Closure.

For the fans and for himself, I'm wondering what Rip City would think of a Lou Gehrig-style moment for Brandon. No, he isn't going to die. Yes, I know it's probably too soon. But I think it would be remarkable for Roy and the city. Gehrig was adored by many and even in his mid 30s, still had more to give back to baseball. Think about how insane and special the Rose Garden would be if Brandon came out before game one and delivered a speech similar to Gehrig's.

"Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth. I have been in ballparks [arenas] for seventeen years [five years] and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans.”

I know you can't manufacture moments like that. Impromptu, emotional speeches need to come from the heart. But man I wish Brandon could muster the courage to do something along these lines. It would absolutely floor his teammates and inspire a level of competitiveness in them for the season that you just can't match. And the fans. Wow. Can you even imagine 20,000 people fighting back tears as he stood on the pinwheel and offered up his own Lou Gehrig speech? I can't.