Following the Moonlight: A Lesson From Mr. Graham

As I'm sure you've heard, it is being reported that today is the 100th anniversary of Moonlight Graham's one game in the outfield for the New York Giants. He was just another young kid that never quite made it to the big leagues-until Mr. Kinsella ran across his name in the Baseball Encyclopedia, noticing that he played in a game, but never got an at bat. Kinsella decided to include him in his book, Shoeless Joe, as an old man (and eventually a young kid) that finally got his one at bat. The book was later adapted into the popular movie, Field of Dreams. In the story, Graham epitomized your everyday young minor leaguer determined to make the big show.

He never did make it other than the one game, but, in the story, he wasn't that upset about missing out on a career. The only thing that he really wanted was one chance at the plate in the big leagues. No great career, no fame, just one at bat. If only players' attitudes today could only be anything close to this. A large amount of players today seem to be ignorant to the roots and true core of the game: to enjoy playing. Today has been the center of a lot of talk involving a trade sending Gary Sheffield to the Mets. Today, in an interview with WFAN in New York as he shunned a possible trade, he made himself out to be a great person because he allowed the Yankees to defer the money in his contract. He has also admitted to purposely playing poorley earlier in his career in Milwaukee to try to get traded. Kenny Rogers harassed a cameraman during warm-ups, damaging the camera, not to mention his own image. Barry Bonds.....well......need I say more? Today, players ignore the past of the game and only care about their money and egos. If only they could, in a sense, take a page from Moonlight's book. All that Graham wanted was one shot at a hit-no fame, no glory-just an at bat. Of course, with the outrageous contracts these days, don't expect anything to change anytime soon, but wouldn't it be great to see a game with no stupid side-stories, no soap operas, no players complaining about contracts? Again, don't expect anything to change, but that was how the game was made to be: just a game. If they could only just follow the Moonlight....
-Adam

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