Jack of All Trades, Master of None

On September 30, 2017, as the regular season was winding down, the Detroit Tigers were playing the Minnesota Twins in Minneapolis. The Twins were preparing for their surprising playoff appearance in the Wild Card game, and the Tigers were preparing to put a bow on a subpar season that saw them hit 98 losses.

In reality, there was nothing spectacular about this game. Just an end of the season matchup between division rivals. However, something special was brewing — that’s one of the great things about baseball: on any given night, you may see something that few people in history have ever seen. And on that night in Minneapolis, fans saw something that had only happened four other times in the history of baseball.

Andrew Romine, a utility player for the Tigers, started the game in left field. As the game progressed, Romine then moved to center, then right, and then he began playing the infield positions. By the end of the night, Romine had played every defensive position, including pitcher, in what ended up being a 3–2 Tigers’ victory.

Romine has had a pretty unspectacular career, and is currently a free agent, but for one night, he etched his name into the history books.

Over the course of his career, he has been a jack of all trades, but a master of none.

When I decided to start blogging again, one of the questions I had to ask myself was what kinds of things I was going to write about. To be honest, I still haven’t narrowed down my focus, and the more I think about it, the less I want to do so.

I think having a focus helps for some people, but for others… maybe not so much. Certainly, if there is a single topic that really interests you, then go for it. Write a focused blog solely on that topic. Explore the ins and outs, the nooks and crannies, go deep.

While there are topics I will hit on frequently, I want to give myself some freedom to explore. So, some possible topics that you’ll read about on these pages:

• Faith. Faith is an important part of my life. In fact, I will go so far as to say it is the most important thing in my life. I know not everybody is interested in faith. I know that some people are openly hostile to it. However, for me, my faith has been formative, and I hope to be able to talk about it in ways that will be beneficial to others. Know this: though my faith is important to me, I don’t believe that my faith has to be important to you. I will be more than happy to engage in discussion about faith. I believe I am just as right in my faith, as you believe you are in yours. We may look at things differently, but my faith compels me to live it out in such a way that I respect other people and their point of view, even if I disagree with them on a fundamental level.
• Baseball. In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve used a handful of baseball references already, and will continue to do so. I love baseball. I love the game. But to me, it’s not just a game. Baseball can teach a number of important lessons that can improve our lives if we just stop and think about it.
• BBQ. I love BBQ. And when I say BBQ, I don’t mean grilling hot dogs on the weekend. I mean getting out my Weber Smokey Mountain, putting in a chimney full of charcoal and cooking some cut of meat for hours at a time. I’ll share some recipes, tips, and pictures. With winter beginning to set in here in the Midwest, I’ll probably also be sharing some other types of cooking endeavors as well. For example, I’ve decided to do some experiments with roasted nuts that I’m fairly excited about. Plus, anything that you can do in a smoker, you can do in the oven as well — just without the smoke.
• Politics…ish. To be honest, I had no interest in politics until just a couple years ago. Now, I listen to some political talk radio (POTUS radio on SiriusXM, which is mostly independent), and have tried to stay more informed politically. Consequently, there may be some topics from time to time that I will address. However, know this: I personally do not lean right or left. I have never voted a straight ticket, and I don’t think I ever will. I have close friends who lean left, and close friends who lean right. I try to think through all sides of an issue before commenting on it, and I hope that you will find me even-handed when it comes to my political posts.
• Life. I know this is a broad category. But you never know what lessons life is going to throw your way. Sometimes, they don’t fit into any particular category.

My hope is that as we travel this road together, there will be posts that resonate with you and where you are in life. Maybe there will be some that help you along the way. Maybe there will be some that don’t interest you at all. Either way, I’m okay. Consider this blog an all you can eat buffet. Sometimes, you just want to fill a plate with meat. Sometimes, you skip it and go straight to the chocolate pudding (why does every buffet have chocolate pudding on it?).

Regardless of what you are craving, grab a plate, find something you like, and chow down!