Take Me Out to the Ball Park!

Baseball...I know there are some who agree with the statement that, "baseball is 15 minutes of action packed into 3 hours." I also know that watching baseball on TV, especially for someone who hasn't/doesn't play the game is about as exciting as watching the grass grow. But there's something in the game that I can't find in any other sport. I could understand completely the things that James Earl Jones was saying in Field of Dreams. Baseball has that place in my heart. There's just something about the game that speaks to a better way of approaching life than the clock-watching that we focus on so much in other sports (and far too much in the rest of our lives).

Today was the first practice for my son's baseball team. I've been coaching his teams for the last four years and it's always a great day to get out there for that first practice of spring. There's still a nip in the air, the field is green and the sound of balls smacking cleanly into the gloves and the crack of the bats (and an occasional warm moment in the sun) speaks to the coming of summer. I can't think of too many things that feel better than a ball smacking into my glove and this is one of the things that I know I miss during the winter months here in the north.

I also see baseball as a right of passage, as a way of connecting with our youth. As I watch my son play, it seems I can touch the years of my life spent on the diamond at his age. It's a connection with my past that is more tangible than most other memories. I can see many of the same emotions in the faces of the other men that work in the league with me, it seems that we are all closer together for having those common memories and for carrying on the game with the next generation. I'm sure those involved with football and basketball feel much the same, but I don't believe what those games give us compares with what we get from baseball.

Unfortunately, the professional game has lost its way since I was a boy and I don't spend too much time with it (I do love seeing a bush league game on occassion), but being on the field with a bunch of ten-year-olds that are just starting to get a grip on thier motor skills is an incredible way to spend a Saturday afternoon. I can't tell you how much it means to see a kid that's been struggling when they finally begin to understand catching or hitting. They beam at you as they realize that they really can play this game. I'm not sure how many more years I'll be coaching, but I wouldn't trade this time with the kids for anything. We'll be back out on the field tomorrow, games start in a few weeks and we have a lot to get ready for...