What's IT all about?

baseball.........it is many different things to many different people.

i think it is a very poular game in the youth ages because it doesn't take much effort. that appeals to most youngster's today. don't get me wrong, to excell at the game you need to work at it. but not to participte in it.

we have many parents here who's son's achieved a very high level of baseball. for me it was a game i've alway's loved, when there was no more baseball i played softball. not really the same, but the competition was. so i was a very proud dad when my first born was a boy, even more so with the 2nd boy. i was going to be able to play pass whenever i wanted.

i am amazed today when i hear of the 9 yr old playing 60 games, or the dad's starting travel teams so their son can be on one. it is/can be overwhelming to me. son's played about 20 games, would have played more if we could. but 20 was ok.

baseball can be the vehicle to higher education. baseball is a teacher of many life lesson's, most of which you don't realize till much later. it's a chance to be the reason people watch the game. those bleachers filled with people you know.


baseball can be a thinking man's game, or you can do ok just muddling through it. either way it is fun. i think that was the intention, fun. not much fun losing.


i never looked past tomorrow, not a great plan but it was managable. i for one had a blast with my boy's and the game. we've been to some great places, met some great people. i have many great memories of the journey this game has taken me on, that to me is priceless.


all this from a game, doesn't that make you think?

Fungo,

To me, It starts when your son swings a foam bat at a foam baseball when he has only begun figuring out how to balance himself; It continues with the first hit and the thrill of the ride home from the park that day; It goes on through Little League, with memories of triple headers on the Fourth of July and him falling asleep in the back seat on the way home; It is the time spent on the field when no one else is there, just you and your child, practicing the same things, over and over;

It is the experience of actively sharing a wonderful dream with your son that starts with them as young children and extends into adulthood. It's seeing the lessons baseball teaches help define them as individuals.

People who don't get it, to me, are focused too much on the outcome (MLB, awards, etc.) and create so much pressure on their son - and themselves - that they fail to enjoy the fantastic journey available to them.

So here's a confession. When I was in the hospitel, in labor with 2B, I was watching Mike Stanton blow a 5-run lead for the Braves.

I've been a baseball fan since my dad took me and my sister to see Hank Aaron play at Atlanta Fulton County Stadium. He said something like "this guy is something special." Ya think?

In middle school, when my friends were looking at those silly teen magazines, I was reading that series of books about the Blue Sox. Anyone remember those? "Fast Man on a Pivot" was my favorite. It was about a second baseman who was solid with a quick release and good footwork, and out-played the one who was flashy. How about that. Other titles were "Showboat Southpaw," "Long Ball to Left Field" there were a bunch of them.

2B's first word was "ball."

So for me, baseball is life.

I definitely agree that parents who don't get it are too focused on the outcome. I think also that they worry about how the outcome makes them look. As if their son's performance, good, bad, or indifferent, reflects on them, and if a coach doesn't find their son to be absolutely superior in every way, it is a personal insult.

They don't enjoy it because they are so completely stressed out about their son's performance and how it might reflect on them. And it is a shame, because there is so much about the game to enjoy. It is beautiful.

Obviously, (to me anyway) I wouldn't be as much involved with baseball if it were not for my son's participation. What I mean by that is I am sure I wouldn't go as far to be a member on a baseball site where I post something several times a week. That said, I have always loved baseball and would still be a huge fan of this great sport even if it were not for my son's personal involvement. I love football and basketball as well. My sons equally love all three of these sports. I am sure if I was a hockey fan, my sons would have loved that sport as well.

What is "IT" all about?

Belief. Proving people wrong. Pride. Humility and yes, sometimes humiliation. Unbelievable joy. Devastating lows. The highest of highs and the lowest of lows. A belief shared between a father and son. A vision. Patience. A stiff upper lip. How difficult the game is sometimes the harder you try. How easy it appears when you are on a hot streak or things are otherwise going your way. How the game connects all of us back to another time and place in another century dating back to the Civil War.

I think this can be a great topic and will have more to say on this.

Baseball is life!!!

quote:

What's IT all about?

The hokey pokey.

quote:

Originally posted by infidel_08:
Baseball is life!!!

I am a huge Peanuts fan...and obviously, a huge baseball fan.

That is the single greatest comic strip I have ever seen.

That is what IT is all about!!!!

Seriously, when I talk about parents who don't get it I'm looking at preteen baseball where fun and socialization has been hijacked in the name of long term (high school/college) development. The kids can't relax and enjoy the game. Their parents (usually dad) is wired and yelling from the sidelines. The coach is concerned about his won-lost record over teaching. The kids are in expensive uniforms. They look like mini major leaguers.

Parents who don't get it are like the one in this conversation. The 11U kid was a dominant pitcher. I curiously asked a mother where her son would likely go to high school. The reason I asked is dad was a star at a local high school but the kid was in Catholic school. It was a public or private question. It had nothing to do with sports. She responded he would attend the private school that provided the best sports scholarship. The kid peaked at 12U. He's not playing baseball anymore.

The parents who don't get it is the travel coach who had his pitchers throw at my son's legs in 10U so if he couldn't keep him off base he could at least slow him down. The same coach had a pitcher throw at the head of the cleanup hitter to intimidate him. The kid left the game with a concussion. He never recovered as a hitter. On one hand the kid needed to suck it up. But an adult took the joy of baseball away from a ten year old.

Preteens should be mastering basic skills, socializing and having fun. Preteens should not be traveling hundreds of miles to play on a regular basis.

The early teen years should be about transitioning to the 60/90 field and working towards becoming a high school baseball player.

For most kids who get to high school ball that's the end of the trail. Work hard to be the best you can be. For those with more talent it's also about developing into a college prospect.

The game should be fun at any level. When it's not fun it's time to do something else. This doesn't mean every minute is fun. Working out can be boring and draining. Losing $ucks. But in the big picture, have fun. Unfortunately some parents see a 9U stud, think they have a college prospect and turn baseball into a job for a little kid $ucking out the fun.

Baseball means a lot to me. As a kid I'd sit in on Saturday afternoons to watch "This week in baseball" before the Red Sox game. We'd play pick up games in the backyard and I'd keep stats in a notebook. I played little league and tried out three times to make my middle school team but never made it (chubby weak kid, had the knowledge but not the physical body to stand out at it..lol)

Now it is watching my son develop every year as a player. He was always one of the good ones but never the super star. But he is gaining on those that were and if he keeps working and developing as a player maybe someday he'll be looked at by some as a star.

Go SOX!!!!!!!!!!!

quote:

"This week in baseball"

Used to love that show!
How about that!

Right now, IT is about counting down until the season starts. Baseball is what we do. First practice is Monday!

quote:

"This week in baseball"

Robins, leaves on the trees, Mel Allen's voice .... signs of spring.

I love the Charlie Brown comic strip.Where can I find that.I want to frame it.That says it all from the "little boys mind".

quote:

I love the Charlie Brown comic strip.

Me, too. I was able to right-click and save it.

Baseball was AMERICA's PASTIME in my youth. We lived for the Saturday "Game of the Week" with Dizzy Dean and Joe Garagiola. We put on our all Wool baseball uniforms early Saturday morning for our afternoon game and played "catch" most of the day getting ready. In school, most every teacher had World Series games on the radio for us to listen to during class as games were actually played during the day then.

Having been fortunate enough to grow up in Southwest Florida where the Pirates trained in my youth, I often "skipped school" to head down to Terry Park and beg Park Pigott to let me be batboy for that days Spring Training Game. Was in the dugout, "bugeyed" up close to Mantle, Maris, Berra and for years regularly saw Harvey Haddux, Clemente, and Mazzerowski produce their magic.

I lost the game for awhile during my Service time and afterwards got caught up in Football and all the other sports when my girls where growing up. Had the son last and he decided on baseball which has served him well and delighted both his mom and I... But any sport would have been ok by us because they all teach you the virtues of fitness, dedication, setting goals, teamwork, failure and success.

The hours my son and I have shared together on the field, in the Cage, watching Spring Training games during what became our annual family vacation for some ten years, is by far the biggest benefit of the Sport for me. I owe alot to the game!

The hardest thing in the world to do is hit a 90 mph fastball. Robert Adair, a Yale Physicist who studied baseball for many years said, "it's a superhuman feat that is clearly impossible."

Fungo, I don't know what "IT" is for others. For me, it is a part of my soul, a building block for my being, a part of my family. "IT" started in my life when I was 8 and wanting to play but my Dad had to have me work doing chores on the farm. My Grandpa showed up and they had their first and only fight. My Grandpa wanted me to have a chance to play. Then, forward to those years in little league where the roots of my being were being developed and "IT" was there every step of the way. Simply put, "IT" was what I did. Then, high school where "IT" taught me the discipline to control myself if I wanted "IT" in my life. Thanks to a very good man, I was allowed to play "IT." In doing so, I'd see a man looking older than his age walking up to lean against a tree in the distance who was dirty and stunk from his job who just wanted to watch his boy play an inning or two to help him make it through jobs no one would do. In playing HS ball, the Coach would go over to my Dad and talk to him and make him feel good about his son. Then, "IT" helped me get to college as the first and only person in my family to ever get to attend. "IT" then enabled me to get my first job. That Old Man would call from a muffler shop where he was working at the age of 70 to find out how my teams were doing and so he could brag about "his boy." "IT" is why I own everything I do now and have such a great family. My dd now plays and we shares these moments. "IT" has given me so many special relationships with young men I've coached and their families. As the saying goes, "You spend the first part of your life gripping a baseball when all the time, it was gripping you." That's what "IT" means to me.

Charlie brown comic strip was great, loved it! I am only 16 so I wouldn't know about a parents prospective. All kids loved toys like legos, toy fire trucks ect. not me I wanted a mit as soon as I could walk. It was never something my parents pressured on me although my Father LOVES the game. As soon as I could walk my parents started to notice me standing in front of the T.V watching a baseball game with my Dad and I would mimic the pitchers wind up (Trying to atleast with the little coordination I had as a little guy.) this wasn't happening every once in a while it was happening every pitch! My birthday after that what did I get? My first baseball glove. Baseball is just the greatest thing to ever happen to me. If I didn't have baseball I don't think I would know who I am. I'd be like a lost dog. Ever since I could walk I had a mit, I was so young I couldn't even pronounce the word glove properly yet and believe it or not my Dad would have to tuck my mitt in with me every night when I went to bed or else I couldn't sleep. My parents tell me every night before going to sleep as a child I would say "Mum/Dada wheres my glob?" (meaning glove). Now all grown up I would never ever take back what happend in the past because I wouldn't be what I am today. I love the game so much I can't go a day with out hitting a baseball. It's something that I want to grow old playing, and never lose integrity, and passion for the game. "IT" to me is all about your love for the game, and progress. It's the greatest feeling comming out of a season hitting BA .400 then following season you hit .450 ect. it goes for any statistics or positive things you produce for your team. Success on the ball field is the most addicting thing I have ever expierienced.

re: charlie brown cartoon


I already have it printed and on my fridge.


Finding joy in things like baseball is really what "it" is about. Doesn't matter if you loved the sport your whole life or while your child played; the joy of "it" is the it.


I will have great joy when IT is Feb. 19th!

I never played as a kid. But if I had, I hope it would have been like this.

You play ball like a GIRL!

To me, baseball ("it") is a microcosm of American culture.

Its a lifestyle...a culture...it has history, it has heroes, it has villains. It has farm boys and city boys. It has homelanders and immigrants chasing a dream.

Its played in the heartland. Its played in the cities. Its played in the backyards of anyone willing.

It has a rule book that is the size of a pamphlet, but takes a lifetime to understand. It has a rule for everything, even when you're sure "it" hasn't happened before.

It has dimensions that are perfectly perfect for a human's physical abilities. It, at times, allows and demonstrates human perfection. Most of the time, it has human imperfection...all over.

It has failure and success...and more failure. It has something new every day. It has something new for each man, woman or child to learn from it every day.

It has characters and "it" takes character to play it and master "it."

It is America.

Great stuff from everyone!

CoachB25 - I loved it! JimmyP - Perhaps you could meet my son some day as you have a lot in common with him.

justbb - very interesting take. Last night on the MLB network, they re-ran the Ken Burns documentary "Baseball." They interviewed Ken afterwards and he made the exact same arguments. America indeed.

IT is the joy you feel on opening day (any level),
the anticipation of what the season will bring.

IT is the aroma of the freshly cut grass and damp dirt.

IT is peanuts, crackerjacks, seeds.
IT is hot cocoa and blankets at the start of the season and ice cold beer and shorts at the end.

IT is the crack of the bat and the pop in the mit.

IT is the warmth of the sun and the comfort of a shade tree.

IT is a conversation starter, with almost anyone.

IT is a friendship maker and a heart breaker.

IT is the countless hours spent together, for the love of the game, the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, shared.

IT is see the ball, catch the ball, see the ball, hit the ball -- IT's complicated.

IT is my game, your game, our game.

IT is baseball and I can't wait for IT to start!

I dont know if I can answer what It is, but I do know that baseball can grip one's live more than any other sport. When my son was two, he still wasnt talking due to tons of ear infections made it hard to hear and pick up words. So three weeks after his second birthday, we were trick-or-treating with him and he spoke his first word. A guy answered his door wearing a Yankee cap and my son's first word was unfortunately "Yankees" as he pointed at the guys cap. Now a little over 13 years later he is getting ready to try out for his high school team as a freshman. We have had a lot of good times those years and I hope it continues for as long as he wants to play.

I'm 55 now but baseball was being 15 years old, standing in centerfield smelling the freshcut grass not knowing where or when it was going to end. Every year it was new life in the spring with fresh hopes and goals. Now "the players all stay the same age but the man in the bleachers gets older every year." Don't know who to attribute that last quote to

The humility, the mental challenge and the positive approach you take either every time you come to the plate, take the field or take the mound, will help you to understand how to positively approach anything that you attempt to do with your life as you move into adulthood.

I think that is what "it" is all about.

.

It depends on what the definition of it is.

.

quote:

Originally posted by infidel_08:
Baseball is life!!!

Great Comic!

Speaking as a fan, because I never played an organized inning of baseball, I think baseball's attraction is also it's deterrent to some. The pace of the game.

Watching a baseball game is a more social event than watching any other sport. Since the game is slow paced, played outside in nicer weather and has many down moments, spectators can "smell the hot dogs" while watching the game. You can chat with the guy or gal sitting next to you, check out the jets or birds flying above, enjoy a beautiful view of nearby mountains or ocean AND sit back, relax and enjoy watching the game. If your son happens to be playing, especially pitching, its not as relaxing but all the other elements are there.

I can think of no other place I would rather be on a Saturday afternoon than sitting in my chair eat sunflower seeds, talking with buddies watching our sons play a good baseball game or two. Throw in a couple "that was a terrible call blue" and the day was perfect. Then go have dinner, throw down a few and talk about the games for a couple of hours. Then you get to do again the next day. What a weekend!!

How about getting to a high school game after work, get the chair and the seeds out, and unwind while watching the kid play. Priceless.

Without the emotional tie and the comfortable chair these same seens can be played out at Citizens Bank Park and 30 other ballparks around the country. I can't tell you how content I was to sit back and watch my son chase BP home runs before Phillies games. I'd sit back in the seats and watch him and a hundred other kids run around like they were chasing $100 bills. Then sit with him for 3 hours and talk, or not talk, and enjoy the game.

Baseball is a game of memories, both on the field and behind the fence.

I don't know what IT is all about, but everything I ever learned about baseball I learned from Peanuts!

.

What its is all about...

quote:

Originally posted by play baseball:

...he's not offering his Art Shamsky card!

NOW THAT'S A LOT OF PEANUTS!

Playbaseball, brought back memories

50 years worth of the gang!

I know it was overkill, I couldn't bear to leave any one out? Which one?

Besides, it makes up for my lack of posting here.

As a young man growing up in in Southern California it was Dodger games with my dad...and Garvey, Lopes, Russell, & Cey. Vin Scully & Farmer John Hot Dogs! Saturday's were spent watching TWIB with Mel Allen, and then the game of the week. I remember the dis-like I had for the Big Red Machine & the Yankees and Reggie (But I Loved him with the Halos!). I remember moving to North San Diego and going to Padre games in the summer with The Boys & Girls Club sitting in the Winfield Pavillion in Left Field. The Padres were door mats in the West, but at least San Diego had the KGB(San Diego)Chicken! We didn't have ESPN, FOX SPORTS, MLB NETWORK, etc...We also didn't have the internet. Instead, I learned about the players by collecting baseball cards, and memorizing their stats! I traded cards with friends, and had many shoe boxes with thousands of cards collected as a kid! Probably should have kept a few in better shape, Who Knew!?

As an adult and a father, I still Love Baseball, and I'm still a Dodgers fan! I now spend my time in the stands, rooting for my son and his teammates. I've watched my son go 4-4 with four doubles, and I've seen him go 0-4 with four K's (luckily, I can tell him about the time I gave up back to back to back HR's in college! )...like many parents, I'm probably more nervous watching my son play...than he is playing! I feel his pain after a tough game, and I feel his excitement after a great one...but I've always tried to keep him level headed!

My son is now going through the recruiting process, and I find myself on here mostly lurking...but trying to learn as much as possible before he graduates high school in 2011 and prepares for college. I don't know if he'll play at a D1, D2, or one of the local JC's, but his mom and I will support him!

So, What's IT all about? Family, Tradition, The Love of the Game...I guess that says it for me!

GOOD NEWS...The Dodgers extended the contract of Matt Kemp today! Now we need more starting pitching!!!

What's "IT" to me .... I'm not really a baseball fan in the sense of watching a game. I have no favorite team, no favorite professional player. I loved the game as a kid and all the things associate with the game, the sound of a well hit ball, the smell of the grass, a well executed play but all of that became nothing but a memory for me for 35 years or so. Baseball to me was --- well, just a pastime, a hobby for others to enjoy. Then my "baseball playing son" came into the picture. I wanted him to experience the same things I did when I was a kid. I did what every father does, we "played" together. He took it much more seriously than I ever did. I really didn't like that. I used to write in his hat --- "It's just a game". Instead of being the leader and motivator I quickly became the follower. I never pushed my son --- I was pulled back into the game. I became a fan, not so much of "the game" nor my son specifically but a fan of the experiences he was having. I felt the highs he enjoyed and the lows he experienced. Overall "IT" was the greatest experience I have known. I was happy when my son was drafted and played pro ball but I was equally happy when he retired. Once again baseball has become a memory for me but the memory is different now. My memories are of a little boy with a ball, a teenager with a dream, and all those things that comes with "IT".
Fungo

Thank you Fungo, The time together with my sons that baseball has provided has been whats IT's been about for me. I have become a real fan though over time. Baseball was something that my sons drew me into, they led me to the game. What a ride it has been for us so far, spanning every emotion and adjective known. Our ride with our sons has not yet drawn to a close, but I am assured that when it does we will look back with happiness and fond memories of all the years spent at a baseball field.
The game has created a bond among us that is timeless.

.

I totally understand Fungo...well said!




.

Fungo - that is one heck of a question.

I had to think a bit to try to answer it from my perspective.

1) It is part of my family heritage. Something that was always there and something that most everything always revolved around and most every family member was interested in.

2) It is a medium in which my sons and I - and my Parents and I - and my Uncles and Aunts and Grandparents - used to communicate the more important lessons in life.

3) It is an opportunity to share the mental and physical ups and downs of my son's development into young men - just like my Dad did with me and his Dad did with him.

4) It is a challenge that can drive you crazy - but is so addicting to participate in - even now. Whether you are a fan or a player.

5) It is a memory bank - that brings back wonderful times - and some not so wonderful times.

As for the "other parents that just dont get it" question - I certainly have an opinion or two - but honestly - I remain far more interested in the game itself - and my sons and my friends sons journeys and experiences. Whether it ends after little league - or after a MLB career.

The game - for me - is about life. It is my way of understanding how to deal with my own successes and my own failures. Or about how I react when someone says I cant accomplish something. It is my way of judging whether someone has integrity - and honor - and true grit.

It is way more than a game to me - and always has been - and probably will be until the day they drop me into the ground.

Thanks for the - as always - thought provoking question.

Whats it about?
The scary thing is Fungo I don't know. And I worry sometimes that I never will. One minute ITs about my son making the LL All Star team. Then it was making the High School team. Then All Conference , ALL State. Then IT was about getting recruited. And then getting recruited by the right schools. Then getting offered by the right schools. Then IT became about earning some playing time. Then IT became becoming an impact player for his college team. Then IT became about him getting some draft interest. Then IT became a about getting drafted. And then IT became about him moving up the ladder. Then IT became what am I going to do now? Then IT dawned on me. No matter where this journey takes us. No matter how long this journey last. It will end up being about me loving my son and he loving me.

quote:

It will end up being about me loving my son and he loving me.

Coach .... Amen to that! Baseball, for us, has been a key common bond to facilitate that.

Just when I come up with what I think IT is, someone keeps coming along and stealing my very thoughts....thanks Coach May! LOL j/k

IT to me was watching my son pitch when he was 11yrs old and noticing that he was having a great time, doing fairly well, to realizing when it was all said and done that he had just pitched a perfect game. The 12yr old coach of the GOOD 12yr old team was there and came up after the game and told him that he'd like for him to come play with his team next year. My sons eyes just LIT up!

I won't ever forget that.