Cheryl on the Web

Every season has a sport, and right now it’s baseball season. This past week was the “all-star break”, where regular games are temporarily suspended and the best players from each team compete against each other. It seems, according to the announcers of the baseball game I’m watching now, that the all-star break can have all kinds of repercussions. Players get “out of rhythm”, their workout schedule is perhaps interrupted, it takes a bit of time to get “back in the groove”.

Give me a break - these are professional baseball players, not Little League sluggers. For once, let’s not start to make up reasons why the New York Mets pitcher just let the Cincinnati Reds score 4 runs in the first inning. For once, let’s not over-analyze poor performance by attributing it to a myriad of psychological reasons. The Mets pitcher has 4 wins straight and has a list of great stats - isn’t it just human not to be 100% consistent? No wonder kids grow up thinking that there’s something working against them when they have off days or something doesn’t go perfectly - they’re taught that there must be some sort of reason beyond their control or in their environment that could explain it.

I say, next time I’m tempted to think up an “all-star break” of an excuse for having a rough time at something, I’ll stop and remember I’m only human.