Grace

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 21:00:54 +0100

Growing up in a row house on Avenue T by Marine Park in Brooklyn in the 1940’s, Grace is probably not the first word that would have come neighbors’ minds when asked about the kid who refused to take his stickball games out of their street and into the part. According to Joe, “No mattter how much you tried to explain, they just couldn’t seem to grasp that you can’t bounce a ball on grass.”

Today, they couldn’t be more proud..or more grateful to have known this man.

Joe Torre had a great run as a player. A fixture at the All-Star game, MVP in 1971, he became a professional ballplayer at age 20 and was a workhorse for 27 years. The one thing that always eluded him, however, was a visit to the World Series.

His career as a manager with the Braves, Cardinals and Mets was somewhat less than impressive before George Steinbrenner hired him to skipper the Yankees in 1996. His teams had never came close to realizing their potentials. When he was hired by the Yankees, he was only expected to stick around for a cup of coffee, and to be shown the door as soon as Steinbrenner could find a star to general the club.

Joe’s cup of coffee wound up lasting twelve years.

When Torre joined the Yankees, they hadn’t been to the World Series since 1980, and he had never been to the big show, either as a player or a manager. Nobody expected this placeholder had the wherewithal to lead his team through the inevitable storms that howl through Yankee Stadium...the press with their feeding frenzies and the blustering Boss Steinbrenner so fond of giving the scribes the sort of sturm und drang that sells morning papers.

Well, as we all know, it turned out that Joe was just the man. Still is. Throughout the tempests, he managed to keep his players focussed on what is, after all, just a game. A beautiful game.

When The Boss stormed and the papers called for blood, Torre kept his players focussed on the game. Despite the adverse conditions he had to work with, Torre led his team into the playoffs in all of his twelves seasons as manager, and he gave us, the fans, four World Series Championships.

What he really gave us, however, was something far more valuable than all those victories and all that glory. Through his own grace, on and off the field, through the example he set by always remaining calm and respectful, he bestowed grace upon us and, in that, he showed us the way to find that grace in ourselves.

Yankee Captain Derek Jeter recently spoke to The New York Times about Joe, saying, “He is a friend for life, and the relationship we have shared has helped shape me in ways that transcend the game of baseball, His class, dignity, and the way he respected those around him — from ballplayers to batboys — are all qualities that are easy to admire, but difficult to duplicate. I have known Mr. Torre for a good majority of my adult life, and there has been no bigger influence on my professional development. It was a privilege to play for him on the field, and an honor to learn from him off the field.”

It would seem that Mr. Jeter learned well from his manager to live a life of Grace.

Beauty...

Tue, 9 Oct 2007 15:02:02 +0100

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Beauty is all around. It surrounds us. It pervades us. It is the embodiment of love and so it is all we are.

In this age of information overload, I no longer give my attention to the news and other infotainment as that barrage only serves as noise that removes me from the present moment, from embracing the rich brocade in the time and space that I inhabit, from that which patiently awaits my notice. I'm good enough at missing here without the help of the television or newspaper or, dare I say it, an opinionated web blog.

Recording where I find beauty, however, paying attention to the now, promises to reinforce my own belief in it, to constantly reawaken the wonder. Noting here what beauty I may stumble across along my path requires that I focus on it, give it energy, and thereby strengthen it. Even better, if you should discover some item of beauty here that resonates for you, we can take the time to sit by the pond and discuss it at our leisure, supporting in each other that which we love, that in which we see beauty.

Develop interest in life as you see it; in people, things, literature, music - the world is so rich, simply throbbing with rich treasures, beautiful souls and interesting people. Forget yourself.
-Henry Miller (1891 - 1980)

10,000 Beautiful Things

Grace

Beauty...