OT: Dan Haren

[godwulf]

Friday night, Dan Haren was in one of those zones. You could see him in the dugout between innings, talking with Max Scherzer, and then he'd just stop talking, and his eyes would glaze over, and you could tell that he was mentally into the next half-inning.

Haren ended up tossing a complete game shutout of the Marlins. It was one of the most dominating performances I've ever witnessed...and I was fortunate to watch the Big Unit pitch here for several years. The ball was magic, and the Marlins' swings ranged from merely ineffectual to downright goofy.

After the game, Haren walked over and handed the game ball to a small, physically disabled boy in the stands. It was only the second complete game shutout of his career, and I'm sure he would have liked to have held onto the ball as a memento of the game...maybe he just figured the kid needed that ball more than he did.

I saw Dan Haren at a signing this morning, walking around like any other mortal, smiling and joking and apparently happy to be spending some time with his fans.

Sometimes our sports heroes let us down, make us feel cynical, or like we're wasting our time watching them, collecting their gear, following their careers...but every once in a while, they make us feel blessed. On a team 18 games out of first in the division, Dan Haren is a winner - and, in a way, he makes me feel like one, too.

[whatupyos]

I agree. He spoke to a small class of us students that were taking a baseball class in college. I'm also met him at a charity event and he's a super great guy. I've seen him at resturants and he's just as normal a guy as you and me. I've always been a fun because he's just one of the guys, a regular Joe if you will.

Aaron