyre, for his part, talks about his friendship with Rountree and how he recently took him to a baseball game.  Rountree had not been feeling too well recently and the Angels were doing just as poorly in the standings.  But somehow, with Rountree in the stands, the Angels managed to come back and win a game in the bottom of the ninth inning.    At this point, the Angels haven't lost since and have climbed back into the pennant race against the Texas Rangers.  It seemed that for Rountree, it was like a shot in the arm and brought him out of a funk, though only momentarily.  According to the article, Rountree may not have much longer to live as his body continues to fail.  And yet, he is still rooting for the Angels.  Wouldn't it be something for the Angels to at least make it into the playoffs, just so Rountree could see a few more games?

You might think it rude of me to talk of someone dying when they are not even dead, but if you read the article, even Rountree feels his time is close.  The power of baseball is keeping him going and a few extra games at the end of the season might make him feel a little bit better.

And so, that's it.  The power of baseball.  Two different people.  Two different life experiences.  One will be missed immediately by his family and friends and baseball.  And the other will be missed eventually, and even if the baseball players of today never knew either one of them, both of them enjoyed every game they watched.


Until next time.