Jay Bruce was just a kid then, 23 and enjoying his first bloom or prosperity as a big leaguer. Jim Edmonds was at the end, 40, scratching out the final 32 at-bats of his career for the playoff-bound Reds. One at the end, one at the start.
One day, Edmonds called Bruce over and offered a simple lesson.
“One moment,” Edmonds said, “can change everything.”
It was the simplest way to explain the riddle of baseball and confidence, both for players and for teams. One moment — one hit, one pitch, one mistake, one extra base, one diving catch — can do that.