Being a minor league baseball player isn't all that glamorous. Sure, the guys who sign for big bonuses probably have it a little better, but for those guys who were drafted outside of the first few rounds or come from overseas it's a time to show resiliency and toughness against adverse conditions. And then there are those who work for minor league teams and get to see it all.
Over at Purple Row, columnist SIlverblood shares her end-of-the-year story about working for the Asheville Tourists.
Here's a sample. As she stands in center field:
The magic never goes. It's part of me, it's part of them. The hopes and dreams and despairs. The gapper, the bottom of the-ninth blooper that dropped, the pirouette throw from the hole. The caught-looking final out, the blown save, the hanging curve that landed on Jupiter. The exhilarating possibility that The Show is one step closer. And the fatigue of a year closer to that "real job" we so desperately never wanted.
The story, in short, of life.
I don't just make this stuff up, you know.
On a much larger level this is why baseball fans enjoy the sport so much. Transcendental moments like these make us realize that baseball is much like life, filled with unexpected curveballs, setbacks, bad hops, and, hopefully, many home runs.