GERMAN FINALLY TURNS THE PAGE TOWARD GROWTH & WHAT ROLE MODELS NEED TO BE

The Story of the day is of course, Domingo German's Perfect Game.

Look, you cannot ignore a great moment in sports.  Last night, German did something that only 3 other Yankees have done before him. Don Larsen, David Wells and David Cone now are part of the Perfect Game club with German. A monster achievement, and definitely catapults him into a more glamourous, elite club in baseball.  It is something special.  With this moment comes maturity, comes being what a role model should be.  I know what you're thinking, and you're right... there's a life lesson here when it comes to German.

I saw it with my own eyes and when it happened, I had weird emotions about it.  Clearly the Yankees won. Clearly the A's were terrible.  But it felt weird to me because it was Domingo German. It wasn't jealousy. It wasn't hate. It was about integrity and character and maturity for me.  For me, my emotions weren't as large as I wanted them to be.  But when I see this man and the journey he took to get here, I was happy for him. Not as an athlete, but as a person. Does that make sense? 

Look, in sports we root for our teams... we root for our guys.  There's nothing better in sports. But something was off with this guy throughout his journey to get here. Yup, I look like I'm raining on this guy's parade. I should shut up, right? Maybe.  Last night when it happened my buddy texted me when it happened. My bud is a Phillies fan. He had no business watching German dominate, but that's the sweetness of sports. He found it, watched it, texted me because I'm the Yankee fan.  I was already falling asleep, so I went to bed with happiness for the Yankees, but fell right to sleep. This morning I wrote the first feeling I had about it.

Sporadic. That's how I've always seen German.  I always feel like this guy is trying to find his way.  The struggles, the accusation of beating his wife, the punishment, the getting caught cheating with substance on his hands... the nights of him getting shelled, the #0 which to him is a way of being provocative, but to me is subliminal for loser.  That's Sporadic to me. I almost feel like most people in sports haven't had a ride that turbulent.   Last night however, I saw a changed man, a long journey and a man that figured it out.

The 24th Perfect Game in MLB History

It Belongs to Domingo German pic.twitter.com/bPQtb9gbmf

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) June 29, 2023

As the day goes on today, I will watch the highlights a lot, because over all I will be happy for the Yankees. And yes, to me it symbolizes that sporadic Domingo German turning the page of chaos and uncertainty. Today he looks more mature... more of a role model. Sure, maybe I'm over analyzing it. But that's why you come to BYB right?  

Domingo German deserves congratulations.  He's now in an elite group and because of that more will be expected of him.  He will need to be good the next time out. He will need to now show his own maturity... his own swagger and step up and lead by example.  Maybe that's what will be the difference for me being a true fan of German. Can he carry himself with poise?  Can he grow from this? Can he become a better pitcher and a better person?

I was watching and thinking about it this way. Second chances and redeeming ones self are important in everyone.  We judge people that make mistakes, but what if the person that was making the mistake was you own son or daughter. Would you judge, or would you root for them?

Hypothetical. What if German was my son and he beat his wife and was suspended from the MLB for a while? What would I do? I'd probably rip him behind closed doors, but I'd give him another chance.

What if my son was German and he was caught with substance on his hand and kicked out of a game because of it? Well, I'd rip him behind closed doors and then I'd give him another chance.  And so, as I write this here, I think ultimately, last night's Perfect Game for German was about second chances, wasn't it? It was about him finding his way, not only as a professional athlete, but in life too.

I am not a perfect person, no doubt about that. No one is.  But looking at it that way allows me to enjoy this Perfect Game more for German even more.  And when I think about it that way, he deserves all the praise in the world.  German is even closer to the top of his game, more mature (we hope) and able to stand tall through all the crap and say "Hey, I did this."  For me as a Yankee fan and father... those emotions blend at this moment, and I see that this is a good thing. A good thing for the Yankees, and definitely German.

I leave you with this. I saw this on Twitter and thought it made sense, especially in this situation.

In the case of German, in the case in how I emotionally processed this... it just makes sense. Learn from mistakes, move forward. 

Congrats to Domingo German.  Soak it in, you deserve this moment.