April 29
We are in full swing of softball/baseball season! This time of year reminds me of when the kids were younger and all of them where living at home!
As a result of this momentous time of year I had no life!
I lived at the fields! We had six kids playing at the same time; and as if that wasn't enough, three of them were playing on two teams; their school team and the city league team, simultaneously!
Never to be outdone Jose was playing on four teams!
Why?
Because he loved having my washing machine running twenty four, seven!
Every time I turned around I was washing a uniform and driving someone, somewhere with a bag full of balls and bats! the crazy thing about all this?
No one was forcing them to do this!
They really loved the sport of baseball and softball! When they weren't playing or practicing, they were out in the back yard throwing the ball around.
Some Sundays after church what did they want to do?
Go to the park as a family and play ball!
I have to admit as crazy as it used get, I love baseball/softball too, so I didn't mind.
I never had the chance to play as a child. I didn't start to play softball until I got married to Mel. Most Sundays I am the designated "shagger". I run around in the outfield catching all the balls that land out there (Which by the way, I am not one to brag about my family, yeah right, but it was a lot of them!)
I love to do this because I love to run and it makes me feel like I am part of the team, ah, family. When I first met Mel I didn't realize that he was such a big baseball fan. My ex-husband wasn't too crazy about the sport, which was a bummer for me because I loved baseball! Did I mention that I love baseball?
One day while Mel and I were dating I got a hold of some red Sox tickets and asked Mel if he wanted to go to the game with me. He looked at me kind of funny.
"You want to go to a baseball game on a date?" He asked. My heart sunk at the thought that maybe he didn't like my beloved sport either. As much as I loved him, if he didn't like baseball, it was over!
"Yes! Why not? I love baseball!"
"You, you love baseball?" He asked incredulous.
"Yes I do! What, a woman can't like baseball? Not only do I like baseball, I love baseball. I follow the stats and I know the players! What don't you like baseball?" I answered indignant, "You want to go or not? I don't have all day you know!"
"No, no, I like baseball, I'll go. You just caught me off guard. I have never had a woman ask me to a baseball game before, especially not on a date!"
"Well get used to it, bud, I am not like other women!" I said over my shoulder as I walked away. "I'll be ready by 5:30 and I don't want to miss the warm up! So don't be late or I'll leave without you!"
I heard him mumble something about pushy broad under his breath as I got back into my car and drove off.
While we were at the game he kept peeking at me out of the corner of his eye. I, never really caring what anyone thought about me (Well, at least not letting people know that I cared) I acted the way I normally would have.
I was fan-coaching my Beloved Red Sox. I struck up a conversation with the old guy in front of me about stats and possible trades in the upcoming seasons. I ate hot dogs and cracker jacks, sung at the top of my lungs during the seventh inning stretch and got my whole section doing the wave. (Mind you, all while cold sober and totally lady like!)
I might also add that Jack, the old guy in front of me, and I successfully coached the Red Sox to a 4-1 win over the Mariners!
This date, while very enjoyable, was forgotten until Mel brought it up later on.
"You know, I thought you were setting me up!" He told me about that day.
"Why?" I asked more offended than anything. He told me how he was so used to being around phony women, that he thought I had asked the guys at work what he liked so I could try to impress him.
I busted out laughing!
"Oh, please! What are you Andy Garcia?" I asked in between chuckles.
"I know it's stupid now!" He answered, coloring a little. "It just floored me that you were for real! For Heavens Sake's you knew more about the team than I did!" He got quiet, as he usually does when his emotions are close to the surface.
"What's the matter, Hon?" I asked as I caressed his hair. He cleared his throat and told me how much he really loved baseball and how he had hoped to play either in college or at the professional level (Of course having a baby at nineteen put an end to this dream.)
He told me that he had not been to a game since he had given up on his dream of baseball. Now at this point I'll be honest, I love my husband, but I also knew the chances of breaking into the majors were slim to none. I also knew that at a modest height of 5'9", unless he was phenomenal, that wasn't going to happen.
Nowadays small, sleek and fast players are common, but in my husband's era the Mo Vaughns ruled the diamond.
I of course didn't say this out loud. What I did do was encourage him to find a team to play on.
He told me he was too old at the ripe age of 29! I wanted to dope slap him!
I didn't do that either! I just kept nagging him until he finally found a team and started playing. Crazy thing was he was too self conscious to let me go to the games. He kept saying I would be bored, that no one watched them, etc.
I let it go at first, but at the beginning of his second season playing I told him flat out I was going whether he wanted me to or not!(Pushy broad won out again!)
It was a beautiful, hot summer day when I finally got to see his game. I was seated all by myself in the bleachers near their dug out.
Being the fool that I am I started doing the wave! (Yeah I know, but it was the most glorious wave of one!) His team mates laughed, happy to finally have a cheering fan!
Mel was probably mortified but I didn't care because I was having a ball!
The game moved along pretty good and Mel was doing really well! He had hit a single, a double and had been effective at third.
But sometime during the fourth inning I got a glimmer of what could have been.
A player from the other team hit a shot that had some serious spin and power behind it.
It took a nasty hop right in front of Mel. I cringed at the thought of how much that was going to hurt when he caught it, that is, if he caught it.
Imagine my surprise when Mel plucked the ball in a blur of dust and speed. He effortlessly changed directions instantly, tagged the bag and got that runner out, spun around and hummed the ball to second for the double play!
My jaw dropped!
I had just witnessed an ESPN highlight moment, before ESPN had highlight moments!
Here was this man who was thirty years old, hadn't played on a team since high school and he had just made a play right out of the major leagues!
I was so glad I had sunglasses on so that no one could see the tears coming down my eyes.
My 5'9" hubby had the stuff for the big show! Coupled with the fact that I now knew how much he truly loved the sport, my heart broke for him!
The love I had for the sport was always bittersweet for me, because I never got the chance to play it. I could only ponder how much more it would have hurt had I had the talent to make it as a ball player, but not the opportunity.
What amazed me the most about him was that he never shoved his dreams down his kids' throats. The love they had for baseball and sports in general, for that matter, was their choice and theirs' alone.
He wasn't an obnoxious (Okay sometimes he can be obnoxious, but not when it comes to coaching from the side lines) parent. He respected the kids' choices to decide whether to play or not. But mostly he let the experience be theirs, not his.
It was to the point that when he was asked to coach one of the boys teams he asked our son if it was alright with him. He didn't want to take anything away from our son's experience.
The only thing he is always on the kids about is to never let go of their dreams.
When the movie "The Rookie" Came out we went to see it. I know it was painful for Mel, but he was glad for the man portrayed in the movie.
Some said that it was dumb because he only played for two seasons.
My hubby's answer was "then you don't know the love of the game!"
As I run around from field to field, watching my kids having a ball doing what they love to do, I have truly learned the love of the game.
Not just the game of baseball, but the game of life, family and marriage. It's not always going to turn out good.
Baseball players get the money and the glory. But they also get the injuries, blisters, uncertainties and the looming cloud of not being able to play the sport they love anymore, hanging over them.
The same is true in life. My kids will grow up and move on with their own lives, as much as I wish them to be little forever, it will happen.
My marriage will grow and change from newlyweds, to parents and on to empty nesters focusing on ourselves again.
Life as well will go on.
We need to learn to love the game, blisters, heartache and all.
Remember without the warm-ups, injuries, sacrifices and practices there can be no game.
The same is true in life!
In the future I won't have to rush from field to field because my kids will be doing the rushing with their own family, but for today, I will rush for the love of the game.
Oh and by the way the French fries at the little league snack shack are to die for!
Pass the salt, please!
