Baseball

. . . whether your name is Gehrig, or Ripken, DiMaggio, or Robinson, or that of some youngster who picks up his bat or puts on his glove, you are challenged by the game of baseball to do your very best, day in and day out, and that's all I've ever tried to do.
- Cal Ripken Jr.

It's always been fascinating to me how much about life one can learn on a baseball field. Not only in how one plays the game, but in how one reacts to it as well. Some of my greatest joys and greatest frustrations have occurred at the ballpark.

It's a simple game with simple lessons that take a lifetime to learn.

Photo by Tim Milburn
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Tim Milburn has been coaching Little League teams for the last 10 years. He's currently getting his youngest son ready for their District Championships...because Williamsport is every young ball player's dream.

Comments

[Rosa Say]

You have just given me a flood of great memories Tim. Baseball has always been big in my family, and my husband was a little league coach for a long time too. When I was growing up, softball was pretty far off the Hawai‘i sports radar, and so us girls played baseball too. As kids it was all about the learning of the game, but as I got older, and my own son and daughter played the game, the learning really became about *how* we taught it and coached it, and about the fascinating dynamics of neighborhood community versus school community.

You are right, the lessons do span a lifetime of learning and they are far more numerous than the number of red stitches on that ball! (and by the way... great photo.)

[Rosa Say]

Tim, forgot to add, good luck to you and your son! Do keep us posted on how the season progresses for you both ---and take more pictures!

[Ulla Hennig]

Tim,
as a German I have to admit that I don't know anything about baseball - but your article has made me to think about things you can learn playing soccer. We just had European Soccer Championship here in Germany, and there were some pretty good teams playing. The best teams were the ones where the individual players played like team players and were looking for other players in the team who were in a better position to get the ball into the goal.

[Steve Sherlock]

I grew up down the street from McCoy Stadium, now the home of the Triple AAA farm club for those Boston Red Sox people might have heard of. Many a pick up game was played on the fields surrounding the stadium. There are many lessons to be learned from sports both organized and unorganized. Thanks for sharing this great photo Tim.

[dave]

Amazing Tim! How one simple picture can fire up the olfactory engines and open heart warming vistas into our past. I have so many memories relating to baseball. There were only two things that could absolutely ruin a summer day for me. Rain and not being able to muster up enough kids for a baseball game. There are probably twenty kids who grew up to hate baseball from my hood. Those were the ones we others strong-armed to play with us.

Back to the engines. One look at Tim's baseball picture and I was overwhelmed with the smell of leather. I am not sure there is one other smell in the universe that is quite as intoxicating as that of a leather baseball glove.

I think I shall play in my mind a bit. It's a hot summer day. I slip my baseball glove on the high-rise handlebars of my bike. I pick up a couple of buddies along the way. Mr. Green is cutting the grass in a nearby field. That smell still twirls around my gray matter. The sun beats down as I dig into the batters box. I eye the hill beyond the right field fence. I think to myself, "fellas, its time to give this one a ride".....

[David Zinger]

I hope all went well in the championship and that the 7th inning stretches into a lifetime of memories and new games.