It's All Relative (One Sixty-Two: Day 13)

Writer’s note: One Sixty-Two is a season-long series of blog posts connecting baseball’s major-league players to life’s universal themes. Just as there are 162 games in a season, so there will be 162 posts in this series. Let’s play some ball.

Day Thirteen: Edwin Jackson, Arizona Diamondbacks

It was a gorgeous day in the mid-Atlantic today, the kind that would have found my friend Bill Reel walking through his beloved Clove Lakes Park on Staten Island. (For a tribute to Bill, see the entry above.) Days like this remind us why so many couples schedule May weddings, and why colleges hold their graduations outdoors. With blue above us and green all around us, we send our kids scampering across baseball diamonds and playgrounds, and we take a deep, satisfying breath.

For a baseball player who has endured the twists and turns of April weather, a 75-degree May afternoon can put an extra hop in the step. Finally, the cold is gone, and the player can look forward to more days like this. But what, I wonder, about the baseball player who suits up for games in Phoenix, Arizona?

What kind of hop will Edwin Jackson have in his step when he steps on the mound tomorrow at Chase Field, with a high of 95 degrees forecast for Phoenix? How do you handle the spring when your May equals the depth of summer for most other areas in the country? Does Edwin dream of azaleas when he’s passing those cacti on the way to work? Does he long for a day when he can pitch at home with a nice, three-quarter-length shirt beneath his uniform top?

Or does he do what so many of us must – adjust, deal with it, and enjoy what you’ve got? After all, when I was grappling with the snow and rain this winter, Edwin’s place of work was, well, kind of like my May. All relative.