When 15 Minutes End

The Curve had their way with the user-friendly Harrisburg Senators yet again, 9 to 1. It was a ho-hum thrashing, really. The Curve put it away in the 4th inning with a flurry of offense: double, single, double, single, double, all in a row, all for one RBI each. It was a team effort. Everyone in the lineup except Matt Hague recorded a hit (including pitcher Jared Hughes, now 6-1), and even then, Hague did score a run after reaching on a fielder's choice. Enjoying an especially great game was Miles Durham, who went 1-1 with a double, three walks, two runs, two RBI. Apparently bowling with me is a good way to start a hot streak. I'm accepting bids, future Pirates stars! Jordy Mercer also went 3-5 with a double.

In the 7th inning, the few proud faithful remaining in the BCB, myself included, saw a ghost.

It started when the Senators sent in a new pitcher to start the 7th. I looked at him and chuckled; the fellow was tall and gangly, skinny, all knees and elbows, as they say. I watched him warm up; long motion, slings the ball, throws very hard and all over the place.

I grabbed my program, looked him up. I couldn't believe my eyes: Mike MacDougal is still alive!

Believe it or not, Mike MacDougal was an All-Star, once. He pitched for the Royals, and picked up a few saves, and there was this rule that at least one player from every team had to be on the All-Star team, and... yeah. That's pretty much how it played out. But you and I can never take that away from Mike MacDougal: he didn't merely pitch in the Show. Mike MacDougal was a major league All-Star. The little 'All-Star' banner is strung across his page on baseball-reference.com, and will remain there until the Earth crashes into the Sun, long after he and I and you are all dead.

And so, after Altoona kicked him around for a little bit and--Royals fans will not be at all surprised at this next part--took a few walks, after Miles Durham came up with the bases loaded and decided, hey, I'm going for the grand slam here, swung and whiffed on two fastballs, then shrugged and took four straight balls to ring up another RBI, and Mike MacDougal walked off the field, head down, shoulders slumped, resigned to his fate, I couldn't help but feel a little sad.

It's easy to point out Mike MacDougal, in the major leagues, wasn't very good. That's true. But for 15 minutes there he was a star, dammit, and now that 15 minutes is long over, even the memory of it slowly smoldering to ashes in all minds but his own. And there's something sad about seeing a man's 15 minutes end, walking off a mound in front of 400 fans out in Nowhere, Pennsylvania.

I'll probably never meet Mike MacDougal, but I'll say this to him, and for him: You were a heck of a pitcher, Mike, a lot better than any of us that want to criticize your failings now, and I was even rooting for you a little at the end there.