Analysis of

            In the essay Attitude by Garrison Keillor the author discusses one's attitude when playing baseball. He discusses the actions and emotions of a person while playing the game. Keillor is distraught by the attitude of some of his fellow teammates. He discusses how one woman, when the game depended on her throw, threw the ball to the pitcher who was not even looking and running in the other direction. The woman then smiled and shrugged and said "Oh, silly me." This according to the author is the worst thing a person in her position can do. He would much rather have a teammate make a mistake and act mad about it, allowing the teammates the ability to forgive him, rather then the person forgive himself. He says, "they are supposed to throw up their hands and kick the dirt and hang their heads, as if this boner, even if it is their sixteenth of the afternoon-this is the one that really and truly breaks their hearts." He feels that when a player forgives him or herself, they ruin it for the rest of the team. Keillor says "Each player is responsible for his or her own attitude, and to a considerable degree you can, create a good attitude by doing certain little things on the field." He believes that by allowing ones" teammates to forgive them, instead of forgiving ones self, then that player can make the game better for everyone. I agree with Keillor's opinion as it applies to the subject of sports, or any other team event. It is true that it makes it much easier for the team as a whole to get the chance to forgive the person who makes the mistake, if he or she is angered by his or her own mistakes. If a person makes a mistake and the whole game is riding on it, and the person shrugs it off it will cause teammates to become angered and blame that person. Yet if the person is to get mad and act as though the mistake is the end of the world, then it gives the team the opportunity to feel bad, pity the person, and then forgive them for their mistake.