Underdogs.

My mother put me in dance class when I was two because she wanted my older sister (who was four at the time) to have an experience similar to school before she went off to kindergarten and so she enrolled us both. I stuck around the studio until I graduated from high school; I have really gross toes to prove it. I wanted to be a dancer so badly but, realizing that I wasn't good enough, I was practical and gave it up. Part of me regrets that decision; I mean, life is grand otherwise but I do sometimes wonder what might have been, if I'd been braver. It's an odd day when I don't turn a set of pirouettes in my kitchen (the only place where I don't run the chance of knocking things over) or use the counter as a barre.

So I have a super soft-spot for the guys who stick with their dreams (Craig Breslow, Daniel Nava, all my AAAA guys) despite really long odds. The Projo has an article today about Ryan Westmoreland and his road back, which brought on this bout of nostalgia. Prior to last March, Westmoreland probably wouldn't have fit into the category of guys who might not make it but full recovery from his surgery is no sure thing. And while having a big fat goal at the end of his rehab is undoubtedly good for him, there remains a chance that he'll never be good enough again. It's not the same as my AAAA guys but it's pretty close. Absolute best of luck to him.

Warning: I was weepy by the end of the article.