13/09/2026
"The last out ended everything and nothing. The game was over but there was still one more thing before you could go home. Both teams walked to the center of the infield and lined up facing each other.
You went down the line and shook every hand. The kids who had made great plays, the pitcher who'd been tough all afternoon, the kid who'd gotten you out in the fourth -- you shook all of them. You said good game and meant it as best you could, and they said it back.
You were nine or ten years old and you were being shown something that nobody named out loud. You competed as hard as you could for the full nine innings, and then you walked across the field and shook hands. That was the rule, and the rule was the lesson. 🌅"
