Dreamers and know-it-alls
Although I know better, I just can’t keep from reading the plethora of fan forums on the web. The Oakland fans especially seem to think they have a direct pipeline to the facts and reality of the situation on the field. And while it takes every ounce of discipline I can muster to keep from logging on and adding my perspective, I know my words will be dismissed. I keep my words from entering the world wide web…at least on that specific forum.
It’s been a week since Hiram left the secure and successful fold of the River Cats to the oft injured and shaky team in Oakland. In front of the Sacramento fans he is the starter and fan favorite. His batting average soared and then leveled out at about .320.
All that changed as Hiram left Iowa and flew south from home (Sacramento) into Oakland. He barely gets off the plane and he finds himself in center field. Of course he’s hitless, as is most of his teammates. Even the sensational bat of Hiram’s friend, Jack Cust, is silenced.
Two games come and go before Hiram sees the outfield again. He’s thrust in one game in the 7th inning, but once again the A’s bats are put on hold.
Of course, Hiram knows better than anyone that he’s got to perform. I am sure that the manager and GM are watching more than Hiram’s batting average. But the entire team seems to be in a funk right now.
Players of the game know that baseball is game that has a groove. To get in that groove you have to have all the orbits in line. And then you probably aren’t gona hit the ball 100% of the time. That’s why the game deals in averages and numbers.
Tonight Hiram hit the ball (for outs), got on base with a walk and although he didn’t get a hit, he looked stronger. No one is working harder than Hiram at trying to figure out how to get into the groove.
Meanwhile, Hiram the human being, is thinking about his job…and his family. A week ago he was thinking that he would be having a reunion this week as his family was planning to leave Puerto Rico and fly to Colorado Springs where the River Cats have a four game series with the Sky Sox. Hiram’s sister and her family live in Colorado Springs. The reunion would have been awesome. Just what a man needs after two months of baseball….travel on the road….food on the road. Yet, this is the dream. Hiram is living his dream. He’s been trying to get someone to believe in him for 11 years now. Come slump or high cheeses, he needs someone to say “you’re our guy in center field.”
Jocy, Hiram’s wife, has made some changes to their flights but overall she knows that this is part of the package. The reunion in Colorado Springs won’t include Hiram. She will meet up with him later this weekend.
While the game has its privileges , it also has its trials. I just wish the know-it-alls looked at the whole picture. But I won’t hold my breath. They will continue to try my patience, keeping me working on self-control. They will continue to know all the answers to the problems their team is facing. I will choose to ignore them.