Trading spaces

In a sign of growing obsession, I spent the entire day reading the local newspaper to find out whether our baseball team was going to trade anyone before the 3 pm deadline. I was so very nervous, especially since the rumors were we were going to lose three pretty decent players (including our best pitcher) for one player who apparently is God's gift to baseball or something. Big sigh of relief as 3 pm came and went; no trades, the line-up is intact, and I still have hopes that our boys can pull it together and make it to the wild card. Of course, I have this thing for underdogs, and I hated the idea of a struggling player -- who did *so* much for the team over the last couple of years -- on the trading block.

I think if you know you're on the trading block, that your team is willing to get rid of you to get someone better, emotionally that's gotta take a toll -- especially if you've spent most of your career with one franchise. I don't think you'd ever look at your team again in quite the same way. I understand baseball isn't just a game -- it's a business and the players know that when they sign up. They know it's possible to get traded, that if they don't perform, they'll get demoted to the minor leagues, but still. Hearing you're on the trading block has got to blow in so many ways.

Good thing I'm not a baseball player; my skin's not thick enough for this kind of thing. It's hard enough being a fan, wondering if your team's about to get decimated just to get one guy who may or may not get us to that magic 0.5.