This plaque marks a baseball player sculpture at Memorial Park in Dundas, Minnesota. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo 2014.
THREE YEARS AGO I photographed a plaque at Memorial Park Baseball Field in Dundas. It marks a woodcarving of a Dundas Dukes baseball player.
Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo 2016.
Today, the day after the shooting of House Republican leader Steve Scalise, four others and a gunman on a baseball field near our nation’s capitol, these words by John Thorn seem especially fitting. Thorn is the official historian for major league baseball.
My great niece Kiera painted this stone, which sits on my office desk as a constant reminder to hold onto hope. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo.
Now, more than ever, as attacks and tragedies like this continue in the U.S. and throughout the world, we need our spirits replenished, our hope restored, our losses repaired, our journeys blessed.
Batter up for the Faribault Lakers. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo 2016.
We must continue to play ball. Violence can change us. But it cannot steal away the freedom we hold dear.
© Copyright 2017 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
Add to the thought above (“Now, more than ever, as attacks and tragedies like this continue in the U.S. and throughout the world, we need our spirits replenished, our hope restored, our losses repaired, our journeys blessed.”) the oh so needed correction in the prevalent “me” attitude. The notion that somehow the individual has been “wronged”/rights have been “violated” and a ‘something’ must be done to correct this intolerable situation and thereby take away the personal frustration, held by those who seem free to act on this at the expense of everyone, that ‘drove’ them to such an extreme, “take it into my own hands” course of action. Again, we seem to live in a day when the (almighty) individual weighs in more importantly than the good of/consensus of the majority (or larger entity/ideal). These are very serious times and ones that the Good Book has much to say about.
Good points. We definitely have shifted to a me oriented society.
Back in the late 60’s, to ease the tension between the police and counter-culture types on the West Bank in Minneapolis, a local wag organized a “Cops v Freaks” softball game. It was hilarious.
At one point, a freak stole third base – and yes, he literally stole it by taking the base, jumping in his car and driving away. It was returned after the game.
Thanks for sharing this story, Greg. What would happen if that was tried today?
I don’t think people today are all that different. Maybe I am an optimist. I think one of the great stories in reaching across the political divide was the deep friendship between Senator Jesse Helms and Senator Paul Wellstone.
You are much more of an optimist than me…
As always your comments are spot on with keen observations and sparse words that capture emotion and spirit in a message
Now, more than ever, as attacks and tragedies like this continue in the U.S. and throughout the world, we need our spirits replenished, our hope restored, our losses repaired, our journeys blessed.
Thank you, Sue.