Trial and Error

If there’s one thing I've learned from my first two weeks here: I really better make sure I pay attention in class my senior year because its pretty clear that any kind of baseball career isn’t going to work out.

I got off to a blistering 0-13 start at the plate through the first 3 games – all of which we lost. I had a small hitting streak over the next few games but now the dust has settled. About 15 games have come and gone, my batting average is below .200 (which is awful for anyone who doesn’t follow baseball) and I haven’t checked but there’s a good possibility I lead the entire league in strikeouts.

On the bright side all of the guys are great, can’t complain about a single one. Someone is always joking around about something. The coaching staff is pretty laid back as well, which is nice because drill sergeant coaches are that much more annoying when its 99 degrees outside.

After losing the first three games we have rebounded to win six of the next nine and are now 9-9 overall. Tied for 2nd place in our 6 team division.

Summer baseball is always an interesting phenomenon. Usually nobody cares about winning or loosing since it’s not the NCAA season and there isn’t any college world series for the best teams to go to. All the kids want to do is sleep all day, show up 30 minutes before the game, get their hits, and leave.

And to be honest that used to be my exact approach.. besides, it’s summer, who cares? But after three seasons of struggle and frustration at school, I have finally developed a passion and desire for winning.

Everybody says they hate to lose. Obviously nobody likes to lose but I feel that people don’t appreciate winning enough. People always say, “Act like you’ve done it before.” That’s garbage. At least to me it is. If I’m going to tote my rear end around all day for something, hours of practice, hours in the weight room, hours of sleeping and napping to make sure I can be energized for practice and gym sessions….. all of that time and effort put in to something, if we end up winning, you bet your keester I’m going to enjoy myself and enjoy the moment. You go ahead and walk off the field with your straight face. I’m going to express my emotions however I want to because I’ve put in the time and effort, and I’ve deserved it. And if some people think I’m an idiot for that, well than I guess that’s what I am.

If we can’t enjoy winning at baseball or any other sport, or if we can’t enjoy our successes in any aspect of life, if we simply “act like we’ve been there before”… why do we work so hard for the things we want most in life if we act like we don’t want them the moment we get them. I don’t see the point.

I’ve always been a fan of Chad Johnson if anyone is wondering. He gets it… in my opinion anyways.

So back to what I was saying. Even though it’s just ‘summerball’ and technically doesn’t count for anything, and even though I’m in the midst of one of the worst baseball performances of my life, I’m easily the most enthusiastic player on the team after we win a game. But the other guys, they’re starting to coming around.

My highest moment came about 5 games ago. We were down 2-1 in the 7th inning with 2 outs with the tying run on 2nd base. I came in and tied the game with a pinch hit double down the right field line. We won in 13 innings.

Felt great to finally help the team out for once.

Looking at the big picture, I can’t complain about a single thing – besides the lack of leg room on the team bus. Traveling on a bus from town to town, hanging around the guys all the time and playing baseball everyday.. it pretty much does feel like playing in the minor leagues – something I know I’ll probably never experience.

I know Ill look back on these three to four years as one of the best times of my life. Everyone has some type of regret about something. It’s practically inevitable.. But wishing I had more fun is something I know I won’t be able to say.

Another thing people like to say, that “You never know what you’ve got ‘til its gone.” That one is garbage too. I know what I’ve got, and I’m making sure I enjoy every moment of it before its gone.



Here's a picture of me waiting on deck. Click to enlarge.