It's Okay, Elvis - We Love You

Man. Last night’s loss to Toronto was a tough one for us die-hard Ranger fans. I was able to catch some of the game live – but had to lead my Pastor’s Bible Study so I missed the crucial parts of the game. I recorded the game and watched the fateful seventh inning when I finally arrived home after a long Wednesday at church.

Wow. A 53 minute inning. Filled with drama, to say the least. It had everything any baseball fan would want packed into 6 outs. Fans on their feet (and throwing stuff on the field – way to keep it classy, Toronto). Great pitching. Obscure rule. Great hitting. Historic home run.

And . . . errors.

In case you missed it, the Rangers made history with three errors on consecutive plays in one inning. Elvis Andrus was involved in all three but was only charged with two of them. It was epic. Awful for us – but epic, nonetheless.

I hate it for Elvis. I love Elvis (both of them!). He is one of my favorite players. He embodies all that is good in baseball. He crowds Adrian Beltre on routine fly balls in the infield. His smile is contagious. His joy on the field is unmistakable. He rubs Beltre on the head and drives him crazy.

And – Elvis can play some baseball. I have seen him just lay out on ground balls in hole and shortstop and make unbelievable throws to first base. He has barehanded more short-hop ground balls and thrown out runners than any shortstop I have ever seen. He hits well. He steals bases (including home!). He plays with abandon. I’m proud of him. I’m glad he is a Ranger!

Elvis and the rest of these Rangers have given us a great season. Most longtime Ranger fans know that our heart is often broken in April. This year – after an incredible stretch of baseball, our heart was broken in October! Wow!

And – all of our lives are full of errors. Ours just aren’t as public as Elvis’. We all make mistakes in our work, at home and in our families. We are mistake-prone people. The hope is that we learn from our mistakes and we improve for the future.

That is my hope for Elvis. Learn from it – but move on. There is a lot of baseball in his future. I’m glad I will get to see him live it out in a Ranger uniform.

But, my hope for us is that we will learn from our mistakes as well. We don’t have to be defined by our lowest moments. We can move on into a better and brighter future.

And – Go Rangers!