On most days, I write baseball stories about a player who I follow or a game I attended or a stadium I have visited. Perhaps it is a player playing locally in Rhode Island or here in Hampton Roads, or in an amateur league or one that has made it to the Major Leagues. A player who maybe played in High School, graduated to a spot on a collegiate team, or perhaps moved right into a professional organization. In this era of social media, I am one of hundreds if not thousands of writers who will write about such a player like this every day. But what about all the great players who never stepped foot on a college baseball field or a minor league pitcher’s mound or touched Fenway Park’s Green Monster (LF Wall) because their lives were tragically lost during their military service? Their young lives cut short, sometimes before they even got started.

What does Memorial Day mean to me? I think about the things that tend to create success in endeavors like sports or music or business. Opportunity and timing along with talent can propel a peer in any facet of life to stardom, greatness even, and change the course of their life forever. Don’t believe me, just google the men and women in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and get ready to debate me that opportunity, timing, and talent did not have a lasting impact on their careers. The men and women who enlist in our United States Military are sacrificing personal opportunities, potentially missing the timing for a big break in the careers, despite the fact that their talent is evident and real. The mere fact that all time greats like Ted Williams, Bob Feller, Yogi Berra, Jackie Robinson, all who enlisted in the United States Military, made it back to the Major Leagues after serving their country in various military commitments is legendary. Sadly, others they served with did not.

I love the concept of greatness. I wonder if there was another Ted Williams or Jackie Robinson or Bob Feller type player that served our United States Military that lost their life during wartime. I’m not saying they wasn’t, I haven’t researched it enough to state one way or the other. I just simply stating I wonder if there was a player on the cusp of becoming an immortal player whose life was cut short too early while overseas serving our country. That is what Memorial Day means to me, as a baseball writer. I wonder how many Moms and Dads and classmates at home could attest to their potential greatness. Maybe it was a player a bit undersized or without too much seasoning that needed to just get a bit stronger and a few more reps at the plate before they blossomed. It is sobering to think we will never know how good they could have become.

So, that is what Memorial Day means to me. I appreciate the military men and women who lost their lives fighting for the freedoms I enjoy every day. The freedom to sit in my office, listen to music on my Hi-Fi, and write this article. Thank you for your service just isn’t enough sometimes. You need to appreciate what others are willing to sacrifice in order to make that sentiment to United States Military and their families. So, to all those who lost their lives, on this Memorial Day and every day, I appreciate the sacrifice you made to make my life what is today.