The Way of Baseball: Finding Stillness at 95 mph

by Shawn Green

As I looked at the different lockers, I’d be reminded how the players in this camp, and every big league camp, also made up a tapestry of diverse strands. Every team consists of players of different nationalities who speak numerous languages, players of different races from every possible economic background, players in their late thirties with growing families who are putting the finishing touches on their long careers, players who are not yet old enough to buy a beer, pranksters, and quiet, reserved guys. Of the sixty or so players at any spring training camp, many never get to the Major Leagues. Others hang on for a few years and only get a taste of their dreams. Few ever actually experience the wealth and fame that those on the outside assume is the norm for those on the inside. Still, in the clubhouse, differences between players weren’t the most important thing. What always mattered most was that we wore the same uniform and played the same game.