In Which A BeesGal Gets Her Come-Uppance

January 26th, 2009

January 26, 2009 —As I mentioned in my last post,  is my currently featured link. I really enjoy and admire this unique view into the world of organized baseball.

And you know what? nailed me. Click here… Yes, the Lady Genius of the Bush Leagues fell flat on her backside. (Good thing it’s padded!) Nonetheless, I am nothing if not a compassionate soul and thus have decided to sacrifice my personal dignity for your amusement.

The setup was perfectly planned by forces greater than can be explained by astrology or science. It begins with my guest post at Ben’s Biz Blog, a breakthrough success into the world of bush-league blogging. I mean, did you read my anti-Moneyball post? The compliments it inspired? Did you also see the hate comments at some of the sabermetric sites? Ha! I’m famous.

I was still basking in the afterglow of my infamy when I discovered blog. I was delighted with what I found and eagerly read through a handful of posts until I found one I particularly liked. I spent quite a bit of time composing a thoughtful and witty comment. After all, first impressions count, especially when you’re introducing yourself to a sure-thing, first-vote, future Hall-of-Famer. Then I sat back and waited for what I knew would be high praise from an honest-to-goodness big leaguer. I was sure he’d be amazed at my intimate knowledge of the inner workings of the game. Impressed by my athletically muscular prose. After all, I am the BeesGal who wrote the anti-Moneyball post. You did read it, didn’t you?

Sure enough, about three days later I noted a response to my comment. loved it. Woohoo! I was in with the Big Dogs now! I did a little spin in my computer chair. Emboldened, I posted another comment a few days later. This time, I noticed had neglected to post the original comment and so his response didn’t make sense.

I thought, “This is my chance to really bond with him on a professional level. I’ll send a private email, writer-to-writer, so he can fix it without drawing a lot of attention to his screw-up.” Click…

After a complete reboot, the picture started coming back into focus. I was crushed. Heartbroken. My MLB bragging rights were no more than a puff of vapor. Next came a flash of anger. How dare he, this guy, whatever his name was. Who the h*ll does he think he is, pulling the wool over people’s eyes like that? Lying to nice people, who send him private emails as a courtesy. Smart people, who. . .

My brain came screeching to a halt. hadn’t done anything. It was me.

I had been too smart, too smug, too full of “I’m no ordinary fan.” I was so busy congratulating myself on what kind ovation I’d be getting after depositing a 425-foot, walk-off HR into the right-field bleacher, I went down on three pitches without lifting the bat off my shoulder.

As much as I know about this game, I had forgotten its cardinal rules. A good hitter fails to reach first base 7 times out of 10 at-bats. A good pitcher gives up at least 1 run every 3 innings. Even if you’re not wearing a uniform, baseball still finds ways to deliver its lessons in humility.

I started to laugh. Hard. What a fool. What a wonderful, glorious fool. After I grabbed a tissue to wipe my eyes, I composed my reply. I complimented him on his masterful writing and knowledge of the game. Click…

The point is, if you want to delve deeper into the sport, to learn about baseball beyond an ESPN play of the week, this blogsite is worth every minute of time spent. I hope to occasionally reflect on posts throughout the season. The issues he brings up are too intriguing to ignore. The perspectives he offers are too important to dismiss. The people he meets are far too interesting not to get to know. I hope you’ll also accept the one little fictional caveat and join this BeesGal in making a regular part of your summer listening and reading. Bye for now!

Entry Filed under: Game of Life,Major League Baseball,Minor Leagues