I wrote an article several months ago about the end of my baseball career due to graduation from high school. While this is obviously a ways away, I often thought about the life lessons the game of baseball taught. If I ever have a son, I would like to teach him these lessons through the game I fell in love with.
Why I will teach my future son the game of baseball
1. Discipline
There is no question that baseball requires a lot of discipline and is truly a gentlemen’s sport. The game always taught me that it is important to defend your stance, but if taken too far it can get you tossed. Baseball also taught me that if you chase outside your zone, it’s okay. You may not always succeed in doing so, but you learn based on your abilities. And who knows, it might just be what you were looking for when you were digging in.
2. There is more than one right answer
Throw it home or hit the cutoff? Take the first strike or go up hacking? Blue or Red Powerade? In the game, there is more than one right answer in almost every aspect. What you have to find is a balance depending on the situation. Observation is key. Just because a teammate does something different does not necessarily mean they are wrong.
3. Cooperation
My days in center taught me to trust the people behind me. With my back turned to the play, I would count on my shortstop Robby and my left fielder Matt to help guide me through the throw. It takes time to build that trust, but when it comes down to it that’s the man you need most.
4. Rallies
There will be times when you’re team is down. It happens and everyone loses sometimes. But what is the best kind of win? The one where you rally from behind. It’s easy to feel down and want to throw in the towel, but it makes it that much sweeter when the W goes in the column at the end of the day. Baseball is a funny sport. There is no time limit, rather there are opportunities for success. It’s what you do with those opportunities that determines the final score.
5. Never watch a close one
It’s always better to go down swinging than to wish you had a pitch back. Avoid the backwards K.
There’s obviously much more to this than a game. Baseball taught me life lessons and I can only hope to pass these lessons on. It shaped me into who I am today and to that I say, thank you.
