Spring is indeed a magical time of year. It is a time of rebirth, when the life slumbering through the cold of winter awakens, yawns and stretches upward with glorious and vibrant color and energy. It is a time of optimism and growth - of life and liveliness. And, of course, there is baseball.

Baseball is the game that defines and relects America and American culture. It celebrates the accomplishment of the individual, while allowing equal opportunity to all. It is a melting pot of diversity, which triggered the tearing down of racial barriers that had stood for 100 years, and today invites and accepts to its bosum the tired and poor from countries across the globe. And it symbolizes the ultimate goal of men and women of nearly every faith on the planet -- the simple desire to go home.

American slang is rife with idioms drawn from baseball. And as I step up to the proverbial plate to create another article, I must warn you that this particular piece of prose will be, (for many), out in left field. You see, I just finished a very interesting and thought provoking book called "Zero Limits", by Joe Vitale. This is a new offering by one of the many self-help gurus out there pitching. It could be described as modern mysticism, or by the many skeptics, a complete load of baloney.

But, there is a key underlying principle espoused in "Zero Limits" that I found both enlightening and profound. It is the simple difference between blame and responsiblity. The word responsibility has gotten scant little usage in modern American culture in recent years. But, even when raised, it is most often used to indicate blame. But, though the word can be used to indicate the cause for an outcome, that does not cover the entire meaning. Being responsible for something is not the same as being the cause for something. When a baby throws up, the PARENT is responsible for cleaning up the mess. The parent didn't make the mess, (unless they fed the baby two bottles, and then shook them like they were mixing a Yoo-Hoo). A homeowner is responsible for keeping their grass mown, but it doesn't mean they CAUSED the grass to grow.

Some responsibilities are thrust upon us. Most, we actually choose to assume. When you take a job, you become responsible for showing up and doing that job. When you take out a loan, you become responsible for paying that loan back. Teachers are responsible for teaching, and certainly they are not to blame for the lack of knowledge of the students, (at least not BEFORE they have had a chance to teach). So, what are the responsibilities of a baseball fan?

I believe that when a person chooses to become a fan of a team, they assume certain responsibilities. This is probably a novel concept for most. I suspect most people just think of rooting for sports teams as a simple choice and a form of entertainment. Well, yes, sports is a form of entertainment. But, do you "root" for MGM or Paramount? They provide movies and other forms of entertainment. But, they aren't treated the same way. You may root for the hero of a movie, (or villain, if that floats your boat), and may be excited to see a sequel. But, for sports teams, most fans purchase some form of identification, which THEY wear to let everyone that sees them know that they are in some way a PART of that team.

Whether it is Spike Lee wearing a Knicks cap, or Billy Crystal wearing a Yankee logo, there is not only a desire to watch games and be entertained, but a desire to somehow bond with the team at a much deeper level than one would do for say, a TV show or good book. Oh, we might get a tee shirt or poster of the occasional celebrity, but rarely do such daliances turn into life long love affairs. In point of fact, most fans sneer at their peers who jump from team to team or only seem to support a club during the good years. The term "fair weather fan" is a term of derision.

A relationship between fan and club is a lot like a marriage. When you've chosen your team, you are supposed to stick together "for better or worse". Fans, I believe, have a responsiblity to "support" the team in good times and bad. However, "support" is not synonymous with agree. You may not agree with your spouse on every detail of your lives, but you work through the differences, accept some failings, agree to work on others. Of course, you can get divorced. Fans can divorce themselves from a team, also. Maybe your team packed up and moved from New York to California, (or from Seattle to Oklahoma City). Some fans may "go" with the team, some may separate and being looking for a new mate.

I believe the number one responsibility of a fan is to root FOR your team. In baseball, where the worst teams still win 1/3 of their games, you will ALWAYS have victories to enjoy. Of course, when you lose 101 games, it is easy to focus on only the negative. The Seahawks might go 0-16 one day, but the Mariners will never go 0-162. Baseball teams are perhaps the easiest of sports teams to support in a positive manner. Even the worst losing streaks rarely last for more than a couple of weeks. And on any given day, a random pitcher can have the game of his life. You don't have to have Nolan Ryan's stuff to throw a perfect game, just Don Larsen's.

But, what does this have to do with "Zero Limits?" To sum up the point of the book, it suggests that we, as humans, are responsible for EVERYTHING that passes into our experience. Once we have knowledge of something, if we respond to that thing with a negative emotion, then we become responsible for it. So, when you read the paper and see a climb in the unemployment rate and it causes you pain, strife, worry -- you become responsible for it. No, you didn't CAUSE it. But, it IS *your* emotion that is in play inside you. The remedy is simple, easy, costs nothing, and only requires your personal attention. You repeat a simple mantra to "clean" yourself of the negative experience. "I'm sorry." "Please forgive me." "Thank you." "I love you."

I'm sure for many the above will induce scorn, derision, raucous laughter, or any number of generally negative emotional responses that I cannot begin to imagine. I'm fully aware that expecting such action to induce positive results in the external world is going to seem like the height of stupidity to many. The author of the book and his mentor both acknowledge this sounds crazy. But, the incident that initiated the book was that a psychologist sent to a mental institution for the criminally insane arrived at a "hell hole", where the inmates, staff, (and the few visitors), were ALL pretty miserable, just about 24/7. In three years, they closed the place down, because they didn't need it any more. The cure was not intense therapy - but is tracked back to this one man doing what I described above.

Making the kind of mental leap to consider (much less accept) this concept is vast. But, if one wants to completely dismiss the intangible, and somewhat miraculous explanation for what happened, there is a much simpler and rational explanation for the cause and result linkage that requires no belief in mystic forces. It is simply this. The man, Dr. Hew Len, simply worked on keeping HIMSELF in a positive state of mind every day. He was described as eternally pleasant, energetic, generous ... basically, a supremely positive personality in an environment that reeked of fear, anger, disgust and every other negative emotion you could imagine.

This mantra allowed the Dr. to not only remain positive, but over time, he INFECTED the staff, patients and visitors with that feeling. If THIS sounds silly, then I would ask if you've ever walked into a room and felt the emotional state of the place. Ever? And were you caught up in that emotion, or did you just remain in the state you had previously. Whether positive or negative, emotional states ARE contagious. When a team gets on a winning streak, the emotional state FEEDS the streak. The same is true with a losing streak.

The sad truth about sports fans is that it is EASIEST to root for the team and support them AFTER they are already succeeding. This can help keep a winning streak going. But, you can't win 'em all. And when things turn south, it gets harder to get "up" for the game. This is just as true for the players as the fans. The time when the players NEED fan support the most is when they are playing the worst. And no, it is not an easy thing to do. Applauding the hitter walking to the plate when he's in an oh-for-20 slump is contrary to instinct. And here's one to consider - the fans can "catch" players slumps.

In 2007, expectations were low, and the team started out playing .500 ball. Then they got hot for just a bit, and the fans got excited, the team got excited, and a wonderful pennant race into September resulted. In 2008, expectations were high, the team started out playing .500 ball, and the fans quickly became surly. The season came crashing down in April.

It is my belief, (and supported by the fact that EVERY team sport in creation demonstrates a home team advantage), that fans DO contribute to the wins and losses of their teams. No, rooting really hard will not turn Cairo into Pujols. The primary cause for wins and losses certainly rests directly with the players on the field. But, fans DO contribute -- and not just monetarily -- but EMOTIONALLY.

When you go to work, and your boss yells at you when you mess up, it makes you feel bad. It may motivate you to try a little harder, pay a little more attention tomorrow. But, if you are getting negative feedback on a constant basis, it will NOT motivate you to do anything other than leave. Negative reinforcement can have limited beneficial impact -- but only if delivered in sparing doses. In EVERY case, long-term negative reinforcement leads to long-term detrimental effects. Meanwhile, long term positive reinforcement typically leads to long-term positive results.

How can we, the fans, help the team? Simply put, remain as positive as you possibly can. This does not require one to become delusional. A positive outlook does not negate a sense of realism. You can accept what *IS*, while remaining hopeful for improvement tomorrow. I think, near the end, some fans, (perhaps many), WANTED Sexson to fail, believing that his continued failure would lead to his dismissal and the team would improve without him. But, there is a major difference between "expecting" failure, and "wanting" failure. The optimistic fan can say, "Well, I have my doubts about this team, but I am going to root for them to prove me wrong."

Things do not always go as we wish. And it is EASY for a negative attitude to spread like a plague. It actually takes work and mindfulness to retain a positive outlook in bad times. I believe that is the most basic reason the above mantra has value far beyond its simple message. If the above mantra seems silly or trite to you, then pick something more personal as your touchstone of inner light when darkness looms. If you feel anger, frustration, or angst of any kind, pull out that picture of your significant other, or pet, or the Ken Griffey Junior rookie card. I don't think it is so important about WHAT you latch onto to regain a positive frame of mind, just so long as you make that attempt.

There are 50 states and only 30 major league teams. Having a major league team, EVEN A BAD ONE, is a thing to be thankful for. In dark times, I believe the one strength of the American psyche that is first and foremost in turning things around is GRATITUDE. Even in the worst times, we are still the most blessed people on the planet. We have riches beyond the imagining of four or five billion of the inhabitants of this world. My grandparents grew up without electricity or indoor plumbing, and they lived through the ACTUAL Great Depression, not some modern yellow journalist's distorted view of the present.

Being of a positive mind to support your ball club may seem like a trivial thing, when so many other things seem so much more important today. But sports fans are PASSIONATE about sports. There is an extra pull to go beyond the daily routine. This makes it a wonderful venue to begin working to grow spiritually. As we learn to set aside the negative emotions and support our teams in positive manners, when we start seeing the positive results, it will be that much easier to apply the same lessons to "more important" areas.

What can we do to help? Be positive. Good things WILL follow.