Psychological Satisfaction

First off, I'd like to say hi. My name is Thomas, and as you know, I'll be helping out with the blog during the coming week. Since it's Sunday, I'm not going to be writing specifically about the Rangers, though my article definitely pertains to them.


This is the time of year when we all wait with bated breath for the upcoming season. We make our predictions, we analyze a young prospects chances of making the roster, we debate who will be the key players who contribute to the team's success, and we hope, even if we know our club is likely headed for the graveyard, that perhaps they will come away with a ring. There are always teams who the sports writers and commentators rave about before the season begins, and it seems they are usually the clubs with the highest payroll. Think back to last year with the Tigers and the Mets, two teams that were congested with star power. Those two teams didn't even make the playoffs, but even if they did, would you, if you happened to be a fan of either team, be truly satisfied?

One of the reasons I love baseball is that though we, the fans, do not contribute on the field, we still feel a sense of accomplishment when our team is successful. As I said, we don't contribute on the field, but we do contribute by attending games, watching them on TV, listening on the radio, studying stats, comparing numbers, and using our immense knowledge of the game to conduct a conversation with our fellow baseball aficionados. When our team finds success, we are rewarded for our hard work just as the players are. But now that our team has made the playoffs, we must look at how they got there. There are two ways: either the front office spent millions of dollars on an all star lineup, or they, partly due to a lack of money, worked their fingers to the bone, going through prospect after prospect until a young nucleus of players is ready to take the field and win. Obviously, the latter is much more difficult, but in my mind, it is the only way to find true satisfaction. Here's an analogy for greater understanding: If a man collected coins, or even better, baseball cards, there would be two ways that he could complete his collection. Either he could get his credit card and in a matter of minutes, order every card he needed to complete his collection, or he could spend a long amount of time to complete his collection by doing hard bargain hunting, making trades, and attending card shows, and in the end, save a lot of money. Now these are the two ways to complete a collection, and they're very similar to how a championship baseball team is constructed. Which one do you think would give a greater sense of satisfaction and accomplishment?

As you've probably guessed by now, this can relate to the Rangers and their current situation. It's obvious which path they have chosen to find success. Yes, it has taken a while to get star players like Chris Davis, Derek Holland, Elvis Andrus, and Matt Harrison, and yes, it has required a lot of patience, it has even made fans go spiral into confusion and let out frustration through rants and tantrums. But the effort gives the players, and the fans, a greater sense of satisfaction when success finally comes riding in. In the end, it is up to the fan to decide which route is better, but based on effort and psychological satisfaction, it is clear which one will give us true joy, because it seems that effort is what brings the true sense of accomplishment, not dollars.

(I'll make sure to write about Rangers baseball during the week. By the way, feel free to take a look at own blog in which I write about, of all things, film)