Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and.....(nope, not in this house)
I was sitting at a baseball game tonight because that's what we do in this family in June. We sit at lots and lots of games. It was hot. So......hot. I had my chair parked just where I like it, where I can see the pitcher, the batter, third base and outfield......and other baseball parents were all around me. We were all hot. I felt this bead of sweat travel down my spine and I marveled that it could pass all the way down and then it seemed to crawl back up to the middle of my back and slide down again. It had to be the same bead of sweat.....there was no way they were falling that fast if there were more. It was so hot.
The high school that my boys chose to go to has a struggling baseball program. They have excelled in other sports, like football and basketball in recent years so all of the teams we play hate us. Hate. They want blood and they want it bad......keep in mind that my boys were not on those winning teams....they were in grade school and jr. high....but they chose this school and wear the jersey......and we show up and cheer for this school and wear their booster club logo wear.....but its not easy. Baseball lost momentum somewhere along the line at their school and none of the very talented athletes kept playing. We are rebuilding this program. Last year, there was no varsity team and Isaac, as a freshman played for JV. They lost almost every game. The teams who beat them loved beating them....and these boys played their hearts out every single game. Sometimes it's more about character and the love of the game than what the scoreboard shows at the end.
This year, there is a varsity team at our school. It is made up of 8th graders, 9th graders and 10th graders. We get creamed almost every game.....Our JV is made up of 8th and 9th graders and they play teams that use 10th grade boys to play down.....and they cream us too. We are getting really good at losing baseball games. Our opponents are savoring victories and we are learning defeat 3-5 times a week. It's not fun to lose. It's not fun but its also not the worst thing ever.
The worst thing would be having a really impressive athletic program but having to cancel out baseball because no one wanted to play. My sons and their team mates are not going to let baseball die at Western Christian High School. Their parents are going to continue to come to games and support these boys and cheer for them. Their coaches show up and teach and guide and correct and encourage them. Maybe someday some friends and classmates and teachers will show up to cheer for them too.....maybe even before they start to win which would be really noble. They will start to win. I know they will. Everyone that creams us right now should enjoy it because a day will come when the winds of change will start to blow....and these young boys will grow into their stronger, faster, more confident selves......and the wins will come. They are young. They are feeling rather defeated mid-season...but they are not done. Not even close. This is a building year, not just in victory vs. defeat, but in character and humanity and these guys are classy.....coming and going. Winning or losing. I will show up to every game I can manage and pay money to get in and for concessions and I will cheer and I will yell at the ump for a bad call or two. I will pray that they catch the pop flies and that when a pitcher hits them at bat, that they will heal quickly and supernaturally.....I will buy the shirts and wear them...and I will cheer for these boys.
This is one of the platforms they are given to grow into the men that they will be. They are our future marketplace Christians who will own businesses. They are our future teachers and doctors and lawyers and mechanics and farmers and husbands and fathers. Showing up to cheer for them and to love them and to be a part of this matters. Sweating out the hot games, shivering through the cold nights, choking down a cold burger or stale popcorn is all part of it. Standing for the national anthem matters. Teaching younger siblings which hand to place over the heart as we face the flag matters.....
I am so proud of these kids. They lose and they lose bad over and over again....but they love baseball. So do I.
The high school that my boys chose to go to has a struggling baseball program. They have excelled in other sports, like football and basketball in recent years so all of the teams we play hate us. Hate. They want blood and they want it bad......keep in mind that my boys were not on those winning teams....they were in grade school and jr. high....but they chose this school and wear the jersey......and we show up and cheer for this school and wear their booster club logo wear.....but its not easy. Baseball lost momentum somewhere along the line at their school and none of the very talented athletes kept playing. We are rebuilding this program. Last year, there was no varsity team and Isaac, as a freshman played for JV. They lost almost every game. The teams who beat them loved beating them....and these boys played their hearts out every single game. Sometimes it's more about character and the love of the game than what the scoreboard shows at the end.
This year, there is a varsity team at our school. It is made up of 8th graders, 9th graders and 10th graders. We get creamed almost every game.....Our JV is made up of 8th and 9th graders and they play teams that use 10th grade boys to play down.....and they cream us too. We are getting really good at losing baseball games. Our opponents are savoring victories and we are learning defeat 3-5 times a week. It's not fun to lose. It's not fun but its also not the worst thing ever.
The worst thing would be having a really impressive athletic program but having to cancel out baseball because no one wanted to play. My sons and their team mates are not going to let baseball die at Western Christian High School. Their parents are going to continue to come to games and support these boys and cheer for them. Their coaches show up and teach and guide and correct and encourage them. Maybe someday some friends and classmates and teachers will show up to cheer for them too.....maybe even before they start to win which would be really noble. They will start to win. I know they will. Everyone that creams us right now should enjoy it because a day will come when the winds of change will start to blow....and these young boys will grow into their stronger, faster, more confident selves......and the wins will come. They are young. They are feeling rather defeated mid-season...but they are not done. Not even close. This is a building year, not just in victory vs. defeat, but in character and humanity and these guys are classy.....coming and going. Winning or losing. I will show up to every game I can manage and pay money to get in and for concessions and I will cheer and I will yell at the ump for a bad call or two. I will pray that they catch the pop flies and that when a pitcher hits them at bat, that they will heal quickly and supernaturally.....I will buy the shirts and wear them...and I will cheer for these boys.
This is one of the platforms they are given to grow into the men that they will be. They are our future marketplace Christians who will own businesses. They are our future teachers and doctors and lawyers and mechanics and farmers and husbands and fathers. Showing up to cheer for them and to love them and to be a part of this matters. Sweating out the hot games, shivering through the cold nights, choking down a cold burger or stale popcorn is all part of it. Standing for the national anthem matters. Teaching younger siblings which hand to place over the heart as we face the flag matters.....
I am so proud of these kids. They lose and they lose bad over and over again....but they love baseball. So do I.
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