On Ash Wednesday, It'll be "Play Ball!"

Within the next couple of weeks, ’round about February 14, one of the most cherished phrases in the English language will resound across the land. No, not THAT phrase, THIS phrase – “Pitchers and catchers report!” Some 104 days after the Rangers beat the Diamondbacks 5-0 in Game 5 to win the 2023 World Series, Spring Training 2024 commences in Florida and Arizona.

Long before football – and now Taylor Swift-bashing – became the most popular sport in the United States, baseball was considered America’s Pastime. It was a perfect fit, really. Baseball, the only major team sport not governed by a clock, was an excellent fit for the industrial era. Men would get home from the factory, they’d grab dinner at home and head to the ballpark for a couple of beers and a leisurely nine innings.

That’s not how America works anymore; football’s violence more accurately reflects today’s uber-stressful, predatory, survivalist society. But there is still one aspect of baseball that continues to mirror our challenges of everyday life.

If a batter fails seven out of every ten times for 20 years, he achieves immortality – enshrinement in the Hall of Fame. That’s because, even if he wins his one-on-one battle against the pitcher, there are still eight other players in the field trying to prevent him from reaching first base. It’s a stacked deck – nine against one.

In other words, baseball, like life, is not fair. Failure is built in. Much like athletes, then, we need to find ways to cut down on life’s inevitable failures. That takes work.

In the words of the great philosopher Yogi Berra – or maybe it was William Shakespeare – “Timing is everything.” In this case, baseball camps open on the same day as another once-a-year event. No, the OTHER annual commemoration – Ash Wednesday. It’s an appropriate coincidence, as Lent – the 40 days of preparation for Easter that begins on Ash Wednesday – is the Church’s equivalent of spring training.

Lent and spring training are times to return to the fundamentals, to identify, target and more fully develop the most important aspects of each discipline. That could involve establishing a new daily routine – practice for baseball, prayer for believers, maybe new study schedules for both. Baseball players and the faithful can hone “interpersonal skills.” That may mean improved teamwork for baseball players – turning double plays, relays from the outfield and the like. For the faithful, it could mean improved relationships – maybe an outreach to the homeless or even more conscious consideration for spouses and the kids. And everyone can always look to break bad habits that may have developed over months and years.

If all goes well, baseball players should be ready for season to begin and the gates of the ballpark to open right around Easter weekend. That’s the same time the faithful have prepared themselves to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and the opening of the gates of heaven.

Oh, and I haven’t forgotten that OTHER phrase for that OTHER commemoration on February 14. Happy St. Valentine’s Day!