Have you ever thought it was over?
Scott Hatteberg was a catcher for the Red Sox when he ruptured a nerve in his elbow. He could no longer throw a baseball.
It was over.
But it wasn't!
The Oakland A's signed him on, messed up elbow and all... as a first baseman. Scott is my favorite character in Moneyball, which is based on a true story. The movie has some words that I don't like in it. Other than that, oh, how I loved it.
Scott is offered the job right in his living room. He is trying to take it in and finally blurts out, "I'm a catcher."
The words come out cold from the general manager's mouth: "You're not a catcher any more." OUCH. A million emotions play across Scott's face, like shadows in the sunlight. "But you can be a first baseman, if you want."
An envelope with a contract inside is left on his coffee table. The men leave. What follows is a picture that speaks volumes... a wife, a little daughter in pajamas, and Scott in a wordless hug. Relief. Hope. Embryonic Joy. Her husband's dream is not over. Maybe he can be himself again with her. Yes, maybe starting tonight. Mommy and daddy are happy.
Life goes on.
Yogi Berra, another baseball guy, coined the phrase, "It ain't over till it's over." In baseball and in life, that is the truth. It's why so many people stay till the end of the ninth inning. It's why we watch the sun set, and pray when we hear bad news, and why we look for one more present under the Christmas tree.
Because human beings were made to hope. To believe in the impossible. And to know the Source.