Babe Ruth was the everyday Joe. He was overweight, loved drinking, smoking, gambling and women. In between, he managed to put together a phenomenal pitching and hitting career and leave behind legendary folk stories. His release by the Red Sox to the New York Yankees in 1920 has been followed by unmatched Yankee success and an 84-year drought for the Red Sox. A drought referred to by many as "the curse of the bambino", a curse that was finally put away in 2004.

Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez was a hero in his native Cuba. His pitching led his home team of Havana to the Cuban championships in 1992 and 1996. He was also the leader of the 1992 Gold Winning Cuban National Team, surpassing the heavily favored team from the US. In 1996 Orlando's brother, Livan, an excellent pitcher on his own merit, defected from Cuba to the US. Orlando was detained and interrogated by Cuban authorities. It didn't stop him. In 1997 he boarded a boat, fled to Miami and was immediately signed by the New York Yankees. At the age of 33 he embarked on a fantastic baseball career. He won four World Series rings, three with the Yankees and one with the Chicago White Sox, including a phenomenal relief appearance in the American League Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox, an appearance that turned the series around.

Jimmy Morris was another high-school baseball coach in Texas until he lost a challenge to his team. A mediocre achiever, he was offered a pact. The team would make the county play-offs and he would try out for a Major League Baseball team. The team made the play-offs and Morris kept his promise and attended summer try-outs for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He made his Major League debut a year later, in September 1999, against the Texas Rangers. He was 35 years and eight months old. His story, considered by many to be one of the most inspirational in professional sports history, was then translated to the silver screen by Disney in the 2002 film The Rookie, starring Dennis Quaid.

I'm no Kevin Costner or Dennis Quaid. My point of view is neither American nor nostalgic. I just love baseball for the sport. It is the only sport I know that is really open to everyone. Simply everyone. You can be in your 20s or your 40s, slim or chubby, short or tall. You don't have to be gifted with super-human physical traits or athleticism. You can be the average Joe and still become a baseball legend. It's first and foremost a question of your character and of your determination. To me, that's the secret sauce. The sticking glue of legends and reality.

We love professional sports for many different reasons. We thrive on the competition, enjoy the spectacle, adore the skills. We need to belong with a community of supporters and we need to have 'enemies' in the form of rival groups. Most importantly, though, we need the fantasy. We need to personally relate, to get inspired.

I identified with the Liverpool side of 2005 for their underdog, over-achieving ethics. I loved the Detroit Pistons of 2004 for their unselfish team spirit. I adored Michael Jordan and I watch Ronaldinho in awe. But in my fantasies I am on the roster of the 1986 NY Mets. A bunch of regular guys having fun and winning the most important trophy of all.