If you can't be good, be pretty

Just another beautiful evening for baseball. Not too hot, not too cold. Perhaps a little windy, maybe just falling short of perfection. However, probably best if Mother Nature doesn’t strive for pure perfection, as we are sure to mess things up a little once we take the field. At the very least, just a little bit. Getting closer to the playoffs, about 4 weeks away now. Everyone still appears to be working out the kinks, but some are almost there, within spitting distance of looking competently athletic. Some even appear to be as good as they think they are (don’t worry, your secret is safe with us). Teams still suffering a wee bit from the summer holiday blues, not quite up to full strength, never fully up to expectations. Getting close to fielding complete teams with original members, but a plentitude of subs are still required to fill out the entire roster. However, some long absent individuals have deemed themselves worthy to return, perhaps not quite fully healthy, but mended enough to make a half decent showing. As with everyone, they have been missed and it is always good to see another pretty face out on the field. Well, all things considered, at the very least, another friendly face.

The completion of plays is still sporadic, ranging from exemplary to the just another cock-up. A few registering easily for highlights of the night, a few more not so much, making the misplays of the night, with relative ease as well. However, they just appear to look easy, as it can be quite difficult to totally mess things up, especially if that is not your ultimate goal. Take it from me. It can be very difficult to be less than exemplary. Not quite a challenge, but far from being a cakewalk. Still, takes quite a bit of effort. On the average, most plays fall somewhere between seriously outstanding and outrageously comedic, far less than serious but perhaps a little more than just fall down funny. More laughs than oohs and ahhs, but still a good mix, allowing us that brief respite to catch our breath between laughs. Some quality plays, but never enough to make the evening predictable, not enough to force some to depart for the big leagues, but just enough to allow everyone to have fun.

But I jest…somewhat. If we totally stunk up the joint, we might not be willing to take the field week in and week out. We seem to succeed every evening, be it that one catch, that miraculous hit or, sometimes, although rarely, a fairly decent pitch. Even if there is just a slight glimmer of hope, that is enough to keep us coming out. Most, as the positive thinkers would state, show promise and exhibit skills that resemble what baseball is supposed to look like, have an incredible of untapped potential. We look the part and imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. We all have our moments, and even when we don’t, we always manage to be entertaining. And, even if we do suck at a completely obvious level, on that rare occasion, we’re such a damn fine bunch of individuals, we can manage to even make our worst look good. Can’t help ourselves. Sometimes it is beneficial to be just another pretty face, to be able to perform even the most horrendous of plays with grace and style. Have to be born with that kind of panache. Even so, with the ongoing camaraderie, the fun, the laughs and the general hijinks being any indication, I think most of us would keep coming out even if we had no clue as to how the game is played. We know how to enjoy ourselves out on the field and, even if we aren’t playing well, we are always having fun. And that’s probably the whole point. There can be a vast difference between being good, just making things look good or simply being good looking. Think, as a league, in its entirety, we have all those bases covered. Hard to fail anyone of us for performing below expectations, cause we all manage to look so damn pretty doing it. All the laughs are just an added bonus.