{"id":4979,"date":"2015-07-14T07:40:08","date_gmt":"2015-07-14T11:40:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/intramuralist.com\/?p=4979"},"modified":"2015-07-14T07:40:17","modified_gmt":"2015-07-14T11:40:17","slug":"just-a-game-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/?p=4979","title":{"rendered":"just a game"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"IMG_4630\"<\/a>Games are supposed to be games. There are some things that are not games \u2014 that are serious \u2014 but people still seem to play. I think of politics\u2026 I think of all the skirting of hypocrisy that is rampant in far too many\u2026 where we each seem to sigh and slowly mutter under our individual breaths, \u201coh, the games people play.\u201d<\/p>\n

There is one game the Intramuralist has always loved. There is no logical rhyme or reason for my semi-healthy obsession. It\u2019s a long and sometimes complicated game\u2026 sometimes boring\u2026 and sometimes those who play \u2014 including my two oldest boys \u2014 get really, really, unattractively hot and sweaty\u2026 and even more hot and sweaty.<\/p>\n

Also true in this game is that sometimes the parents get a little nutty. Let\u2019s face it; any parent who gets thrown out when 12 year olds are competing against one another is a little nutty (\u2026 and, uh\u2026 maybe something more than that).<\/em><\/p>\n

But truth told, the Intramuralist has always loved the game of baseball. Maybe it was the Big Red Machine in the mid 70\u2019s; maybe it was Reggie Jackson and the surnamed Mr. October; maybe, too, it was the young, innocent heart I had that so admired Rod Carew and Roberto Clemente.<\/p>\n

Maybe it was the forced humility witnessed on the ostentatious grand stage when Boston\u2019s Bill Buckner allowed that ground ball to trickle between his legs in the \u201986 World Series\u2026 or when Angels\u2019 reliever Donnie Moore gave up that playoff home run, that sadly seemed to haunt him the rest of his life\u2026 or maybe it was when the Cubs floundered again in 2003, blaming a fan infamously named \u201cBartman,\u201d instead of wrestling with their multiple miscues that occurred thereafter. Baseball is a funny game. But then again\u2026 it is just a game.<\/p>\n

I remember when the game was just a game<\/em>
\n And you could count on your home team<\/em>
\n And know all the players names<\/em>
\n But now it doesn\u2019t seem like anything stays the same<\/em><\/p>\n

But I\u2019m so glad one thing hasn\u2019t changed<\/em>
\n Hot dogs and a nice cold brew on a nice hot summer day<\/em>
\n And the thrill of my team going all the way<\/em>
\n On that October stage<\/em>
\n In a game that doesn’t change<\/em><\/p>\n

In the field of dreams<\/em>
\n Bases loaded two out home team down by three<\/em>
\n And yeah that\u2019s me with the chance to be your hero<\/em>
\n I wanna be your hero in the field of dreams<\/em><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve love that Blessid Union of Souls song\u2026 reminding me of my home team and how I\u2019ve always known all the players names \u2014 ever since I was some seven years old\u2026 reminding me of a game being just a game\u2026 reminding me of the joy of healthy competition\u2026 reminding me of the strategy instilled\u2026 reminding me of my youth \u2014 when my brothers and I would purchase a complete Topps card set each year \u2014 and then roll the dice enacting out our own version of taking ourselves out to the ballgame.<\/p>\n

Tonight in Cincinnati is the 2015 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. It will be the 86th edition of our national pasttime\u2019s summer exhibition. For the first time ever, the Intramuralist will be in attendance. We will take our boys. We will \u201coooh\u201d and \u201cah\u201d at the likes of Pujols, Trout, and youngster Bryce Harper. We will cheer on hometown favorites Todd Frazier and Aroldis Chapman.<\/p>\n

We will also stand and cheer when the spotlight briefly beams on all time hits leader, Pete Rose \u2014 a man understandably banned because of betting \u2014 even though the filter of morality is rarely applied consistently.<\/p>\n

But more than all the pomp and circumstance and publicity and fanfare, there is one thing I will remind my boys of this night \u2014 embrace it; get it; there is one thing that stands out\u2026<\/p>\n

Remember\u2026 this is just a game. Never allow a game to become more than it is. Never, too, allow what\u2019s serious to become a game.<\/em><\/p>\n

Respectfully\u2026 kind of excited, too\u2026
\nAR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Games are supposed to be games. There are some things that are not games \u2014 that are serious \u2014 but people still seem to play. I think of politics\u2026 I think of all the skirting of hypocrisy that is rampant in far too many\u2026 where we each seem to sigh and slowly mutter under our … <\/p>\n

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