Aspirations

 

Mike Davis, 1987 Topps

Do baseball players have dreams, too? Let's say you're Mike Davis. You grew up in California and played all 10 of your major league seasons with California teams. You hit 24 home runs with 34 doubles in 1985 for the A's. In '88, your walk in the bottom of the ninth of Game 1 of the World Series led to Kirk Gibson's blast, helping to earn your team the title of champions. None of this, however, has provided for you the pure rush of say, helping a nice young couple close on their first place of residence.

There is young boy somewhere in Oklahoma who grew up wanting to become a major league ballplayer, but eventually settled on getting his real estate license. "It's just practical," he says, watching his dream fade away in the rear view mirror. You laugh. "Practical? Practical is drawing a walk when you want to swing for the fences. When you'd rather be telling someone that if they just knock down that wall, they can have their dream dining room, because this place, though shoddy now, has character." If only you could switch places, but for a day. Life can be cruel.

Do you ever get the chance to dabble in real estate? You moved to Canada and started a blog, so it's hard to say. According to this card, "April 22, 1970: Jerry Grote recorded 20 putouts as a catcher in a 9-inning game for the Mets," which has nothing to do with anything. Sigh.