Baseball as Life

R. Playing 3rd Base After His At-Bat

Baseball has never been my favorite sport. I generally prefer a faster pace to a game. But some people love baseball (it didn't become the national pastime by accident) and see it as a metaphor for life.

If you read my last post on Little League and some of my recent posts, you know I've been spending a fair amount if time lately thinking about kids, life, and fatherhood.

Tonight as I pulled up to the field to watch R.'s game, I think I maybe I understand why baseball can be like life. And why it has brought fathers and sons across America bond for generations.

As I got out of the car, my heart sank as I saw R. walking back to the dugout with his bat slung across his shoulder while his teammates hustled and bustled to get out into the field to play defense.

It was immediately clear what had happened. R. had struck out to end the inning. I braced myself for a repeat of last game.

But that's why baseball and life are so great. As in life, we are not bound to failure in baseball. Every day is a new day. Every game is a new game. Every at bat is a new at bat. We can change, get better, and improve. We can hope that the next time we will see positive change. Even if that change is incremental.

R. was smiling when I saw him in the dugout. He excitedly told me that he hadn't been as afraid of the ball. And then he hustled off to go play third base on defense.

Then I walked over to where the parents were sitting. Several of them were kind enough to come up to me--all on their own--and tell me what a great at bat R. had had. He had fouled the ball off a couple of times and had gone down swinging. It may not have been much--but it was progress!

Later one of the coaches spontaneously told me what a great job R. had done.

As I sat to watch the rest of the game, I noticed that tonight's game felt so much different than the last game. Gone were the dark, dank mists and fog. It was clear and palpably warmer. Everything felt...better.

So I will appreciate the sense of newfound optimism that I feel tonight. And I'm looking forward to R.'s next at bat. He's hitting next inning and I'm excited to see him continue to improve. In baseball and in life. :-)