What Really Matters

The Texas Rangers got a big win last night. Derek Holland pitched a complete game, four hit shutout. Michael Young homered, and Josh Hamilton had four RBIs to help the Rangers win their fourth straight and stay one game ahead of the surging Angels in the American League West.

None of it matters. Not really.

There was a moment of silence before tonight's Ranger game. All the flags at The Ballpark are at half staff. Players from both teams are wearing black ribbons. All are kind tributes but sad reminders of the tragic death of Ranger fan Shannon Stone.

Mr. Stone, a Brownwood, Texas firefighter, was at the game with his six year old son, Cooper. A player tossed a ball to them from the field. (I know the player's name, but it is not essential to the story, and I am sure that said player would prefer to not be associated with these events forever.) In his attempt to catch the ball for Cooper, Mr. Stone lost his balance and fell over the railing in left field. He passed away on the way to the hospital.

The sports media will somehow attempt to turn this into a sports story. If Texas goes on a losing streak and misses the playoffs, writers will say that this incident affected their mindset and became a turning point in the season. If Texas continues to win, especially in the immediate future, TV anchors will say how gritty and determined they were to overcome this tragedy, even if it's more likely that Oakland's pitching staff is having as much trouble erasing the horror from their minds. Their bullpen was mere feet from where Mr. Stone fell. (As I am writing this, Texas is beating Oakland 8-4 in the ninth inning on the day after.)

I can't help but think back to my first baseball experiences with my Dad when I was around ten years old. Living out in West Texas for my whole life, there was never Major League Baseball nearby. While we have it now, there was no minor league team in town at that time. Dad was working in Fort Wayne, Indiana. When we would visit, he would take my brother and me to see the Fort Wayne Wizards play. I learned about the rules, the strategies, and the stats. I even learned how to keep a scorecard-a skill that I still practice when I attend live baseball games today. I remember the one foul ball that came our way. Dad tried to catch it, but it bounced off the heel of his hand and down four rows to another family. We never got one, but it was time spent together. It was time that was precious, especially while Dad was working in another state.

I am not even sure if the Wizards still exist. The Rangers held on to beat the A's. None of it matters. Here is what matters.

A wife has lost a husband. A six year old boy has lost a father. Brownwood has lost a hero. A fire department has lost a brother. That is what matters.

All the rest is just a game.

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1 "...let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us."

Quote: "Create your future from you future, not from your past." Werner Erhard