Pre-Ramble: Truth be told, I am not much of a baseball fan.  The games are too long, the uniforms are goofy, and the players are always spitting.  Tonight however, I found myself rallied in the family room with my family (duh) watching the hometown Minnesota Twins battle the Detroit Tigers in extra innings for the American League Central championship.

The game was supposed to be a big deal for a bunch of reasons … the Tigers had been on top for most of the season, … the Twins had been back in the standings coming into the series, … blah, blah …  It was also likely to be the very last game that the Twins played in the hideous indoor Metrodome before taking up residence in the sparkling new Target Field stadium next season. 

Well, so, the game was crawling along … pitching, catching, foul tips, more pitching and catching … and without going into a total play-by-play, the teams had leap-frogged themselves into a 12th inning overtime situation and even I was on the edge of my seat … finally:

Alexi Casilla singled Carlos Gomez home for the winning run with one out in the 12th inning and the Twins rallied for a 6-5 victory to complete a colossal collapse for the Tigers.”

Well, phew!! … Wow!! … Quite the exciting finish.  And actually, quite an exciting coincidence as well. Several months ago, I bought a piece of children’s artwork that had been created in a partnership activity with the Minnesota Twins players to support local children’s charitable organization, Free Arts Minnesota. (Free Arts brings art and adult mentorship to abused and at-risk children.) Part of the partnership activity between Free Arts and the Twins was that the kids got to go on a field trip to a batting practice (and see the players close up), go to an actual baseball game (a first for many of them), and the kids’ artwork (that was inspired by the whole baseball experience) was signed by the various Twins’ players.

I bought the picture (shown above) because I liked its composition and bright, Andy Warhol-esque blocks of color. I also bought it to support the Free Arts mission — to bring the unique healing power of art and mentorship to abused children:

I digress: There are no words to describe the profoundly tragic circumstances that some children are subjected to at the hands of the people who are supposed to love and protect them.  Some children have seen and experienced things that no child should ever have to.  The programs that Free Arts brings into homeless shelters and foster care facilities give these kids a chance to experience something else — something positive, creative, and even fun.  By providing adult mentors who care about them, who are there for them each and every week, without fail, Free Arts gives these children new hope and courage and re-establishes their capacity to trust. By providing interesting and challenging art activities, Free Arts give these children an opportunity to create something beautiful; to be recognized for their efforts and for their talents; to explore their imaginations and express themselves in a way that many of them have never been able to. The Free Arts program gives kids an opportunity to experience themselves and the world in new ways, and to see new possibilities for themselves and their lives … !

So, I have this delightful, meaningful piece of baseball artwork, and in looking a little closer after last night’s game, I realize that it is signed by Carlos Gomez — the guy who made the spectacular run across home plate to win the championship game!

The Take-Away:  Neat! … a win-win situation all around – for me, for Carlos, for the Twins, and also for the hundreds of children who are served by Free Arts.  I wonder if the kids were watching the game?

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