Baseball DIY

Last week (or was it the week before; who can tell with the way time flows?), Scott Rolen decided to have season-ending shoulder surgery. The earliest you can look for him back on the field is Spring Training '06.

I'm kind of going through the same thing, but, you know, not really. Today was my last game as a St. Louis Union for the foreseeable future. My work schedule, which has already cost me a few games this month, renders me completely unavailable for the month of September. In other words, I'm done for the year, excepting a possible one-match farewell in late October.

It sounds stupid, but I really feel sad about missing the rest of the season. I feel like I should turn in my uniform or something. This season has seen us play our best ball to date (granted, we're in our second year of playing, but we just went over the .500 mark for the first time ever today), and I've really felt like a solid contributor to the team, on the field and off. Now, I'm on the shelf, and not even from an injury, but due simply to the reality of life-outside-of-baseball. I'll miss the time on the bench, talking with the guys about whatever we happen to discuss. (Today, we debated who the ugliest current MLBer is. Our consensus: Jack Wilson. Sorry, Jack, but it's nothing you don't already know.) I'll miss the butterflies that I get before every game, the satisfaction of not screwing up in the field, and the visceral pleasure of striking the ball well occasionally. There's more to playing baseball than playing baseball, though; the relationships you develop on a team are valuable and worthwhile, or at least they have been for me the past couple of years.

I hope that next year I'll get to play, because this extended offseason will probably drive me nuts. Playing ball is a good way to spend your time and make friends. I kind of forgot that for ten years or so, but I'm glad I remembered.

And, you know, I also want to play again so I can make up for my 1-for-4 day at the plate. That's just paltry.