April 14, 1999
DOWN HOME:
This was a perfect day until he threw the ball
___Baseball season began perfectly. Our church's youth group got tickets to the Texas Rangers' Opening Day game with the Detroit Tigers, and I took off from work to join the fun.
___Joanna, Lindsay and Molly went too. But I was more excited than all three of them together. And why not? Spring had sprung, the Rangers have a theoretical (baseball always is theoretical) chance for the pennant, the sun was shining, and all was right with the world.
___Nothing quite matches walking throughthat tunnel and into the Ballpark. An island of green in a sea of seats. Anyone who ever picked up a bat, sniffed the leather of a new glove or threw a ball has dreamed of playing on a field like that.
MARV KNOX
Editor
___The Rangers were taking batting practice when I arrived. Walk along the first base line, and there were Pudge Rodriguez, Rusty Greer, Juan Gonzalez, John Wetteland. Look toward home plate, and there was Lee Stevens, trying to knock the cover off the ball.
___This was Opening Day, and everything was perfect.
___Nothing smells greater than grilled onions at the Ballpark. Nothing tastes sweeter than cold Coke at the Ballpark.
___Weatherpeople warned about rain, but the sun shone brightly on our fair team. Their caps never glowed redder; their uniforms never sparkled whiter. This was Opening Day, and everything was perfect.
___A high school band played in the outfield. More than 46,600 fans cheered and clapped and whistled as the announcer introduced the entire team. Country crooner Neil McCoy sang a lyrical rendition of the National Anthem. Fighter jets screamed overhead. Balloons swirled up from netting and filled the sky with red, white and blue. I wanted to get up and go buy my tickets to the World Series.
___Like I said, this was Opening Day, and, of course, everything was perfect.
___Then Rick Helling, last year's 20-game winner, let fly with the first pitch of the first game of the season. And Juan Encarnacion, a Tiger, knocked that ball into the right field bleachers for a home run.
___OK, everything wasn't perfect. But this was Opening Day, and we had 161 more chances to make things right, to win the pennant, to go to the Series. Or, if this team follows the path of previous Rangers, 80 more opportunities for fans to go out to the Ballpark and enjoy three hours in another, happier, world.
___One of the things I like best about baseball is how it reminds me of God's grace. People make mistakes, just like pitchers throw bad pitches. Consequences are real. And yet God calls us back into the game. To try, try again.
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