And he said:
A team had two fans.
The impatient one said, ‘Team, bring me a championship.’
The team worked and worked and, with a little luck, gave the impatient fan the championship.
The patient fan smiled. Took it all in and enjoyed himself.
The impatient fan went off and celebrated the championship. He bought new clothes and walked down the street telling others to come join him.
Others did.
The impatient fan showed off his trophy.
The team, having too many stars ask for more money, had to sell off its best players. A famine soon followed.
The impatient fan did not attend games. Did not wear his jersey.
Unlike the impatient fan, the patient fan did attend games. He did not wear a jersey, but he was frugal and bought caps and other items of clothing.
Time went by and the team began to improve, bringing in new stars.
The patient fan applauded the young players, despite their growing pains.
The impatient fan mocked the team, saying, “Look at those bums.” He said, “They don’t try hard enough.”
The team went on a surprising run and won another championship.
The impatient fan returned, buying a new jersey and chanting, “I knew we’d do it.”
This insulted the patient fan, who had been loyal and been through many bad seasons.
Then, the patient fan remembered that his team had won.
And he was happy.
Copy Editor Patrick Abdalla doesn't need performance-enhancing drugs to take a look at all things Major League Baseball. Whether it's arguing about the Hall of Fame, quizzing someone with a stat out of left field, discussing a good baseball book, or talking about "Field of Dreams," Pat always enjoys some infield chatter. 