The article discusses the Dodgers' record-breaking $70 million per year contract with baseball player Shohei Ohtani, sparking reflections on the afterlife interests of legendary players and the nature of passion and enjoyment beyond earthly life.
Abstract
The Los Angeles Dodgers have made history by signing Shohei Ohtani for an unprecedented $70 million annually over a ten-year period, a fact that prompts the author to ponder the evolution of baseball and its significance to both current fans and the spirits of past legends. The author, though not a sports enthusiast, recalls childhood memories of Dodgers games with her grandfather and reflects on her family's varying degrees of baseball fandom. The staggering sum of Ohtani's contract leads to musings about whether iconic players like Babe Ruth would still care about the sport posthumously, given the spiritual belief that souls move on from material concerns. The article raises questions about the continuity of personal interests and passions, such as appreciation for nature and animals, in the afterlife, and wonders if legendary baseball players might still enjoy the game from a celestial perspective.
Opinions
The author is not typically interested in sports, except for the Green Bay Packers, but has a sentimental connection to the Dodgers from childhood memories.
The author's father was not interested in sports, which influenced the family's lack of sports culture at home.
The author's sister is a passionate Dodgers fan, to the extent that she is unavailable for calls during game time.
The author is amazed by the size of Ohtani's contract and contemplates its historical significance in the context of baseball's evolution.
The author believes in the afterlife and questions whether deceased baseball legends would still take interest in the sport, considering their past dedication to it.
The author speculates that while in the afterlife, one might not be concerned with monetary issues but could still hold onto passions like enjoying nature and animals.
The author is curious about whether the souls of past baseball players might still watch and enjoy the game, possibly with angel wings in the stands.
Despite the curiosity, the author is in no rush to find out the answers to these questions and is content to celebrate Ohtani's achievements while alive.
The author concludes by pondering what one could do with $70 million a year, then decides to put aside such thoughts and go to bed.
70 Million a Year to Play Baseball?
The Dodgers signing of Ohtani for a record-breaking contract sends my mind whirling off in other directions.
Not really being much of a sports person, unless you’re talking about my Packers (Go Green Bay!), a text with my sister took a turn towards sports tonight.
She’s an avid Dodgers fan. Which, if I had to pick a baseball team as ‘mine’, it would be Dodgers too. (Sorry, my Texas Rangers!) Growing up in southern California, I remember following my Grandpa Jones around, with his little transistor radio in his pocket and Vin Scully announcing the Dodger games.
My dad was never a sports person. So, we didn’t grow up with sports in the house. My brother played Little League for a year or two. (I remember Dad going to games and sitting in the bleachers reading a book. Yeah — my dad was NOT a sports minded person LOL)
My ex-husband liked baseball. Yes, the Dodgers only. So, my boys grew up with him watching Dodger games on TV. My oldest son was in t-ball for one year but didn’t really like it. My younger son was the one that played in Little League for years. All the way up until High School. Much to his dad’s distress, he was a Yankees fan for many years. Although now his favorite team is the Dodgers.
And my sister, somehow over the past five or six years, has turned into an avid Dodger fan. And even though her Dodgers weren’t in the World Series playoffs this year, we had to monitor our phone calls, because she was not available for phone calls during game time.
Tonight, she and I were texting, and she added a snippet to her text:
BTW, Dodgers made history today by signing an amazing player for the most money that’s ever been contracted. A 10-year contract, 70 million a year. The player’s name is Ohtani. The Rangers better enjoy their win because the Dodgers mean business!!
I had to question her.
I thought she had a typo in there.
She must have meant SEVEN million a year.
Nope.
She was right.
70-Million dollars a year! For ten years.
Wow! I was flabbergasted.
But then, my mind started spinning off in other directions.
I’ll bet Babe Ruth and a few others are rolling over in their graves, thinking — Darn! Why couldn’t I be playing baseball NOW?
We stopped texting. I returned to washing the dishes. But my mind kept going on this odd ball roll.
Would Babe Ruth even still care about baseball?
Now, first off, I am a firm, firm believer in the afterlife. I feel very strongly that our souls live on after this earthly body ceases to function. I have no doubts at all.
But…would Babe Ruth, or Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron, Ty Cobb, or Willie Mays still be interested in baseball? After all, that was a huge portion of their lives. Would they still peek in on the game and see what was happening with it?
No, they’re probably not concerned with baseball anymore. I’m sure it’s not important to them anymore.
After all, money doesn’t exist in their realm.
Would they even have any concept of how huge a 70-million-dollar contract was?
No, they’re most likely not interested in the money part of what’s happening with baseball in today’s current world.
But … yet…I like flowers and plants and pretty blooms. Does that mean that once I’m an energetic soul and not a living human, that I can’t enjoy those things anymore?
I’d like to think that I’d still be able to enjoy nature and the beauty of nature.
I love animals. Cats, dogs, llamas, turtles…. I’ve even had snakes and a chameleon. But once I die, will I not be able to like animals anymore? I believe that our connections with other people will continue on after this earthly life. So why not with animals too?
I’d like to think that some of my passions will continue on even once I’m not in this physical body anymore.
So why couldn’t these old-time baseball players still like baseball? Why couldn’t they be in the stands with their angel wings on, watching the game still?
I’m an inquiring mind. I want to know.
Although, as much as I’d like to know the answers to these wandering questions my brain posed through the evening as I stood at the sink finishing washing the dishes, I’m not in a hurry to find out.
I can wait to get the answers to my curious questions, thank you very much, at least another twenty or twenty-five years if I have my druthers.
And with that, I think I’ll try to quiet the musings racing about. Instead, I’ll celebrate Shohei Ohtani’s spectacular, record-breaking contract and be happy for him.
What could a person do with 70-million dollars a year……
No, no! Reign it in. Stop those meandering thoughts. Go to bed, Trisha!
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