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It doesn't matter what baseball league or what level you play at, when you're competing for a triple crown, that's pretty good stuff.
Mike Galloway is doing just that, playing centre field for the Florence (Ky.) Freedom, tearing up the independent Frontier League.
Few of us attended Frontier League games when the London Werewolves were here for three years, before leaving after the 2001 season.
There were times when the baseball was very good, but just as many times when the baseball was awful.
In the long run, the act of attempting to strike a round ball with a similarly shaped piece of wood remains one of the hardest things in sports. Someone who does it with great proficiency deserves recognition.
The triple crown is a prized and elusive accomplishment. To win it, a player must finish first in batting average, home runs and runs batted in.
The 24-year-old St. Thomas native currently leads the Frontier League in batting (.391), home runs (21) and RBIs (61). He also leads in hits (89) and slugging percentage (.724).
"It's been a good start," Galloway said. "I had a great first couple of weeks when I was swinging it well. It's been a snowball affect. I had a couple of hits in the first game . . . and it hasn't slowed down."
The Frontier League operates independently of major league teams. The goal of most players is to earn a contract to play minor league ball for a major league organization.
Last year, Galloway was playing A-ball in Charleston, W. Va, in the Toronto Blue Jays system. As is the story with most players who play in the low minors, there's always the risk of being released. That's what happened to Galloway.
"I was in Florida a week before spring training . . . when (the Blue Jays) called and told me that they were a couple of players heavy in the outfield. They wished me luck. We parted ways on good terms."
Welcome to the world of pro ball.
The timing didn't make it easy for Galloway to catch on anywhere else. A trip to California was scuttled by work visa problems. It was a fluke phone call while he was home in St. Thomas that got him to Florence.
"One of my buddies I went to Central Michigan with, Scott Pickens, called," Galloway said. "I hadn't talked to him in two or three years. He wasn't calling me to get me to play or anything. He just ran into a friend of mine and the friend gave him my number and he was calling to find out what I was doing."
When Pickens found out Galloway had no place to play, he arranged for him to go to Florence.
"It's a good team, the best in the league and that makes things easier for me," Galloway said. "I didn't play to my capabilities last season. But I worked a lot in the offseason on some things (the Blue Jays) gave me to work on. I was hoping they'd give me a chance to show them, but I never got that chance."
Players who aren't bonus babies or top draft choices have to show what they have in a hurry. But Galloway hopes the season he's having will give him another crack at playing for a major league organization.
"I'm looking to catch on in the minor leagues and work my way up. I don't see why it wouldn't happen. I've heard some positive things.
"I'm still young and even though you're playing independent baseball, it's still professional baseball. I have a lot of years left to put together some good years. You keep going.
"If it's a different city every year, you just adjust and keep going."
A triple crown wouldn't hurt either.