Field of Dreams

I am a competitive person. I always have been. From the time I started playing Little League when I was nine, I have wanted to win. I hate losing. There were times when I would bend the rules to win. I remember playing third base one time. I was about 13 or 14. I was on a bad team that year. I hated it. So we were one out away from winning our final game. That would be two wins for that year...ugh.

The runner rounded second and on the play at third, I caught the ball and tagged the runner as he slid. He beat the tag and he would have been called safe, except that his momentum made him off balance and as I tagged him, I caused my body weight to kind of "gently" nudge him off the base. He was called out, and we won the game. I was totally satisfied with myself. I hadn't cheated, but I took advantage of somebody elses' vulnerability to get what I wanted. In hindsight, it wasn't very ethical. I never stopped to consider the ramifications of my actions. The team we were playing lost out of going to the playoffs. It really didn't matter if our team lost. Did I say we were bad? I mean really bad. You know what they say, it's hard to fly like an eagle when you're playing with turkeys.

Anyway, I remember the look of disgust on the face of the other team's coach. You know what, karma IS a bitch! I was selected for the allstar team that year, and guess who was the coach. You guessed it! So what happened? The coach made me an alternate. I was way better than the player he kept on the active roster. Being an alternate means you only get to play if someone on the roster gets injured. I couldn't even sit in the dugout. I had to sit in the stands during the games with the other alternate. It was a humiliating experience. Do I think that play at third base affected the coach's decision. I have no doubt.

A couple of lessons I have learned from experience such as this. Winning isn't everything. Having a winner means someone has to lose. It is the competition that is important. It is challenging myself to be the best I can. To compete to my utmost abilities. The second thing I learned is to never take advantage of someone else's vulnerability. Anyone up for a game of catch?