“All the world’s indeed a stage. We are merely players, performers and portrayers each another’s audience outside the gilded stage…”

I listened to RUSH growing up while my brother fixed the neighbor’s cars, lawnmowers and other machinery, and this line stuck in my head while sitting in the rain this past weekend.

We find ourselves at 4-4 in the conference with our destiny in our own hands. This year has been a challenge in terms of keeping guys healthy, and patiently waiting for the young guys to mature. We have found a number of ways to make our life difficult, but on Sunday we found a way to get a couple much-needed wins.

Head coaches have to be psychologists most of the time, caregivers the rest of the time. Keeping a positive attitude in tough times is a challenge we all must face at some point in our lives. The game of baseball is about dealing with a high ERA and continuing to believe you can get guys out. It is about working on the small game during the practices in April when you would rather try to lift balls out of the yard during your free round in BP. Most importantly it is about building relationships and taking time out with your part-time walk-on catcher to ask him how he is doing.

Sunday, we found ourselves in a precarious situation when our starting catcher was hit in the head with a backswing. Our other catcher was in the DH slot so it was time for Doyle to answer the bell. He is the guy who my wife asks me about on Sunday night after suffering a couple of gut-wrenching defeats in conference play? “Why doesn’t he get a shot.” He is also the guy who is lugging around the bats, and telling the hitters what the new pitcher in the game is doing thus far. He is always yelling at the top of his lungs to help the team get it done..

Well on Sunday, he came up in a big situation and laced one into right field and knocked a run in. He also came up again in the eighth and banged another one in with a ground ball.. This was the turning point in a time of need. He also gunned down two runners attempting to test his arm.

Not too bad for a walk-on. That day we were Shawn’s audience. What a fun time we were given by that kid.

JM

(photo courtesy of Albany Media Relations Office)