More often than not, unplanned moments become memories that last a lifetime. We go through life searching for these moments that define who we were at the time.
These moments usually come at a life’s crossroad, where our lives are being molded. These moments can come from the most significant or insignificant of occurrences.
Last week-in a spur of the moment decision-I asked my father to go the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim baseball game.
I hadn’t been to a game with my dad in years; we used to go as a family when we had season tickets.
But, what could’ve been a normal game at the ballpark, turned into one of my most memorable moments.
The Angels fell far below expectations this season. The team added the best hitter in baseball, Albert Pujols, in order to add power to a weak lineup.
Like his team, Pujols hasn’t performed anywhere close to his expectations.
A career .300 hitter with over 400 homeruns to his name, it was expected for Pujols to contribute early. Instead, he has become the ceremonial goat of an anemic offense that can barely score runs.
When my father and I arrived at the ballpark, we expected to buy cheap seats. However, we were interrupted at the ticket window by an old man and his wife who offered us two spare tickets for free. My dad and I rejoiced as we arrived at our seats realizing they were right behind home plate.
At the time, the mighty Pujols had yet to hit a homerun. After signing a 10-year $250 million contract this offseason, Pujols’s lackluster Angels start had lead to many boos and chants of “overrated.”
I refrained from joining in on the bashing tirade of Pujols because I realized the slump he was in was similar to what anyone can experience.
Pujols was in the longest homerun drought of his life. In life, we all experience times where nothing seems to go our way. We lose our jobs, our homes, our lifestyles. But through all the bad we must remain resilient.
When Pujols stepped up the plate that sunny afternoon, both my dad and I arose from our seats. We looked at each with an undeterminable inclination that we were about witness history.
On a 2-2 count, the pitcher threw a hanging pitch to Pujols. With a powerful swing, Pujols smashed the ball to left field. As the ball flew, the crowd held their breath. Was this the moment we had waited so patiently for?
The ball cleared the wall and the pandemonium began.
There were no boos or chants of “overrated,” just cheers. I took this time to embrace my father, knowing full well this will
be an experience we will remember forever.
As Pujols rounded the bases, his teammates cleared the dugout and headed into the clubhouse as a joke. Pujols arrived at the dugout laughing, realizing nobody was there to congratulate him.
In a way, this joke mirrors life. It’s natural to look for validation of our accomplishments.
For this generation specifically-when we were given awards for just showing up–it’s difficult when our accomplishments go unnoticed. In reality, this will happen more often than not, and something we have to deal with.
Pujols is paid million of dollars to hit homeruns. When he doesn’t produce it’s understandable to criticize him.
Ultimately, Pujols is too good of a hitter to let this slump last too long.
Life will never be perfect and it’s stupid to expect perfection. As is the case with baseball, a great player is only great three out of ten times. But even when the odds are against you, it’s important to hold onto the few moments that do seem perfect. This just happened to be one of those moments for me.
Chasen Doerr is a senior journalism major and an assistant opinions editor for the Daily 49er.