I found myself constantly telling my daughter that softball was what she did and not who she was. That lesson has not entirely been embraced by her. I remember her starting to cry in the 4th inning when the #1 went down with an injury in her last game. Then, #2 threw 1 pitch and walked off the field. From there it only got worse. Since that time, she has entered the coaching field but it is hard for her to adjust to this new role. Don't get me wrong, she loves coaching. However, she is coaching in a high-pressure situation where she can't control the outcome of a game with her bat. I think she finally took the first steps the other day when she started to change the looks of her apartment and took down all of the motivational quotes she had on her walls as a player. Many of us on this site have been through this and it isn't easy. Still, there is always a place for asking the kid to play catch. For me, that is still a thrill.