One Perspective on Improvement

Evan Drellich recently pointed out via Twitter that improvement is a matter of perspective.  Here's an excerpt from The Gamble, which is due to be available online in October.  In this excerpt one of the characters shares her perspective on the Dukes' improvement as a baseball team.

A “Hot” Start

There aren’t many benefits that a baseball team receives for losing 100 games two seasons in a row.  One of the few positives is that the bar is set low and it is very easy to make the case that the club is improving in season three.  After losing a total of 207 games over the previous two years, the Dukes’ 23 and 32 record through May was a definite improvement.

My oldest sister would laugh at me when I would talk about the Dukes being improved.  “After how bad they’ve been the last few years, how could they NOT be improved?” she would ask me.  “It’s like my boyfriend forgetting Valentine’s Day and my birthday AND not noticing my new hairstyle, then not understanding why I’m not overcome with joy when he remembers to come pick me up on time for a date. ‘Hey, Babe, I’m improving, why aren’t you excited?’”