Good story in the New York Times this morning about Josh Holden, a West Point graduate-turned Cincinnati Reds farmhand. His baseball race was run as of 2008, so he went back to fulfill his five-year commitment to Uncle Sam. As is often the case with stories about servicemen, one is struck by the subject’s positive attitude and puts the petty complaints you and I have about our job in clear relief:
“Personally, it couldn’t have worked out better for me,” Holden said. “I got to chase a dream, and now that I’m a soldier, I hope that I am giving the Army as much as it has given me.”
And here’s a random thing from the article that I never knew:
On the final day of spring training, Holden showed up to the Reds’ complex and noticed that one of the clubhouse attendants was wearing a black shirt, a baseball ritual that signals players are going to be cut.
Did you know that? I didn’t know that. And how does that work for the Rockies? When I was down at their place for spring training this year -- on a non-cut day -- everyone was wearing black.
