Ankiel Returns

Iris Gaines: You know, I believe we have two lives.
Roy Hobbs: How... what do you mean?
Iris Gaines: The life we learn with and the life we live with after that.

The Natural

Rick Ankiel returned to the St. Louis Cardinals this evening, and hit a three-run home run as the Cardinals beat the Padres 5-0.

Most "inspirational" sports stories involve an athlete, born into impoverished circumstances, or overcoming a disability or illness. Nevertheless, the athlete perseveres, and after overcoming her/his seemingly insurmountable obstacles, achieves a championship.

Ankiel had prodigious talent at an early age. There weren't any of the traditional obstacles of the athlete biopic. He was a highly-touted pitching prospect with a devastating curve ball. But equally devastating were his nationally-televised meltdowns in the playoffs nearly seven years ago. Ankiel continued having control problems the following year. Worse yet, these problems weren't of the "mechanical" kind - the kind easily tinkered-with by sage pitching coaches. These problems were "in his head." So these same sage pitching coaches nodded solemnly and muttered to each other "Steve Blass."

But Ankiel could always hit. So instead of hanging it up as a failed pitcher, he reinvented himself as a slugging outfielder. Ankiel went down to the minors, practiced his outfield and hitting skills, and, most importantly, started enjoying playing baseball again. Almost seven years after his spectacular failures in the two biggest games of his life, the reinvented Ankiel rejoined the Cardinals. And he hit a home run to put the game away for the home team.

I like this "inspirational" sports story. Like Rick Ankiel, we've all had moments of spectacular and embarrassing failure. A lot of us probably thought we had it all figured out - that our future was clear and bright - only to have it all go suddenly out of control. Like six wild pitches.

Ankiel could have left the game in shame and embarrassment, never to become the ace pitcher he was "supposed" to be. Instead, he remembered that he loved the game, and so he found his place in it.