As I wrote that last entry, the New York Yankees were pounding Pedro Martinez in the eighth inning of the final game of the American League Championship Series. Pedro is gone now, the game is tied, and the bases are loaded.
Last night, I watched the Chicago Cubs succumb to the Florida Marlins. The Cubs did not lose Game 6 because a fan grabbed a foul ball. They lost because they suffocated under the weight of a history of futility.
Every day I encounter people who limit their own potential, people whose expectations have been muted by thousands of small muffles. (Sorry for the rant, but this is a pet peeve.) Growing up in Osseo, Wisconsin (pop. 1,669), my greatest frustration was the small-mindedness of so many of my friends and neighbors. I will be forever grateful to my father and to Mike O’Neill (also a law professor!) for helping me to look beyond those people.