Inspiration on the baseball field

I saw something on Friday night that once again re-affirmed my belief that anything is possible if you want it bad enough and you work for it.

I was at the Dodgers baseball game that night with a friend. Most of the game was dull - very little scoring, and very few exciting plays. At the end of the 8th inning the Dodgers were losing 3-2. With just one inning left, it seemed unlikely that they would be able to come back and win the game.

Their first 2 batters in the 9th inning got out immediately. Now they were at the brink. At this point, with 2 men out and nobody on base, it was a tall order. For those of you who know baseball, you know that in these situations, coming back is almost impossible. I had certainly never witnessed a team comeback from these odds. I was hoping that maybe the next guy would come up and hit a home run to tie the game, and then they might be able to win in extra innings.

The 3rd batter managed to hit a single. A glimmer of hope, but still a near insurmountable task. The 4th batter managed to draw a walk, putting runners at first and second base with 2 out. The crowd began showing signs of life now. When the 5th batter came up and hit the ball, my heart sunk - it was an easy ground ball to the 3rd baseman. This game was about to be over. But suddenly, the 3rd baseman bobbled the ball and made a bad throw to 1st and the runner was safe. Now the bases were loaded. The baseball gods were smiling on the Dodgers that night.

When the 6th batter came up, the crowd was on its feet. Seeing three consecutive batters reach base under these circumstances, where one out would end the game, was amazing already. Could a 4th guy in a row get a hit?

I witnessed the impossible that night, as the 6th batter hit a double to the outfield, bringing home 2 runs, and the Dodgers came from behind to win. The entire team rushed out on the field, dog-piling on top of one another, a massive celebration on the infield. The crowd was going bananas - random people were hugging each other and giving high fives and laughing.

As I was driving home from the game I felt rejuvenated. Sure, this was just a baseball game - pretty irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. But to me it was a sign that I shouldn't forget that just becomes something seems impossible, doesn't mean that it is. No matter what the odds, if you want something bad enough, you can overcome.

You can make the impossible possible. It was a great night, and here's hoping for many more great nights in the future. I found a video taken by a random fan sitting in the outfield of the events of the 9th inning...Enjoy!

(apologize for the close-up shot of his face on the video)