Be Happy!
One of the ways I like to unwind on Sunday is to listen to a baseball game. My favorite team is the Mets, although I grew up a Yankees fan. Now, I can’t stand them and their obnoxious fans. I even root for the Red Sox to beat them.
Mets players come and go, but there are a few I miss when they get traded. Mike Piazza, of course, and Al Leiter and Todd Hundley-all three big stars. But I also miss some players who usually weren’t in a highlight reel, but brought an honest, solid, workman’s effort to their job. Ty Wigginton (Devil Rays), Melvin Mora (Orioles) and Heath Bell (Padres) are a few of these guys.
I caught up with Heath Bell in a recent Newsday sports story. No wonder I like him!
“Aside from his ERA, former Met Heath Bell hasn’t changed much since coming to the Padres. When the affable Bell greeted a group of New York reporters he was wearing a T-shirt that read, “I’m in shape. Round is a shape.”
“It’s no wonder then that Bell credited his first-half success in San Diego to the chocolate chip cookies they serve in the Padres’ clubhouse. Heading into last night’s game, Bell had a 2.26 ERA and was fifth among relievers in the majors with 53 strikeouts.”
“If you’re happy, you pitch well,” Bell said. “In the beginning of the year, everybody asked me why I was so happy, and I said because they had great chocolate chip cookies. I was in heaven. Gain a couple of pounds and start doing well.”
Amen.
