When faced with an inconvenience, people tend to exaggerate their circumstances. They take a normal, everyday life experience and contort it into some big bad bugaboo. A minor infraction quickly escalates into an irrational reaction. I, at times, am as guilty as they come.
On Monday evening, the Atlanta Braves, one of Major League Baseball’s best teams and perennial contenders, suffered a hiccup.The Braves entered Monday having won 8 of their last 10 games and brandishing baseball’s third best record. Opening a series against one of the game’s worst clubs, Atlanta seemed poised to toss another dub in the “W” bucket. Holding a 5-2 lead with 3 outs to go, Raisel Iglesias entered to stick a feather in the cap of what had been an easy going game. Then it all unraveled.
As a good friend pointed out to me recently, I had been real quiet ever since the Braves got on a hot streak. I conceded that’s kind of my “MO.” Act as if winning is business as usual. A while back I heard someone wiser than me say something like “Speak little when you lose, speak even less when you win.” I’ve gotten decent at the latter portion.
But Monday night was different. It was my time to shine. As I sat on my couch having just witnessed Iglesias – one of the game’s best closers – squander a perfectly good win to a squad that entered the game having lost nine straight and hitting .198 as a team, my inner pessimist took the reins.
As I do 3-4 times each summer on special occasions like these, I quickly texted and called several of my fellow loyal Braves watchers. Lacking context, you would’ve thought I’d just suffered a catastrophic life experience for a few minutes there. As I had just done a month prior following a loss under similar circumstances, I likened the moment to “one of Braves country’s darkest days,” and called it “the most embarrassing thing to happen to the franchise in over a decade.” I even had the nerve to unfairly drag Brooks Conrad and the 2010 NLDS into it. If you know, you know. As to which side the comparison was unfair to…debatable.
Moments like Monday night are my least favorite thing about baseball. Come Tuesday morning, however, I could be found studying the standings, getting all hyped-up about the next game taking place less than 24 hours after Monday’s collapse. That’s my favorite thing about baseball. For a six-month stretch, games are incessant. In a tiny window of time, you can experience the lowest of lows and the highest of highs. Ride the rollercoaster so to speak. It’s a great metaphor for life in general.
I think it’s important to enjoy good moments while not getting too bogged down by the bad.
Most importantly, don’t let minor inconveniences dishevel a perfectly good day.
Pot, meet kettle. I’ve got some growing left to do.
As for the Bravos, I’m not sure what the rest of the summer has in store. All I know is there’ll be plenty of great days, and plenty of not so great days. I’ll do my best to enjoy the ride. All of it.
Here’s to a happy, healthy summer in Northeast Georgia.
Lang Storey is the sports writer for The Northeast Georgian. Reach him at 706-778-4215 or lstorey@TheNortheastGeorgian.com.