Spinning around in the outfield grass after tumbling catches is how I play baseball in my dreams
If you came up to me and asked me, "What's your greatest regret in life?" I might pinpoint the moment I decided to toss the Little League sign-up sheet in the trash when I was 8 or 9 years old.
Instead of opting for Pee-Wee League baseball, I preferred to lounge on the couch and watch movies, or whatever I was doing in the '90s. Looking back, it's a massive regret, because who knows -- maybe I'd have been good. Maybe I'd have been really good. A Major League star, even.
That would've been very unlikely, just as it is for most people who play this exceedingly tough game. But you'll never know if you don't try, and I didn't try. On the other hand, it IS all so easy for Mariners infielder Dee Gordon, who basically plays the game the way I do in my dreams, and probably how you do in yours.
This stylish display came from Gordon in the fourth inning of Thursday's win over the Rangers in Arlington, bailing out Felix Hernandez with this sprawling, diving, tumbling and rolling effort to end the inning with a flair only Gordon could muster.
Even a more routine play later in the game had the Dee Gordon Flair all over it:
Style comes naturally to Gordon, whose swag on the diamond is unrivaled. I mean, look at this:
Style. For Days.
Dee Gordon is how I'd like to imagine I'd play the game, had my life turned out differently -- but let's be real. That kind of style, that kind of enthusiasm, that's one of a kind.
You can't teach it, and you can't conjure it out of thin air.
But you can dream of having it, so thanks, Dee, for having so much fun out there and channeling my dream self in the meantime.
Adrian Garro joined MLB.com in 2016. Throughout his travels, both Bartolo Colon and Vin Scully have placed their hands on his shoulders. Not at the same time, though. That'd be amazing.
