Ball game!
Fifteen years of watching my son play baseball came to an end last week. He had plenty of opportunity to continue playing after this year but came to me a few months ago and said, “Dad, the game just isn’t as much fun any more. It’s time I hang up the cleats and focus on my education.” I know that for his long term goals he’s correct. That didn’t stop me from wanting to watch just one more game.
He’ll do fine. Over the Christmas break he came home and told his mother and me that after this spring’s season he’d be going back to school for the education and not the baseball. He laid out his plans in an analytical fashion that included the completion of his undergraduate degree at the highly academic school he started at, and plans for an MBA after that. He showed how and what he was going to do for a job to help take up the slack that the scholarship monies he’d be giving up.
I commend the maturity level it took him to make these decisions. The boy is growing up. It seems as our kid’s age, the growth and maturity level is only visible in retrospect. This time the growth and maturity level took a giant leap forward right in front of my eyes. It was a very difficult decision for him to make and I could tell he was a little hesitant to announce this decision to my wife and me but it’s his life and his decision. We will support him in anything he does – and we let him know that.
We tried counting how many baseball games we’ve watched. No way to really know. We’ve been to at least a dozen states to watch the games over the years. Spent countless hours traveling from field to field. Countless dollars too! I have a shelf in my bookcase full of home run balls. He’s got a closet full of trophies. My wife has two pairs of baseball ear rings and just about every other piece of clothing with some sort of baseball motif. I’ve got more baseball caps than I’ll ever need. Ticket stubs and college programs, even a trading card from a collegiate summer league. I wouldn’t trade any of it for all the tea in China.
For all you with younger kids just starting high school or the younger ones too: You’ve heard it all before but enjoy it because they really do grow up fast. Don’t take every game so seriously – it’s a game, for crying out loud! If your son takes the winter off, don’t worry about it, he won’t fall too far behind. Play other sports too – they’re all good for his development, even soccer! Keep it fun. Accept your kid’s ability – I hate to break it to you but he’s probably not the next Yu Darvish. The beauty is that that doesn’t really matter. He’s your son. He’s playing baseball. And you get to watch and participate. That’s the most important part we tend to forget.
Baseball has been a blessing. You all know about the life lessons it teaches our sons about team play, time management, success, failure, etc. But it also teaches us other lessons that apply to their lives after baseball: play hard, streaks and slumps end, hustle all the time, foul and fair are sometimes pretty close calls, be prepared for where the next play will be, team and individual goal setting. The list goes on and on. Baseball really is life. Maybe that’s why it’s called the perfect game.
At our local rec league where my son started fifteen years ago they have a league for SuperKids. They’re mentally and/or physically challenged kids that want to participate in sports. I’m headed up there to be a volunteer. I have a lot of extra time now! I’m hoping it will further advance my perspective on life and this great game. Maybe I can help a few kids too. Baseball has given me more than I could have asked for. Now it’s time to give a little back.
Thanks for listening. See you at the park. I’m going to watch one more game.
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