2000, fell apart when he was picked to start a playoff game. with a huge national tv audience watching, he suddenly couldn't throw a strike. he never pitched the same again. but instead of quitting, ankiel went back down to the minors, learned a new position, and returned to the majors as a hitter. the column is reprinted in krauthammer's book, "things that matter." it's in the "personal" section just a few pages after the piece about his brother, marcel. i was thinking about this column. this is not really about you. but then your last line, "the catastrophe that awaits everyone from a single false move, wrong turn, fatal encounter, every life has such a moment. what distinguishes us is whether and how we ever come back." >> that's why the rick ankiel story resonated so much with me. i mean, i had my fatal encounter, as did rick ankiel.