Baseball
Related: About this forumIt's a beautiful game
They'll come to Iowa for reasons they can't even fathom. They'll turn up your driveway not knowing for sure why they're doing it. They'll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past.
Of course, we won't mind if you look around, you'll say. It's only $20 per person. They'll pass over the money without even thinking about it: for it is money they have and peace they lack.
And they'll walk out to the bleachers; sit in shirtsleeves on a perfect afternoon. They'll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes.
And they'll watch the game and it'll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick they'll have to brush them away from their faces.
People will come Ray.
The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time.
This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... people will come Ray. People will most definitely come.
Field of Dreams
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No matter the team, the owner, the absurd salaries, the price of admission, or the occasional ugliness, it's still a beautiful game.
I have two teams in the race: my home town Cleveland Guardians and my adopted San Francisco Giants. I expect exciting seasons for both. Unlikely World Series appearances (though you never know), but so much to look forward to. New additions. Individual accomplishments. Good baseball.
Find your magic waters, even if it comes in only 60 wins. Get ready to play ball.
And that, my friends, is my 33,000th post.

True Dough
(26,159 posts)You amassed 32,999 posts just so you could write an ode to baseball with #33,000!
Enjoy this season, Auggie, because collective bargaining agreement negotiations and a potential lockout might not leave you feeling so optimistic at this point next year!
Auggie
(33,004 posts)Dave in VA
(2,271 posts)I needed something to lift me up this AM and you did that for me. Yes, I love this game. Played little league as a kid. My dad was the coach. Those word by James Earl Ray were so right on for me. And yes I did cry.
Good luck with your Guardians! I enjoy watching them when they play. But I'm old enough to remember listening to the Washington Senators games on the radio. And since 2005 I've been a fan of the Nationals.
Thanks again for this wonderful memory!
Go Nats! ⚾
Auggie
(33,004 posts)and the "Washington Monument," Frank Howard. How he tormented the Indians.
.273 lifetime average. 198 HRs from 1967 to 1971 with Washington. Didn't know he started with the Dodgers.
My go-to: https://www.baseball-reference.com
Dave in VA
(2,271 posts)Looking forward to a new coach and front office staff with the Nats this year. Rebuilding is tough to watch, but also interesting.
SheltieLover
(78,519 posts)And sport.
Congrats on 33k!
Auggie
(33,004 posts)ProfessorGAC
(76,197 posts)It's worth watching the whole movie just to see James Earl Jones give that soliloquy.
rubbersole
(11,124 posts)Ray playing catch with his Dad gets me every time.
Congratulations on the posting milestone 👏!
Really appreciate this post. Thank you.
MIButterfly
(2,361 posts)Last edited Thu Feb 12, 2026, 01:37 PM - Edit history (1)
Thank you so much for your post and the great quote from the amazing James Earl Jones.
I remember when my mother and I went to see the.Cubs play the Indians in Cleveland in 2015 and how friendly everyone at the stadium was. We were clad in Cubs gear from head-to-toe and the workers smiled at us and said "Welcome to Cleveland!" We'd been to several Cubs games in different cities and that had never happened before.
I remember driving to Chicago in 2016 for a Cubs game and listening to the Indians game on the radio (instead of the Cubs!) when they were having that unbelievable 23-game winning streak.
I remember how hard the Indians fought back in the 7th game of the 2016 World Series (to my mind, that was the best World Series EVER) and when it was over, I began to hope that they would win the next World Series (just not against the Cubs!). I still hope they win the World Series one of these years (just not against the Cubs!).
Here's to the 2026 baseball season! I can't wait for it to begin. GO CUBS! GO TIGERS! GO GUARDIANS! GO PHILLIES!
Auggie
(33,004 posts)Of all the teams Cleveland had to face it was the hard-luck Cubs. It was hard to root against them. I think had Michael Brantley and Yan Gomes not been injured Cleveland would have won. At the time Brantley was one of the best hitters in the game. Gomes had just come off the injured list but was slotted as back-up, not having the opportunity to yet find timing at the plate.
And then the rain delay!
Anthony Rizzo. 1B, called the rain delay "the most important thing to happen to the Chicago Cubs in the past 100 years. I don't think there's any way we win the game without it." Cubs president Theo Epstein said that when he heard about the meeting called by Heyward, "Right then I thought, 'We're winning this game.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_World_Series
WestMichRad
(3,082 posts)Nice post.
