A Dad's Perspective

A couple weeks ago I walked into Wal-Mart to pick up some things, as I was walking down the aisle a display caught my eye… baseball stuff. It was then I realized after 13 years my son would never play again. I guess from a “Dads” standpoint I was in denial, not only from watching him play a game I’ve grown to love but the quality time we shared together, as father and son.
His first word was “ball” and he would wake me in the morning with one of those huge yellow plastic bats wearing a diaper, a baseball cap and a smile. That started something special between a father and son that I will treasure my whole life, a bond solidified by the game of baseball.
I’ll be the first to admit, I was never really interested in the game as a youngster, although I played up to Babe Ruth. Football and Basketball was the path I had chosen for him, even before he was born. However I guess as a dad you see a passion and desire in your kid and you follow that instinct of allowing them choose what they wish to do and he had chosen BASEBALL!
He started his baseball journey playing Dixie Youth League baseball where we both learned the game together and met lifelong friends as well. His passion for the game was inspiring to me and his work ethic motivated me to study the game more so I could help him become a better player. Which he did, he won batting titles and championships then moved on to “tournament” ball and played in national championships tourneys as a 10, 11 and 12 year old.
However as a father I overlooked the fact he was top 5 in his class and had taught himself to play guitar, he had developed other interests. I had become consumed with holding on to the past and not moving forward as he was doing. I guess I realized during his junior year that playing baseball wasn’t what he wished to do in the future, because he told me “Dad, baseball taught me I must set goals and work hard to achieve them”. Wow… I needed to move on.
His senior year in baseball was probably the happiest I’d seen him since diapers… he promised his girlfriend he would homer in a game against one of the best SPC pitchers last year and on the first pitch he fulfilled that promise. However in the SPC championship last year, a Cinderella story ended on an extra inning homer that not only ended the game and season, it ended a journey. To see that kid playing 2nd base fall to his knees as that ball cleared the fence, you get it somehow.
Well that kid has moved along,,, he was accepted into the University of North Carolina and wants to become a doctor. He volunteers for Younglife and has a new job on campus… video screen operator at Boshamer Stadium, the home of Carolina baseball and you can see second base from his dorm room.
You see baseball is so much more than a sport, it’s a learning tool. Baseball is a sport that requires more than just athletic ability, it demands thought and it requires patience in a time of haste. It takes hand and eye coordination to hit a pitch that the batter is expecting but hardly ever gets. But most importantly it takes intelligence, hard work and dedication. That’s what makes this game so special because the lessons and fundamentals one learns on the field, will translate into success off the field.

 

A view from Justin's perch...now that's heaven on earth.

 

Weyco2000:

You've spoken eloquently for so many parents who have seen their son or daughter commit themselves to a sport and learn lessons that will serve them well throughout their lives. It's for this reason that I've said to so many of my friends over the years, "It's not just about baseball."

A related thought would be that there are many ways to remain close to the sport you love well after you've finished your playing days. Yours has found a way while he's an undergraduate; but, even after graduation, there are abundant opportunities to both remain involved and give back to the sport that left so many fine lessons during one's playing days.

Thanks so much for sharing your reflections.

 

While the game ends for everybody the first statement says it all. As my moniker indicates I have 3 boys that played. Two of them are still playing and one has long since decided that it was not the game for him. While I have many memories dating back to the T-Ball days there is not one single memory of a USSSA/Nations baseball tournament championship that jumps to the forefront of that memory bank. Instead it is the rides in the car to college visits, the look on their face when they realize they just played their last HS game, the day the middle one thought he was letting me down because he was moving on to something else, the look of astonishment at his first collegiate offer, and the look of disappointment when they know they could have performed better and wondering if they should get in my car or their moms. (If you have not yet, you must read "the most important post ever on TBR"). It is not about the trophy, it is not about the ability to brag at work about what team your son plays on or if it is the A or B team, it is not about the hit he got or didn't get, the error he made or highlight reel play.

It IS, as Weyco said simply about the relationship and a bond between a parent and their son. That bond is fragile, that bond is sacred, that bond is very easily damaged or broken so cherish it and treat it with the respect it deserves.

"You see baseball is so much more than a sport, it's a learning tool." And the Student is not always the player. (which reminds me......I owe one of my boys and apology).

Thanks Weyco!

 

Great post Weyco!!!! Thanks for sharing

 

You nailed it D

 

Hey Braves BTW, what happened to "Today My Son" sticky?

 

I know he will... he remembers when I would take him to an empty field and throw him bucket after bucket of balls, he just has a problem remembering who went and picked them up afterwards!

 

Boom! There it is... great quote baseballx3.