Baseball’s Most Precious Value

Grandson Drew’s growth has been prominent this summer. 

Lessons learned on the diamond will impact and aid him for a lifetime.

It has been, and still is, widely held that socialization begins for us at eight-years of age.  That Is when we are introduced to many of the realities that encompass life.  We begin to experience its harshness in frustrations and failures.  These new challenges can only be allayed through our efforts alone.  It is also when we begin to experience the exhilaration in life through mastering those challenges and dispelling the demons of disaster.  The best of parents understands all of this and, although sometimes painful, allow the process to play-out, so growth and a proper foundation can be established within our children.  It is also no secret that competition in athletics is one of the best methods, if not the very best method, to introduce these realities to our young people.

 We are blessed with four grandsons in our family.  Three played baseball this summer.  Two are lukewarm on the activity, the other is very enthusiastic.  His name is Drew.  

Drew loves all athletics and has played soccer, basketball and flag-football, all in addition to three years of baseball.  He has played on exceptional teams and on mediocre teams.  His basketball team lost only once last winter.  With the aid of his father, Drew managed to put the sting of that setback behind him.  He looks forward to playing again this winter.  Drew is eight-years-old.  This is the year – this summer – that so very many of those life lessons were introduced.  

Before this summer, just the usual and very basic introduction of baseball was experienced. The kids hit off tees; parents lobbed the ball to the kids when they were at bat.  The majority of traits that define the game were of little concern. 

This summer almost all the characteristics of a real baseball game began occurring. The kids began pitching to one another.  Fielding plays were made that could never have been made in previous years.  Balls were hit solidly into the outfield.  It was also this summer that the kids experienced bad pitches being called strikes; base runners being called out who were safe; losing games because of bad calls by umpires; losing games based upon the failure to make easy, routine plays at crucial points in a contest.  

It was also the summer that featured Drew turning multiple strikeout games (partially due to health problems) into games of hitting legitimate triples into the outfield.  It was this summer in which he distinguished himself as an excellent fielder.  At one point he anchored the completion of a triple play.   

As his health improved, his game improved.  He NEVER asked for a discontinuation of his involvement in the sport.  He has persevered through some really tough times. 

Baseball is very subtle and, therefore, a sedate game.  Only two ugly events can transpire on the diamond.  One is getting hit in the head or face with a pitch.  The other is a line drive that hits the pitcher above the neck.  The latter is the most serious in that the pitcher wears no protection while the hitters wear batting helmets.  It was also this summer that Drew witnessed one of these ugly events. 

 Early in a game, Drew’s team was trailing 10-0.  By the last inning he and his mates had cut the margin to 11-10.   Drew’s team was batting in the bottom of the inning.  They had runners on first and second with no outs. It was at this point that, Ian, one of Drew’s teammates, was hit in the face by a pitch. 

Paramedics were called as the blood flowed from his nose and mouth.    He suffered no concussion, no lost teeth and nothing was broken.  He will however be sporting a nice shiner for a while.  The little guy never cried and seemed to take it in stride.  Ian is learning bravery and how to take a tough knock in life and, by his example, so are all his teammates.  Let’s hope he continues playing the sport.  The game needs his kind of character. 

Drew’s big concern after the game was for his teammate.  On the ride home he expressed his concerns, yet never expressed any fear in continuing to play the game.  While this type of ugliness is very rare there is, nevertheless, a good chance that as Drew continues his development and advancement in the game, he may yet witness the second of these ugly events. 

The seeds for a solid foundation for dealing with life have been planted.  They will continue to be nurtured and developed as Drew continues his participation in athletics.  Solid citizens and good men aren’t just born that way.  It takes valuable, yet sometimes painful, experiences and whole lot of good parenting for them to flourish.  For it is exactly as Rudyard Kipling wrote; “If you can meet with triumph and disaster, and treat those two imposters just the same;”…”You’ll be a man my son.”