Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Lose, Sometimes It Rains.

“It’s a beautiful day for a ballgame. Let’s play two.”

Chicago Cubs Hall of Famer Ernie Banks was known for this catch phrase, expressing his wish to play a doubleheader every day out of his pure love for the game of baseball, especially in his self-described "friendly confines of Wrigley Field."

Two simple words “Play Ball” evoke the very essence of baseball. The smell of hot dogs and mustard and freshly cut grass. The sound of ash connecting with leather. And the leisurely, sexy pace of America’s game on a sunny, Saturday afternoon.

Calling baseball our national pastime, and as American as Mom and apple pie, to my way of thinking, is not enough. Certainly, baseball has found its way into our hearts, but more interestingly perhaps, its words have become a part of our national idiomatic lexicon.

You all know what I mean when I say “we didn’t make it past first base” or “I went shopping for shoes but I struck out.”

It’s worth mentioning that baseball movies have re-purposed the sport’s language to America’s vocabulary. In business we might say “If we build it, they will come” to underscore the potential success of a project. At home, when my nieces and nephews squabble over pointless things, they are told “there is no crying in baseball.”

But“play ball” has its own idiomatic meaning. It describes a situation where a person chooses to go along with someone else’s idea, perhaps despite their own misgivings.

My favorite baseball movie quote addresses just this situation.

In Bull Durham, Kevin Costner’s character, Crash Davis, wants Susan Sarandon’s character, Annie Savoy, to “play ball” with him. At a pivotal moment of their courtship, Annie asks Crash, what do you believe in?

And he says:

Well, I believe in the soul, the small of a woman's back, the hanging curve ball, high fiber, good scotch, that the novels of Susan Sontag are self-indulgent, overrated crap. I believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. I believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter. I believe in the sweet spot, opening your presents Christmas morning rather than Christmas Eve and I believe in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days."

Do you think Annie played ball? Absolutely. Wouldn’t you?