Two weeks. That’s right just two weeks till mlb catchers and pitchers report to spring training. That’s one thing about time it just keeps ticking away. It seems like just the other day that the Cubs were destroying the curse of their goat. As much as I like football, I’ve grown to appreciate a sport where a person can hit a small white ball going 100 mph with a small round stick. It simply amazes me.
Growing up for me consisted of playing most all the sports. I was a typical kid that went from sport to sport depending on the time of season. Soccer led into basketball which led into baseball. When I got into middle school it led me into trying the sport I eventually ended up playing for a year in college, football. I did fairly well in football but I always liked watching baseball and yes I did try playing……I tried. There was some sort of a disconnect between me, the bat, and the ball. I saw the ball being pitched I got the bat ready to swing, but for some reason I never swung the bat. I’m not sure why. It always looked like a ball to me. Now on the off chance the pitcher did walk me, or I got hit by the pitch then I was off to the races. If I was anything, I was quick. Get me on base and I was scoring. Unfortunately I didn’t get on base enough to keep me in the line up. I quickly realized baseball wasn’t the sport for me. I think thats when I realized I was better hitting people with pads or out running them for the soccer ball. I quickly hung up my cleats and glove. Oh well
Even though I knew I couldn’t play, I still liked watching the sport and tried to follow my team, The Astros, as much as I could.
Well life went on and I played sports as much as I could till my body decided if wasn’t a good idea anymore. I grew up, had a family, and low and behold one of my kids decided he really liked the idea of hitting this small little white ball with a small round stick. Woo Hoo…….I even got to coach him for a few years. As my son grew into a teenager, he got stronger and smarter about the game he loved since he was a toddler. Even to the point where I was asking him questions about certain players or tactics of the game. You see eventhough I loved watching the game, I never really studied it or learned a lot of the strategies of the game. So here I was asking my young teenagers why certain things were Happening during the game. It was ok though cause I was still bigger than him and could still play catch with him well for a little bit longer. He kept growing and I did. He kept getting stronger and I did’nt. All of a sudden I found myself having to use his catchers mit just to be able to catch him. This was crazy to me. I started feeling like that little kid again that couldn’t compete with my friends at the sport I love cause I wasn’t talented enough to keep up. I can’t lie it was a little depressing.
I decided to stop trying to coach my son and tell him how to play baseball because it was obvious he was growing into a young man with an extensive knowledge of the game. Now I get the pleasure in watching him play his sport he has loved from day one, and he’s not bad at it. So along with mlb starting their season high school baseball is also starting. Deven is a freshman this year at Tompkins High School and luckily enough he made his sophomore team. I couldn’t be more happy for him. He has worked his butt off and proved his old coaches he’s not the “developmental” play anymore. He’s the starting pitcher on a pretty good high school team. I can’t wait till him and his classmate are seniors. It’s going to be great 4 years.
Two weeks..thats right two weeks till we get started. Let’s play ball
