Baseball

I think that baseball has always been my favorite sport. My dad was a coach for my brother's team when we were young; Farrel played; occasionally, we would go out to watch the Rangers play; and while Farrel and I were stationed in Okinawa, the one sporting event that was broadcast in English on t.v. was the World Series.

There is something about baseball that at every level is more intimate than football, basketball, or soccer. There is the secret language of hand signs and the expectation that with a quick glance your fellow player will know exactly what move to make. The game moves at a pace that allows you to cheer for individual players and to intently watch the nuances of the pitch, the throw to first, the angle of the bat as it connects with the ball. When you watch your child at Little League games, you can sit closely enough to see his facial expressions as he approaches the plate, as he scores a run, as he makes an out. You can hear everything--the boys calling, "I got it," as a ball falls from above, the clink of the bat as it hits a ball, and the sound of the ball smacking into the leather glove. It's all of these things that I love and one of the reasons that I am so glad that Carson is playing baseball this season. He played one season of tee ball, but the rules said no one could get out and the teams couldn't keep score.... Boys know. They know when it's not really a game and they know who would have won if the teams had kept score.

So, he's come back this season into the age division that does keep score and does get out. Last night was his first game. His team lost 2-1 and he knew the score and he was disappointed, but not as disappointed as he would have been if they had played by lesser rules. Carson got a hit and made it to second and then went on to score his team's only run. He did great and played catcher, 2nd base, and 3rd base during the different innings. I sat in the stands, listened to the sounds that are baseball, watched the glances between the players, and cheered him on, relishing the moments of enjoying the game I love and the little boy I love even more playing it.