It's All About the Ring!

Let me just start by saying I love playoff baseball and I also love talking about baseball. It is only fitting that with the League Championship Series about to get underway, we extend our baseball analogy (see the post entitled "Take Me Out To The Ballgame") to the postseason. Last night, I had an apostrophe, maybe an epiphany. Whatever it was, lightning struck my brain. Miraculously enough, it didn't hurt (that was for anyone who loves the movie "Hook"). But before we get to the real reason for this post, the "ring", we to define some new terms in our baseball lingo to give context to this new interpretation of an old concept.

The World Series: Winning the World Series is the ultimate achievement in baseball. It doesn't matter if how great or poor your regular season play is if you are able to make the playoffs and win the World Series. As a manager you are trying to get the right combination of elements together so you are able to make a run at the title this year. You don't want to wait for next year or consider this year a "rebuilding year". It isn't enough to just play in the World Series, you have to win. Sure it may be a great atmosphere to play in a World Series, but let's face it, nobody remembers the loser as they fall in to the same category as the other 30 teams who didn't win. You may look back with fond memories and think "that was a great push to make it to the playoffs and nobody thought we would make it as far as we did". However these fleeting thoughts are quickly replaced by the overwhelming memory that you didn't win.

Translation: Happy marriage in the temple for time and all eternity. A relationship that ends any other way is settling for something other than the greatest award there is.

The Rookie: A hot new prospect new to the Major Leagues who has the promise of becoming the face of the franchise. All teams would actively pursue such an amazing up-and-comer because they know that having a rookie with such talent is hard to come by and can lead to a long and successful career. Unfortunately, most rookies with such endowed with this skill level have agents whose only concern is setting their client up for big money in the future. Contracts are often pricy but not too long, giving the rookie a chance to jump teams and secure an even bigger and longer contract. There is more focus on the individual rather than the team. And since the rookie is at the beginning of their career and consequently they feel they have their whole career in front of them and don't need to worry now about winning a World Series. But there comes a point when you have to move on past the rookie and recognize that there are some drawbacks about rookies. Namely their inexperience and lack of practical knowledge of playing in the big leagues. That is why veterans can also be appealing because they have some savvy about how to win and has a stronger desire for a championship than for personal accolades.

Translation: Girls who are awesome, outgoing, fun to be around, easy to talk to, etc. Essentially, they are a freshman girl who attracts lots of attention from non-freshman guys. She isn't so concerned about getting serious because it is more exciting and adventurous to have five guys trying to fight over her valuable spare moments, be it during the week or on the weekend. By contrast, the veteran is a girl who is less concerned playing and just having fun and is more concerned about being and finding the right guy.

The Ring: In addition to hoisting the World Series trophy high over your head in front of thousands of screaming fans, each player on the team that wins the World Series receives a customized ring (see the Angels ring above). It is constant reminder that you won it all and nobody can take that away from you.

Translation: Let's be serious here, if you don't know what the ring is I have only one suggestion: go listen to Beyonce's song "Single Ladies". The ring is the symbol that you won and are married to the woman of your dreams. She is yours and you are hers and it is the ultimate sign that you are the world champion of the dating game.

So remember next time you step up to the plate, it's all about the ring.

-A.T.H.