Best Game I Never Saw

By Dan Betzer
Guest Writer

CBN.com -- It was May 15, 1981. My family was living in Sandusky, Ohio, about fifty miles west of Cleveland. A buddy called and said, "Let's go see to the Indians play baseball tonight." Well, I was, am, and always will be an Indians fan, but on this particular day, it was chilly and drizzly--and old Municipal Stadium was situated right on the shores of blustery Lake Erie. I knew that it would be uncomfortable there so I told my friend that I would rather pass. A mere 7,290 fans showed up that night to watch "The Tribe" play the Toronto Blue Jays.

Now, 7,000 fans in that 80,000-seat ancient ball yard was like a BB in a boxcar. Ah, but what they saw--and what I could have seen, had I gone--made baseball history. Pitching for the Indians was Len Barker. All he did was throw a perfect game, 21 batters up and 21 batters down! He struck out eleven of them.

The Indians' 3-0 win was great, but totally incidental to the wonder of Barker's hall-of-fame performance. So... what if I had said to my friend, "Sure, I'll go with you to the game tonight. I'll just dress warmly enough to be comfortable. Let's do it!" Why, I would have seen with my own eyes one of the most magnificent feats in baseball history. What a memory that would have been! But, I missed it -- because I did not want to be "put out" or "uncomfortable" that night.

It is quite possible, my good friend, that you could put yourself in line for a memory, a miracle, or a milestone by just exerting a little extra effort today. Push yourself a little--you might be glad that you did!