I am a recent convert to this intriguing game called, baseball. I have to admit, up until 2,5 years ago, I found the game utterly boring and long. My lack of enthusiasm was largely due to lack of knowledge and the culture I lived in at the time.
Nevertheless I was determined to give another shot and try to understand the game. When my better half came in "shining armor", explaining the intricacies of the game, a whole new world has opened up. I could not believe, how fantastic this game can be. Don't get fooled people, baseball requires brains from all. It
is a numbers game, based on stats and match-ups.
Each player has a role and that role is determined by their history. Winning is a team effort, but in baseball it comes down to the Man on the Mound. We love to see balls blasted out of the ballpark, enjoy gravity defying catches by the outfield, however the key is in the Pitcher's hand.
He sets the tone, and the pace. It is a mind game, the Pitcher must find his zone in which nobody can disturb him. His decision what to throw can make or break a game. Nine innings of solitude, it is him and the ball.
The Pitcher, like Moses on Mt. Sinai, is alone. He is a special breed, every success and every failure is his doing. No one to blame but himself.
We all have our "nine innings of solitude" when facing tough decisions. For me, I would love to throw a 98 mph fastball to the problems I face, seeing them swinging at it, but failing to hit. I can only thrive for pitching the perfect game, in the meantime I am hoping for one strike at a time.
