Recently my brother had a big day in his life, when he proposed to his now fiancée.

The night he was popping the question, I found myself nervous in anticipation. You spend time planning an event and thinking about it to the point that you hope everything goes well.

He claims he was not nervous, but maybe it's just me being the older, "wiser" brother, but I got to thinking of the many events that cause people to be nervous.

For those of us who spend, what seems like much of our waking hour working or thinking of work, it was natural for real life, and work life to mesh together. So I got to thinking on not only what has made me nervous in anticipation throughout my life but also for those I cover.

With the Dixie Boys World Series rapidly approaching, it is only natural to feel that many of those young baseball players will be nervous about the biggest games in their young lives.

Looking back on things I was nervous about, I think everything turned out well. Did it turn out the way I hoped? Probably not, but in the long run, it all worked out. So for those athletes getting ready to play in the big game, or for those parents with kids complaining that they can't sleep the night before there is hope.

Sure many of my most nervous and anticipated moments are not sports related, but some were. And looking back on the games and the other moments that made me flustered with anticipation, I realize it's one of the things I miss about sports.

That's probably why most of us still follow our favorite teams with such fervor. Why is it so memorable when a bunch of guys we don't know win a championship? Because we get to spend days, weeks, months, or if you're a New York Mets fan, years trying to think of ways it could happen.

Many fans may say, "Will Matt Ryan deliver the pass on target?" "Can Tim Hudson go seven innings?" "Will Hershel Walker come out of retirement to give the Bulldogs a chance?" And we fantasize about these different scenarios.

Much like I thought my brother would be thinking, "Will she say yes?" "Will it go smoothly?" "Will I spill food on my pants?" It's the anticipation that causes the most nervousness and therefore makes the event spectacular. That last question I thought my brother would be concerned about, by the way, was the one I was most concerned about for him. When I asked if he was afraid of spilling soup on his lap, he said, "No, I ordered the rock shrimp salad."

Everything turned out well for my brother, and my future sister-in-law so the worrying was for not, but again the anticipation is what makes the future become so bright.

So for all those 13 and 14 year olds getting ready for the world series, go ahead feel free to worry you won't get a hit or you won't make your pitch. You may or you may not, but in the end you will win if you're the better team or you will lose if you play against a future All-Star.

I remember being nervous before my eighth grade basketball tryout, worrying if I would make all my shots and be as good as my peers.

I wasn't. But the next year, I had the same worries and fears and still a little grumpy because I didn't get enough sleep that night, and low-and-behold I made the team that year.

Of course I was also a little nervous the night of my wedding. Not about if she would go through with it, although there was a scare, but that's a story for another time. I was nervous about how our life would turn out and if I would guide us in the right direction since I was making decisions for two people.

Well that turned out well also, and again I was nervous for a moment that would prove to be a winning one.

So even if the young Dixie Boys players don't end up holding the trophy, while the nervous moments are uncomfortable, they are well worth it.