What Baseball has Meant to Me

11.05.09

I fell in love with the game the first time I put on a glove. I remember starting to play the game when I was about 6 years old. All the kids in the neighborhood would get together and play stick ball, wiffle ball or cup ball (a very crude form of baseball involving crushed cups for balls and your hand for a bat). I was always the smallest kid on the field, but that never slowed me down. One of the great things about this game is that it really doesn’t matter how big or small you are. If you hustle and play hard, you have as much of a chance as the kid next to you.

When I turned 10, I started playing little league. I remember being incredibly nervous at tryouts. About a week after tryouts came selection night. All the kids met at the field and found out what team we were on. I was selected by the Eagles. I was so excited to put on that bright yellow #3 jersey and hat. The first game played was against the Orioles. I was playing shortstop and we were winning by 1 run in the last inning. They had runners at 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs. The next batter hit a lazy ground ball to me, which went between my legs, and they scored 2 runs to win the game. I remember crying and wanting to quit because I felt like I let my teammates down. My coach took me off to the side and taught me very important lessons about baseball and life, which I still believe today. A baseball game is never won or lost by 1 play. You will be measured in this game by what you do after you make a bad play or strike out. You never quit! I didn’t quit. I learned pretty quickly that you couldn’t be afraid to fail. You have to want to bat when your team is down a run in the last inning. You have to want the ball hit to you with runners on 2nd and 3rd in the last inning. Most importantly, never, ever quit!

I missed many more groundballs and had my share of strikeouts in the final inning in my career, but I always tried my best. I played little league until I was 15 years old. I then played high school baseball for the Lyman Greyhounds. I finished my baseball career in college while playing at Harding University. Those memories will last a lifetime.

Baseball is a wonderful game that should be measured by how much fun you have. It is great to want to win but that should not consume you. You are not measured by wins or losses but by the type of teammate you are. When you see a teammate make a mistake, it is important to pick them up and encourage them. If you try your best and hustle, no matter if you win or lose the game, you should be proud of yourself. Remember to always be gentlemen and ladies in victory and defeat! Smile, put your helmet on and grab a bat, you’re up!

Randall Welsh, President, CPLL