Extending the Inning

"It ain't over 'til it's over."    Yogi Berra


It was inevitable that I would eventually post a baseball blog.   Last night at 11:20 p.m.  I was among the mere shadow of what had been 20-plus thousand fans at Nationals Park in the bottom of the 12th inning to see the two out-two strike-bases loaded hit by Bryce Harper to win the game for the Nationals.

My friend Byron Buck and I had adhered to one of the basic rules of baseball so eloquently stated above by Yogi Berra - we stayed until the end (a lesson I've learned the hard way numerous times).  Fortunately, and our wives will attest to this, we were at the game without them or we would have probably left after bottom of the 10th-two out, full count- bases loaded strike out by the Nats, or the leadoff homerun by the Mets in the top of the 12th.

It all reminds me of something one of my daughters said several years ago while watching a game together - "Papa, one reason I like baseball is because there is no time limit.  In theory the game could go on forever."  Every pitch has the potential of extending the game.  And, of course, as was the case last night,  during "Free baseball!" (which is what the late Skip Carey, Atlanta Braves announcer, called extra innings) one pitch can also end it.

Just as every pitch of a baseball game has the potential to extend the inning, the thoughts, decisions, and choices we make in our lives are the stepping stones of our life journey and each and every one of them has the potential for something fresh and new, even when it's the bottom of the 12th and we're down to our last strike.

So, with all due respect to Yogi I suggest that when it comes to life, "It ain't over..."   Extend the Inning!