As fans flit about and land,<\/p>\n
it\u2019s the empty field that awes me.<\/p>\n
Going through the tunnel, the history <\/p>\n
of every game ever played hovers like the <\/p>\n
memory of lightning in a canyon, a force <\/p>\n
no one can make appear or keep from <\/p>\n
fading. And the great ones know that <\/p>\n
they only borrow a much-needed grace,<\/p>\n
if they\u2019re lucky. All the work, all the <\/p>\n
running and swinging, all the seasons <\/p>\n
of dirt and leather, so that one inning <\/p>\n
in May or September, when they leap <\/p>\n
for a liner, the legends might lift their <\/p>\n
glove higher, when they swing for the <\/p>\n
fences, the wind of sluggers long gone <\/p>\n
might rush their arms through the zone <\/p>\n
to help them catch up to that devastating <\/p>\n
heater. But now, with pitchers stretching <\/p>\n
and veterans getting taped, the ground crew <\/p>\n
is liming the batter\u2019s box, spraying the infield, <\/p>\n
and sweeping the mound. Clean bases are <\/p>\n
being spiked at the corners and the lines <\/p>\n
are drawn which ordinary humans will <\/p>\n
cross for a few hours with the possibility <\/p>\n
of being immortal, which will evaporate as <\/p>\n
soon as they reach home or step off the field. <\/p>\n
The great ones know it\u2019s not they who <\/p>\n
are great, but the lift of the field.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As fans flit about and land, it\u2019s the empty field that awes me. Going through the tunnel, the history of every game ever played hovers like the memory of lightning in a canyon, a force no one can make appear or keep from fading. And the great ones know that they only borrow a much-needed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2538,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-marks-weekly-reflections"],"yoast_head":"\n