As a Valentine’s eve baby, is it possible that Andrew Robinson, a pitcher for the Harrisburg Senators AA affiliate of the Washington Nationals, was always destined for a romantic fairytale? Love is hard to find, especially when you factor in the grueling baseball schedule that Robinson has during a season with the Harrisburg Senators. Playing over 100 games in five months plus a pre-season doesn’t leave much time for love. Ball games that go late into the night make it hard to keep up with your loved ones during the season. There are those few months during the off-season, but for minor leaguers, it’s time for their off-season job. Minor league ball doesn’t pay that much, so often times players teach private lessons, play overseas, or have some other source of income.
For the past five years, Robinson’s off-season job has been selling insurance back in his home state of Georgia in the same county every year. But two years ago, to his disappointment, he got sent to a new county. Once he had arrived at one of his new schools, his fairy godmother in this love story, the librarian, pressed Robinson to find out if he was single. She then encouraged him to ask out their P.E teacher, pulling down a news article displayed on the wall about her. Shortly afterwards, he enrolled Cassie the P.E. teacher in insurance, as he awkwardly tried to figure out how he would go from acting as her insurance agent to asking her out. It had spread all over school that Robinson played baseball, making him a seemingly perfect match for Cassie, who loves baseball. The pressure was on. That morning, Cassie came up to Robinson with her lunch plans, an invite, and her phone number. They dated for six months, and just as it started to get serious, it was time for baseball season to start. Their first baseball season together…or rather, apart. Robinson left Cassie behind in Georgia, but she was able to visit him three times during that summer. He knew if their relationship could make it through that first year, she would be the girl he wanted to marry.
If you take a look at Robinson’s stats you might be able to draw the correlation between his performance and when Cassie came into his life. It is no secret that when you are happy in your personal life, it has a positive impact on your professional life. Through his story we see the discipline, hard work, and dedication it takes to follow your dreams. It’s something to think about the next time you are at a baseball game. Gain a new perspective on the hard work and sacrifice the players put into their love of the game.
