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3-31-2003 - 7:15 p.m.
Play Ball!
(cough, choke, wheeze) �Hello, this is Dr (cough, cough) Travis. Would you please tell (choke, gag) the boss that I won�t be in today? (cough, sneeze) I am afraid (cough) that I might have that Hong Kong SARS thing. (sneeze) It's really contagious, you know (cough, wheeze) But I should be better by tomorrow. Thanks. (cough, cough, cough) I�m sick all right. It�s BASEBALL fever, baby!! Just like that first crocus of spring, opening day of baseball is all about hope...and boy could we use it 'bout now. On that magical opening day, every player has the chance to bat 1,000. Every pitcher can win 20 games. Your team, even if they are a small-market club with no huge payroll can win the series. Don�t believe me? See the 2002 Anaheim Angels. You got to believe! My team, the KC Royals (Yay!) had a GREAT spring training after moving to the Cactus league.18-9. They won their division. Are you impressed? 1st baseman Mike Sweeney says �If there's one thing our team does have, it's heart. We don't have a $150 million payroll. We don't have five or six perennial All-Stars. But we do have a lot of heart.� If Mike hadn�t had a late season back injury, he might have won the AL batting title. He batted a jaw dropping .448 in spring training. Randa, Feebles, Beltran and (my favorite) Ibanez are all back and healthy. The hapless Neifi Perez is gone and replaced by the hottest young short stop since Jeter or Arod. You got to believe. Realistically, the boys in blue don't have much of a chance to win the Series (I am betting on Oakland again) but a good year for my Royals would be to finish above .500. That would make me happy. We are heading out to the stadium soon. It's sunny and 75 out. I have my powder blue, 1970 George Brett Royals jersey on. I have skipped breakfast so I am ready for a � lb Polish dog and some nachos Play Ball Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer. ~ Ted Williams They throw the ball, I hit it. They hit the ball, I catch it" ~ Willie Mays Footnote: They WON!!!!, Beat the White Sox 3-0. A bald eagle named Challenger flew around the stadium and a B-2 bomber flew over on it's way to Baghdad. Scary
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