Inspired by Youth

As much as I try to be consistent with my entries for the Monroe Doctrine, this year has been especially challenging.  The benefit of having active children is that they are active and there is a lot of chasing around to do.  That and having a job that will pay for the effort, but takes time away from writing also bites into trying to be creative.  So I have had to find my moments to be inspired to write.  Last night (or should I say, this morning) I was so inspired.

While the kids were waking up this morning I flipped on the MLB Network to see what I missed last night.  Of the games that were played, I knew that the Nationals beat the Marlins.  Seems Ozzie and Crew are having a hard time finding their feet and establishing their loyal fan base.  But what I didn’t know was how the Nationals beat the Marlins.  Turns out the how was Bryce Harper.  All of 19 years old and he is playing like he is from another planet.

He hit a single to left-center and because he was hustling out of the batter’s box, taking nothing for granted (note to Aramis Ramirez – this is how you play baseball) he took second when the outfielder bobbled the ball.  Then while on second he noticed that the pitcher had not called timeout and the shortstop and thirdbaseman were huddled on the grass between the mound and the base path.  Cool as a cucumber Harper got a walking start and then bolted for third, arriving before Hanley Ramirez could cover and before the pitcher had a chance to throw.  For good measure he made a diving catch running in from centerfield later in the game.

I may never own Harper in our fantasy league (CFCL – coming soon a Facebook page to “like” as the CFCL turns 30 next season) or at least at a price that is affordable.  But I will enjoy watching him.  At 19 he’s already won the respect of the veterans in his clubhouse.  He plays hard and has been named to an All-Star team.  At this point, anyway, he’s a good guy, dedicated and respects the game.  The type of guy you want on your team.  A guy like Jason Heyward.  Solid human being who also happens to be a pretty good baseball player.

And that’s why Ryan Braun will never darken the door of the Rebels clubhouse.  He cheated, he lied and he manipulated the system.  This year he’s putting up phenomenal numbers and I would hope anyone with a brain would understand that there’s a good chance he’s not doing it naturally.  He’s just immune since he beat the system.

Harper may not remain in the current light.  He has had moments that were less than stellar.  While he was in the minors last year he hit a homerun and blew kisses to the pitcher while circling the bases.  When I read that I figured this was another punk player that was believing his press clippings – press clippings that include a feature length article on him while he was fourteen (!).  But then I heard some perspective.  First of all, there was a little backstory to why Harper did what he did, I don’t recall the details.  And then I heard a guy on the radio say that while it wasn’t great behavior, it was the action of an 18 year old.  Think back to when you were 18.  If the worst thing you did was blow kisses to a pitcher after you hit a homerun, well, that’s not so bad.