If you know anything about me, you probably already
know how much I love baseball.
After my parents divorced, it was my Little League coach who
first convinced me that “I was going to be alright”. I was only five at the
time but I struggled with the reaction from the parents of several of my
closest friends. I’ll never forget their words, “My son is not allowed to play
with you any longer since I just found out your parents are divorced”. As a
parent and grandparent, I now know that they were just trying to be protective
of their children, not be hurtful towards me.
I started playing baseball in Little League in the town I
grew up, Westwood, Massachusetts. My neighbor Herbie Munroe, was kind enough to
play catch with me on a regular basis. So much so that I got pretty good and
was able to make the team at a younger than normal age. I also learned to like
the affirmations and recognition I received by playing well. Thus began my love
affair with the game.
Here is why I think life is like baseball;
1-You should always touch 1st base first
2-You need to learn to hit a curve ball
3-You need to touch all the bases in order to win
4-Bad bounces happen on occasion
5-Home run hitters strike out a lot
7-Winning isn’t all that counts, but it is all that people remember
8-Home base is a good place to come back to
9-Rules and umpires are an important part of the game
10-There is no “I” in team
Take me out to the ballgame!
