“What’s good for the goose, is good for the gander,” is a phrase used by some people from my generation and generations that preceded mine as well. My interpretation, most playing fields should be the same. Things should be constant for everyone, unless extremely extraordinary circumstances arise. Mostly though, there shouldn’t be gray areas.

Early civilizations (Mesopotamia, Egypt, Rome, Greece, China, India), established themselves by setting up villages near water, so they could grow food for survival. As larger groups of people settled with those who arrived there first, the need for structure became imperative, so those civilizations set up codes of laws, some of them also with consequences that accompanied those laws. The laws were etched in stone (literally in Mesopotamia), and consequences for violations of the rules were spelled out also. People couldn’t say, they didn’t know this or that. People couldn’t negotiate for easier punishments, or eradication of the punishment. If you did the crime, you did the time, so to speak.

Fast forward to the 21st century. It seems like almost everything is negotiable in today’s world. In school and sports, negotiations seem infinite. “I didn’t do it.” “What’s the big deal?” “My kid isn’t going to serve that detention!” “Why isn’t my kid on the team?” “That doesn’t pertain to me (or my kid).” So, let the bargaining begin, and get ready for some threatening too!

In the real-life saga of “Rich Man, Poor Man,” we see some people receiving punishments of house arrest with ankle bracelets for bribing college officials, or coaches, to allow their children entrance into prestigious universities, or spots on a sport’s team, where “Joe Average” probably wouldn’t have received such a light sentence for the same crime. We’ve seen all the lobbying for the small percent of people who have most of the money, to be given tax breaks to which the larger group of “Joe Averages” aren’t entitled.

Then there are the perks, retirement benefits, medical coverage advantages, which fall in the laps of our state and federal officials. Last time I looked, those folks were Americans, just like the average people who are worried if their retirement and Social Security will run out, and/or if their health insurance costs will force them into bankruptcy.

Going back to the code of laws of those early civilizations, again, the laws were written for everyone. That’s the way I thought it was supposed to be, but today, don’t we often see different consequences for the same crimes committed?

So, unfortunately, there are a lot of gray areas when it comes to advantages for some, but not others. We seem to be living in a time where what’s good for the goose, is non-existent for the gander. In the hustle and bustle of everyday routines, that seems to get frustrating. We often wear out the question, “Why.” “Why, when we follow the rules, exceed the expectations, satisfy the requirements, do we still see someone get special breaks because of politics, or who knows who, etc.?” “Why do we have to pay more taxes than others when we make less than they do?” “Why don’t our children get the same perks as other children like free memberships to certain facilities, youth camps, or college tuition?” There are probably a hundred more “why” questions that can justifiably be asked here and there in our lives. Probably the biggest one is, “Why are we made to pay for perks that others receive, when our own family is ineligible to receive the same things?” Again, black and white for some, gray for others.

When I get frustrated about things like this, I try to find something to take my mind off of them, and almost inevitably, it brings me to one of my happy places, baseball (softball too). I don’t have to tell anyone of my love affair with America’s Pastime. I love watching it live, or on television. I love all levels of the game from Youth, Intermediate, Interscholastic Leagues, College, Minor League, to Major League Baseball. I love Baseball Movies. I love anything that resembles a baseball. I live the words of character Roy Hobbs in the movie, The Natural, “God, I love baseball.” So, it goes without saying that baseball’s one of my top three places to go when I get frustrated with the Black/White/Gray questions that often baffle me. (Family and Writing are the others.)

It’s ironic I turn to baseball sometimes when my questions of inconsistencies arise. I recently read an article by Columnist Mark Shields that spoke of the need for baseball in our world today. Maybe lawmakers, administrators, CEOs, anyone who creates policy, should try to emulate the consistency of baseball.

One statement in the article was a quote by Baseball Innovator, Bill Veeck, who once said, “Baseball is almost the only orderly thing in a very unorderly world. If you get three strikes, even the best lawyer in the world can’t get you off.” Baseball is consistent. You get three strikes. You get three outs. You play until there’s a winner. The dimensions of the field are the same as they’ve been for two centuries. No one gets a break when running the bases. No matter who you are, the distance from home to first is the same. American Pulitzer Prize winner, “Red” Smith once wrote, “The ninety feet between home plate and first base may be the closest man has ever come to perfection.” And it is a perfect distance. Shorten it, the runner has an advantage. Lengthen it, the defense has the advantage. How many times do we see what’s referred to a “bang-bang” play at first? How many times are those calls reviewed by Instant Replay because they were so close? (Side comment, most calls are proven correct by the umpires, too.) But the distance is the same for both teams and all players. It doesn’t matter if you’re Mike Trout, Baseball’s $400 million man, or Eric Stamets, making league minimum salary. Every player gets get three strikes, each team gets three outs per at bat, and everyone runs 90 feet between of the bases.

Baseball also doesn’t sugar coat fault, or blame, or make mistakes sound like they were someone else’s fault. If the ball goes through a player’s legs, it’s reported that “So and so made an error that allowed two runs to score.” That may bring booing from fans, but it’s short-lived, and that’s part of life. Sometimes life tells us to deal with things that may hurt our feelings to make us stronger. There’s no jail sentence for making that error. It’s a mistake. Humans make mistakes, some of them they do have to pay for, but hopefully they learn from any mistakes made, and practice so they don’t happen again, or as often. Contrary, how much finger pointing, and assignment of blame happens in small community groups, all the way up to the White House and Capitol Hill?

Terrance Mann, character in the movie, Field of Dreams, gave a soliloquy in that film, which has become one of the most popular quotes in promoting baseball. He said, “The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it’s a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again.” Moviequotedb.com/movies/field-of-dreams/views.html

There’s no gray area in baseball. Baseball is constant. It’s fair or foul. You’re safe or out. It’s a ball or a strike. There are equal numbers of players per team. The rules and conditions are the same for both sides. Both teams play in the same weather at any given time.

In baseball, as should be in the real world, what’s good for the goose should be what’s good for the gander. N’est-ce pas?