"Winning isn't everything!"

That was his mantra, although he preferred winning, it was the best way to cheer up his team after a big lost. This loss was going to hit different because it was the third in the row, finishing the series with their longtime rivals, the Cubs. Not only was the team extremely disappointed, so were the fans. He needed better words to come to him, but they were failing him.

After their night out at the Tika listening party, he felt like some of the guys' head was not in the game. Because he left early, he felt well rested for the game and pitched some of his best heat when he came in as the relief pitcher, or the closer, as they called it. It still was not enough.

"Guys!" Anthony, who played a rough game at the first base position, pulled the guys in the locker room's attention as they seemed to not be in the mood for a peptalk. "You know we all did our best, and things didn't swing our way. Rico is still our man. He did his part. I'm sure that's why he will win Rookie of the Year."

He did not think he would win that title. There were other rookies on the team. As far as his position, he seemed to be the one the Coach leaned on to be the closer. The loss would have been a lot worse if he did not step in to stop the other team that was on a roll.

He considered his team members his family. They all got along well and often times after games hung around each other longer than needed. Living the life as a professional athlete was not all it cracked out to be. At least not for him. Last night was the once piece of fun he had in a long time.

"We got them next time. Focus guys. No more late nights out before a game." His eyes peered at his friend, who slapped his back with a chuckle.

"Yeah, it almost was an all nighter for me."

Some of the guys laughed at that.

"What do you mean? You guys had fun after I left?"

"I shot my shot with the Diva...of course, she's too much diva for me."

"What do you mean?"

His friend was quite the lady charmer. When they were in the minors together down in Springfield, he had his pick of the ladies. Springfield being a college town with lots of nice, young, hot girls, he took advantage of that. They were roommates and there were many nights that he slept in the hallway or lobby sofa because he was spending all night with a girl, or two. Anthony never had a serious girlfriend, he was too busy "wilding and profiling" as he called it. His friend was wild and free, having no preference for any type of girls he would get with.

He knew, with his looks and charms, he could catch someone like Tika.

"I made my move, but the lady turned me down. No matter. Plenty of other ladies to choose from. And I did last night with a hot one."

He could not believe Anthony did not pull Tika. Then again, it was a relief to him. There was no way he could stand Anthony using Tika for just sex then moving on to the next. He would be no better than all her exes.

If he had a chance with Tika, he would treat her like the queen she was.

"Anyway, focus, back on the game. Can you do that for me? That's why we lost." He knew that was wrong to say because that was not the reason, but he was in his feelings a bit.

"Rico, I love your enthusiasm," Coach Richter came to stand in front of him. "I think you may be my starter sometime soon."

That was nice to hear. All his hard work about to pay off.

"We have some of the best fans out there, of any sport, and they come to see us play good, give them the best experience of their life, and better believe, we will deliver. I need you to think about that, kid."

There was nothing more he could say to his coach. He agreed, playing in St. Louis was like a dream come true to him.

The players agreed and seemed ready to shake off the lost. When your season was a hundred sixty two games, one loss meant nothing, but three losses in a row at home, hit different. All that mattered now was that they play good all season. It was now only April. Half the league started with losses, that meant nothing, it was how they ended the season.

As pitcher, he always did his part, limiting hits as best he could. That's why he had to be one-on-one with his catcher. If they were out of sync, the team would be out of sync. Today they were out of sync. The other team scored two hits off the starting pitcher in the first inning and it was downhill from that. By the seventh inning before he was put in to pitch, they were down one to four. The best he could do was prevent any more runs, and he did his part. That was darn good for a young rookie like himself. He was proud of that, but his team only scored one more run, and that was not enough to win the game, with an end score of 2-4.

"Bro, we're going to shake this off tonight with a good time," Anthony said after they showered, changed and gathered their gear to leave the stadium.

"What's on for tonight?" He was not in the mood to hang out, but brood over the lost. He could have a go-get them attitude for the team, but inside he sulked.

"Party at my place," Anthony said to cheers from some of the guys. "You know, lots of drinks and girls tonight."

He inwardly cringed. He was no fuddy duddy, but drinking and girls did not appeal to him right now. He needed to stay focused on the game so that Coach would start him. Coming in so late last season, he did not get to play many games. They had not made the playoffs last year, which for them meant everything. They were one of the most winningest teams in their division. Losing was not something they were known for. The Cardinals was always his number one pick because he admired what they had built.

"I don't think I am in a partying mood. I need to relax and focus tonight," he said to his friend. "And so do you and the rest of the team."

Anthony ran a hand through his blonde, low-cut hair, sparkled his blue eyes at him, smirked at him the way he did the girls he had falling all over him.

"Midnight Madness party at my place. Be there or be square."

He would rather be square.

Their next game was an evening game, so that meant they had more time to rest and he would take advantage of it. Home sweet home. Or at least the place he called home while the season was going. His penthouse condo was his pride and joy and he purchased it just three months ago when he signed his new contract. He had never seen so much money in his life, coming from the small town he lived. If it was not for his skill with baseball, affording him college and then making it to the Minors, he would not be here. 

Several of the players had places in his building, including Anthony. So that meant the party would be close to him, that still did not mean he would attend it.

"Listen my guy," Anthony said to him as they walked off to their cars. "If you change your mind about the party, come on down to my place. I'll have a couple of girlies I'm sure want to meet you."

Not his type of thing but he did not want to be rude to his closest friend. They played together two years in college before they both went to play in the minor league. They both were able to continue college classes while they played in the minors, so they graduated together as well. Anthony was called up to play to the Majors early last year, so he was more comfortable with the other players. When they were looking for pitchers to bring up, Anthony was the one to get the Coaches looking at him. He was forever thankful for that.

"Have fun Anthony, but not too much. We need a win tomorrow. And maybe coach will start me."

"But you work better as the closer."

That's why he needed to keep his mind on the game, not anything else. All he could think of was relaxing in his place, taking another shower and lounging in front of his large-screen television. That was his favorite pastime, watching old tv series.  All by himself, and he liked it that way.

Once at his place, he looked around as if it was the first time seeing everything. Sometimes he had to pinch himself that this was his life. He grew up in a small town and never imagined he would live in a big city with a two level condo in downtown with less than nothing. The place was large, much too large for just one person, but he could afford it.

Three bedroom, one downstairs and two upstairs. He made the secondary one upstairs his fitness room. There was also three bathroom, a large open space kitchen, dining room and living room. It was all professionally decorated and furnished when he bought it. The building was all condos and the upkeep of it, versus buying a house, worked better for him since he was rarely home. 

His condo was his domain.

He showered, washed his hair, then misted himself with a body spray to help with muscle soreness. He followed that with cream that helped more. He did a few stretches and rotated his shoulder cuff a couple of times, still wrapped in his towel. Now he felt better after the hard day.

He sat on his sofa, grabbed his remote control on the table, then clicked it on. This was perfection for him.