There’s more to Verdi’s “Luisa Miller” than one great tenor aria. But that aria can make the evening unforgettable.

As the New York crowd fell silent for Brett Gardner’s 14-year-old son, the moment echoed a truth deeper than baseball: without faith and family, even our greatest games fall short.

George got a gold-plated putter, Phyllis got a set of 59 Sinatra recordings, and Clive got a gold-plated chess set. Growing ...