Friday, September 20th, 2013
I have been going to baseball games since I was ten. Probably before then, but as far back as I can remember is being ten years old and sitting in that executive box in the SkyDome. It was a spectacle.
People say baseball is boring. They say that you watch pitch after pitch be thrown and nothing ever happens. Players stand out in the outfield, chewing gum or tobacco and scuffing their cleats against the grass. Guys run around the base, eventually they get thrown out. Some make it home.
When I watch baseball, when I'm there experiencing it, I see all this and so much more. I watch every pitch and wait for the call by the umpire. I see the runner on second inching towards third, a stolen base about to occur. I see the backcatcher signal again and again to the pitcher until a pitch is decided on. Baseball is anything but boring.
There is a certain sound when the bat makes contact with the ball. You could close your eyes and just listen and you would know. It's the sound of a homerun.
Maybe I romanticize this or idealize baseball because I love the game and sport in general. I love the elation of a hard fought victory and the thunderous roar of a crowd all wearing the same colour. In a world where everyone comes from some corner of the earth and believes any number of things that I may not have in common with them, in moments when the ball clears the outfield fence we are all in unison, in harmony, at peace.
I was able to be back there again this summer, and saw my first live game in more than three years. The electricity of the atmosphere was so familiar. The feeling of twenty thousand people cheering with you is unforgettable.
I think often about where I have been, what I have seen and done, what I have experienced. I used to think mostly of only this. Only recently has my gaze shifted farther into the future to see what might exist there for me. It makes me think about what I love. Sports, such as tennis and baseball. Communicating with people. Sharing my interests with others. I look into my future now and I see that maybe I have a place in communications for a professional sports organization. My passion for it can be the foundation upon which I build a potentially successful career. I think about this and I am excited.
Over the years I have found how difficult it can be to find a direction and feel comfortable with where you are headed. I have felt the discomfort of failure and rejection and loss. I experienced many moments when I didn't think I would get to where I am today. Perserverance pays off though. Hope is useful. Hard work is mandatory. And sometimes the ball clears the outfield fence.
Some make it home.
