How I Know the All Star Game Still Matters....

I love the midsummer classic. I won't come Wednesday, when I feel a little lost without a Giants game to listen to on the radio or a dull SportsCenter report, but every year I make a point of watching a game that many fans think is meaningless. So meaningless that the former commissioner Bud Selig put some stakes into the game: the team that won the game earned home field advantage in that season's World Series (a best of seven game venture). Think of the implications of that measure! It's a collective bargain agreement between the players of the NL and the AL to throw and hit strikes. And so I believe the All Star game adds yet another chapter to the narrative of sport. All Star games matter.Here's some evidence—beyond the cost of the ticket to attend the game!—that it does.

Early Friday morning, as I got in my car, I cursed the city I have lived in for the past 15 years. If you've spent a summer in San Francisco, you probably know what I'm about to say. Mark Twain said it best, so I'll let his words—a down right cliche in this town—do the talking.

There is something wrong with turning on windshield wipers, and wearing a down jacket in the month of July. My head tells me I should know better, but my heart can't accept this cold and wet truth. As I turned on the heat in my car, I fired a text message off to a friend who purchased tickets for that evening's Giants vs Diamondbacks game. I asked where we were sitting. I said that if we were in the upper and outer reserve, I didn't want to spend the time or money going to AT&T Park. 

I felt like a spoiled brat. My brother, in town from Washington DC was so disappointed that he wasn't able to get to a ball game during his five-day visit. Others would love to have a team that has the best record in baseball in their backyard. I just didn't have it in me to sit outside in a cold and windy seat for over three hours.

I put these points into perspective and actually got excited when I realized Jeff Samardzija was the starting pitcher. One beanie, three base layers and blanket later, I found my way to the Yard where I was confronted by another truth: Orange Fridays live up to their name and something else, an electric spirit in the house. I thought about the accolades Giants fans have gotten from objective outsiders for the past 10 years, but this crowd was super amped. I'd felt that energy before, and it wasn't during the NLDS or NLCS. It was in the hallways of school before Christmas break. 

Christmas break signifies the half way point of the school year. Everyone is ready for a little break and for the joy of the holiday. Though not a member of MLB, I wouldn't be surprised if insiders told me that sentiment is one they take into the All Star Break. The baseball season can be a grind. Players, coaches and staff play for six days in a row, sometimes more! They travel far and wide to places they want to be and others they do not. The majority of athletes, won't head to San Diego to participate in the Midsummer Classic, but for those that do, it's an honor: one that I was a witness to in a new way at that Friday game.

This year, the Giants have four players who will take the field tonight at PetCo Park. Buster Posey won the fan balloting to start at catcher for the third time. Both Madison Bumgarner and Johnny Cueto will take the mound and for the first time in his career first baseman Brandon Belt will suit up for the game. He got to San Diego by way of the Final Vote ballot. Belt was in the running among four other players.

When the Giants announced that the Baby Giraffe made the cut, fans went nuts. Their voting via text and Twitter #votebelt paid off. He got a standing ovation when he came to bat. The Giants recorded a personal message from the Texan thanking fans for all of their support. His words sent this raucous crowd to their feet; fans were clapping and cheering. It was as if they said to one another: we did this. They did! We did!  And it wasn't a one time affair. When he returned to the plate, again fans gave it up for this All Star. I turned to my friend and said "this is remarkable. You can't tell me the All Star game doesn't mean anything."

The All Star Game matters to me because it reminds me that every season brings surprises, new gifts and new reasons to celebrate. It gives me pause to think about the narrative of a season that is well underway. It makes me miss baseball! and yet it shifts my eyes to those players we love and those who give more than their all. Every Midsummer Classic includes a lead up to it, something I may never have thought about before....not every visit to AT&T Park that make me say "wow," but this one did. I felt a spirit among both players and fans that made me smile. It got me to drop my blanket for but a few moments, and forget how cold it may or may have been outside. That energy was a warm one. Beanies off to the team that is #1 in the NL West. Thank you San Francisco, thank you summer, thank you MLB. Here's to the All Stars and the fans that confirm them. Play Ball!

Photo Credits
Logo
Baby Giraffe
#VoteBelt

Best Podcast Ever: The All Star Game

At the conclusion of our bi-weekly "Hour of Power" class, I said, "Steve, you are the best partner ever!." A couple of guys heard what I said and repeated it, no fewer than eight times. Best partner EVER—huh Steve? I left the gym to echoes of "ever" (multiple exclamation points implied). They didn't get the joke...

Have you noticed how many people say and write "Best insert your variable here EVER!" High school kids, in particular, are fond of this phrase. However, if it's the best ever, that leaves little room for improvement or comparison. That's why teenagers say it. #drama.

And I love that 4 SF Giants made the team, to be managed by Bruce Bochy!

All of that being said, on the eve of the Major League Baseball All-Star game, I would like to recommend what must be the best podcast ever. Listen here

Michaela Murphy, the narrator is also the author and the main character in her story. This jewel was given to me by a former student, Sarah. I will never forget the e-mail I received from her about it. She wrote:

I recently started listening to the podcast "The Moth" again, and it reminded me of you - although I usually prefer fiction, you said that you prefer non-fiction to fiction because the stories are so good that fiction is unnecessary. If you haven't listened to "The Moth" before, it's a recording of open mic nights that occur around the country where people prepare and tell a story. The one I heard last night was about family and baseball, and reminded me strongly of sports and spirituality class (moments of grace, flow, incredible story). 

Murphy offers a wonderful story, one takes us back to another time....before cell phones, TSA pre-check, and when it might have been a little safer to take a ride from a stranger (maybe not). It reminds us that when we let people in, instead of closing them out, anything is possible.

Theologically, it speaks to me about the Catholic principle of Communion. That is, as Richard McBrien writes "Our way to God and God's way to us is communal. Even when the divine-human encounter is most personal and individual, it is still communal. We comprise a community of faith." 

Murphy's story is one she can tell because of her aunt, who was a Catholic sister. She traveled to Cleveland, OH for the 1981 All-Star Game because in the wake of their father's death, her younger brother finds joy in baseball. They get to Cleveland's Municipal Stadium because of one Roy Firestone, who in turn attends the game because of Michaela and her brother. Perhaps it was the Communion of Saints—which includes her dad—that it all came to be. Give it a listen and enjoy.

To the podcast "Serial," I say "Move over!" How? Why? The strong number of responses from my own students, "The All Star Game" might just be the best podcast ever. Enjoy tomorrow night's game. And, as always, I'm pulling for the NL. 

Photo Credits
CincinnatiListen here

Hey Now, You’re An All-Star

To anyone who says “the All-Star game” doesn’t matter, I want to know: Have you ever been an all-star? And have you had five players and one manager from your hometown team play in the game?

I feel a little bit like Rick Reilly as I raise these questions, but I do so as an athlete who never came close to all-star status. "Most Improved" in three sports—swimming, track and rowing and "Most Dedicated" at 6 years of age don’t exactly mean excellence. I have held dreams of earning “MVP” or being named “All-American.” "All-Star?" I’d take that too. Triple accolades for improvement however meant I had a lot to do to get there. Is it too late?

I can only imagine how exciting it must be for those players to don a National or American league jersey, to meet some of the legends of the game and play beside others. Some are fellow countrymen and others once played together in the minor leagues. To catch up and talk shop in a star-studded pressure free environment is a gift. I dare you to tell them it doesn’t matter.

And for fans, it’s exciting to see so much talent in one venue. I enjoy watching players’ interactions at batting practice, the home run derby, and the opening ceremony. Because I recently purchased tickets to see the World Series Champion SF Giants take on the Philadelphia Phillies in the City of Brotherly Love, I am now on their mailing list. I took great delight in deleting every request to vote for Shane Victorino to make the team. He made the team but didn’t play. Typical Phillie.

Perhaps my views are colored by the anticipation of one-fifth of the 2011 Giants squad participating on the NL team. The front page of the San Francisco Giants web page featured this fan favorite five for weeks ahead of time. Their nomination to the team reminded me of their magical, historic accomplishment last fall. Their election to the 2011 squad edified what they are hoping to do once again.

And why is it important that we name all-stars? That they play the game? Politics and favoritism aside an all-star game reminds us that as much as a team wins a game or a World Series, while all individuals contribute, certain individuals truly do make a difference. People exercise their God-given gifts and talents in a way that make a significant impact. Without them, a community, a family or a team would be much different.

In his book “Catholic Ethics,” Andrew Peach makes an analogy between sports and virtue. He says “Sports writers did not create rules for becoming a great quarterback out of thin air; they observed quarterbacks in action and, then, described the traits these athletes had in common.” Virtue is no different. Look to three or five of your teammates who exemplify integrity. How do these people respond when they are in a sticky situation. Look in the pews at church at the individuals who are pious. How are the present during Mass? Yes, we are human and prone to error, misjudgment and mistakes—but the virtuous person, like the all-star, maybe less so.

To me, the all star break is the child hood equivalent of “rest period” at the pool. I hated the hourly 15-minute break when only adults were allowed to swim. I think I understood its importance at the time and I certainly do now; if the pool never called for that hiatus, I wouldn’t have taken one. In some small way, rest period set a framework for time in my day and length of play. In a similar way, the all-star break is probably good for all of Major League baseball. It serves as true divide for the regular season and allows clubs to take inventory. With the National League victory, we know the World Series will kick off in an NL city. Here’s to the fans that got them there and the accomplishments of those men so far this season and for all that’s to come. Play Ball!

Photo Credits
SF Giants
Our Giants
All-Star Roster