Minutes to Memories

The Rick Ankiel story exemplifies why I love sports.

Ankiel grew up in Florida in what many ways might seem an ideal situation, running around on a beach and playing lots of baseball with his father. But it wasn't ideal at all. His father, who has been arrested multiple times and is now serving time in federal prison, was extremely hard on his son. Rick reports never being good enough, lots of yelling, and an emphasis on baseball that made him wish he could do something else. He didn't play for the love of the game; he played for his father's approval.

Ironically, Rick's home life had a positive effect, too. The verbal abuse made him tough in a good way, able to deal with adversity, and somewhere in the middle of it all he developed a great heart, described by everyone from that era of his life as a "great guy off the field."

In high school, he became a great pitcher on the field, too.

Ankiel was named the best high school pitcher in America by the USA Today in 1997. He was drafted out of high school and made an instant millionaire by the St. Louis Cardinals. In 1999, he was named minor league player of the year by the USA Today and Baseball America, and he received the call his dad always wanted for him - the call to the major leagues.

In the year 2000, his first full year in the majors (at age 20!), he turned in an impressive season, coming in second in rookie of the year balloting, and leading the Cardinals to the playoffs.

Then, it all fell apart like nothing I've ever seen.

In Game 1 of the playoffs against the Atlanta Braves, he simply lost it. He could not throw the ball in the vicinity of home plate. Ankiel threw five wild pitches in one inning, and when I mean wild pitches, think Charlie Sheen in Major League.

Ankiel laughed it off, nervously, and the Cards went on to win the series. However, in his first start in the next series against the Mets, the demon returned. He only threw twenty pitches, five of which went sailing past the catcher to the backstop. Later in the series, he made one final appearance in relief, and uncorked two more wild pitches.

At the beginning of the 2001 season, Ankiel picked up where he left off, with more wild pitches. He was demoted the minor leagues, and the problem grew worse. It wasn't until he landed at the bottom - rookie league - that he seemed to get things back under control.

Then came 2002: arm trouble. Then came 2003: Tommy John surgery.

It was 2005 when Rick Ankiel made the strange announcement. This "pitcher" decided he would now be an "outfielder." And the odd journey back began.

Sports Illustrated stuck a little "Ankiel Watch" feature in their magazine along the way, mostly as a novelty, seeming to make fun of the idea. And Ankiel started hitting home runs. Eventually, folks in the know started saying he might be a marginal prospect for the major leagues. And eventually, those folks started saying he really might make it back.

This past week, Rick Ankiel was called back to the major leagues, and in his first game back, he hit a dramatic home run.

And yesterday, I sat on my couch and watched his third game back, and in addition to two beautiful catches in right field, Rick Ankiel hit two home runs. TWO home runs in ONE game!

This is why I love baseball.

And I hope Rick Ankiel hits 100 home runs a year for the next decade and makes Barry Bonds a distant memory.