Square One

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Everyone has a reason for feeling as if they need to start again.

I'm feeling a bit reborn this morning. The sickness is mostly gone. A deep breath will make me cough, but feeling as if a couple of days more of rest will have me jumping out of bed on Monday.

Yet the rest doesn't come easily in the autumn and that's because the greatest game in the world is having their playoffs.

I am a tremendous fan of the game. I was shamed by the steroids. I am embarrassed by the salaries, but man, they got that game right.

The anticipation. The pace. The long season that runs like a soap opera script. Day after day. Play until the final out. No kneel downs. No shooting free throws. No neutral zone trap and icing the puck. No head stuck under the replay curtain.

"Are you watching this?" my buddy sent me at 12:18 a.m. on Saturday night as the Cards came back from 6 runs down to beat the Nats.

I wasn't watching. I was sleeping. I'm glad he sent the message though because it made me smile in the morning.

Baseball is the best.

It makes me think of my Dad and hugging him when Chris Chamblis homered to beat the Royals in 1977.

It makes me think of standing in left field at Camden Yards, Pops on one side, Jeff on the other, Fluff in between...chugging a beer because Bernie went deep.

I think of the pain of the Yankees losing in the '01 series and having to comfort Kathy because Jake was getting operated on the next day.

"The Yankees don't have anything to do with the operation," I said.

The Matsui homer in the '09 series when all of life seemed to be not worth living.

The Yanks picked me up. They made me consider starting again.

"Matsui is a &%*#s%c*@r ringing in my ears."

And the sound of Jeff's laughter.

I don't have the dog in the fight this year. I'm just watching. Win or lose, it's all okay because I feel like I'm back at square one.

Poised and ready to limp ahead.

Anything can happen.

It's not about beating the clock.

It's more about playing hard until the game is over.

Two outs and two strikes.

Down two and nobody on.

"Are you watching this?"

We all get a chance to begin again.

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