Why They Won

Even though I'm not a huge baseball fan, I must admit that I've gotten caught up in World Series fever here in KC over the last couple of weeks. There are lots of things about this year's Kansas City Royals team that impress me, not the least of which is how much they care about each other both on and off the field. I listened with tears in my eyes as the players used words like "family" and "brothers" when they talked about their fellow teammates in interviews. As I watched their celebration last night after winning the Series, I decided I'd post a blog tonight about the personal connection that's so evident among the Royals players. But then I read my friend Jenne's post on Facebook today, and asked her if she'd be my guest blogger tonight. Because what she wrote is perfect. Because what she wrote is about so much more than a baseball team, friends ... so very, very much more.

"I'm an emotional gal. It's not surprising that I cried last night watching the Royals do what they promised and bring home "that trophy with all the little flags on it." But as I go through today I keep wondering, why? Why does it affect me so much? I'm not the only one, of course. Fellow fans, former doubters, announcers, heck, all of baseball it seems, can see there is something special about this team. My opinion? I think it might just come down to one word. Love.

Deep down we all want to believe love matters. That it doesn't just enhance relationships, but that it changes things. In big, big ways. We all have skills. We all have talents. And we all have gaps in our skills and limits to our talents. Somewhere deep in our hearts we are searching for something to bridge that gap. That something is love.

When we were watching the Royals, we weren't just watching skilled technicians. We were watching men who cared about each other, who had each other's backs. Who relied on love to fill the gaps. We weren't watching the third baseman throw to first, we were watching Moose throw to Hoz and we'd watch after the play to see the finger point across the diamond. We never watched "the catcher," we watched our beloved Salvy. LoCain, BenZie, Esco - we know them, we know their families, we care about them because they care about each other. We know the special hand gestures of players - sky points, hat tips, vroom vroom motions - and we love the. During games, we'd mimic those gestures maybe never noticing that when a base was stolen, a play executed, a run scored, the gestures were never for us, the fans. They were motioned toward the dugout. They were for each other.

We all want to believe character matters. We see it quoted on classroom chalkboards and conference room walls. We want to think if we fall down, get behind, lose traction, that something will pull us up. We love this team not just because they are great ball players, but because they are great friends. And they make the little person inside of us believe that love really does matter. Is there a place for love in big league play? Among the sweat and fight and money and competition? One gal's opinion: I think the Royals proved that there is.

Love really does win.

Well done, boys. Now come on home."