We live in a world of absolutes. Sports, in particular, don’t allow for much gray area in this realm. Your team is either the very best or an abomination unto whomever or whatever entity you pray to. A season is either a success or a failure. Middle-of-the-road? Save that conversation for something more level-headed. May I suggest politics?
For this particular thought exercise, I want you to envision the 2025 Ole Miss baseball team. As of this writing – just days removed from a gut-wrenching, season-ending defeat in their own regional at the hands of massive underdog Murray State – I’m sure many are leaning toward “failure.” And, yeah, that’s reasonable at the moment. Ole Miss – the No. 10 national seed – fell to a team in its first NCAA Tournament in more than two decades. The Racers became the 10th No. 4 seed to ever make a Super Regional.
But I was recently reminded by a former editor of a childhood poem that I, quite frankly, had long forgotten. I haven’t read “Casey at the Bat” since I was in grade school. I don’t put much stock in short stories of yesteryear at this juncture in my life. As someone whose life revolves around traveling to stadiums and watching games, consider me jaded
