They say baseball is
America’s favorite pastime.
I hope that’s still true,
because it definitely seems to be
the kindest, gentlest
team sport among the pros.
Last night, our Minnesota Twins lost.
Badly.
But the players
kept their composure.
No yelling, no swearing,
no tackling, no checking,
no throwing equipment.
In fact, it looked to me
(and to my impressionable six-year-old)
like the players
were doing their best
to keep each other’s spirits up.
My son loves to imitate
the moves of his favorite players,
including catcher Joe Mauer.
Whenever we’re playing catch,
he makes a point of coming over
to pat us on the back,
just like Joe would do.
Just like he did last night,
even when the scoreboard read 11-1.
Now that’s the kind of role model
I want for my kids;
a good sport
with a good heart,
win or lose.
