Posted by
Patriotic Liberal on Saturday, April 11, 2009 1:20:57 PM
Baseball is compelling on a bunch of different levels. For me, the most compelling aspect is that it makes history come alive. Through the decades, thousands of young men have passed through the big leagues. They were men like you and me, except they played baseball really well. Some had sterling character. Some were lowlifes. Most were somewhere in-between. Some became even greater after their stint in the majors. Others descended into squalor. Most just muddled along, as we all do.
But once in awhile, a young man with a world of promise is killed. And when that happens, we can only shake our heads at world where children die and fools live on.
Apparently, this lanky young right-hander had broken through. Nick Adenhart had a sensational spring and had fought his way into the starting rotation of one of baseball's finest teams. Last year, in four appearances, he allowed as many runs as innings pitched. He walked a lot of guys. But over the winter, apparently, something within him re-configured. He began to think like a big league pitcher--to throw with confidence when he was behind on the count, or to realize that he--and not the batter--controlled the tempo. With a blazing fastball and a nifty offspeed pitch, the young man was going to be good. Maybe very good. Maybe great. He was only 22.
Whenever a young man achieves this level of competitive excellence, there is always a dad behind him. And of course, always, in the souls of men, there is a mom. It breaks one's heart to think of his parents and their broken hearts.
Nick Adenhart now belongs to baseball lore. I call it the Nathan Hale category--what is lost when a promising young man dies too early. Baseball has a Nathan Hale category as well. And that is now where Nick Adenhart lives. We will heave big sad sighs over what might have been. We will remember his earnest demeanor, his loose frame, his level of achievement. We will listen to the stories about him, from his family, his friends, his teammates. And we will reflect upon life, with its wicked curveballs and its high hard ones. We will reflect upon life and how life without Nick Adenhart is a little more joyless.