It's A Grand Old Game

My 7 year old grandson, Will, got his first hit last night.

Will is playing his first season of organized baseball in the Boyd County National Little League's "Minor League" divison. This division is composed of 7, 8, and 9 year olds, a number of whom, like Will, are "rookies". He has played catch with me in the back yard since he was four years old, and has loved to hit the ball since the age of three. He has shown a natural aptitude for hitting the baseball - from both sides of the plate! His swing is a coach's delight and it helped him get picked up by the Diamondbacks in the first round of the league draft last month. I got to see his first pre season scrimmage game on Tuesday, and the D-Backs took their lumps at the hands of what appeared to be a more experienced team. Will played third base and short stop in the scrimmage. Will went 0 for 2 at the plate in his first scrimmage and had nothing hit in his direction.

I didn't get to attend last night's second scrimmage game, as I was at the West Virginia Convention of Southern Baptists Evangelism Conference in Cross Lanes, WV. When I called my son, Ben, to check on the results of the practice, he told me that Will had recorded his first hit. He made it safely to second base on the next play, but was eventually tagged out at third base during a rather unspectacular exhibit of inexperienced baserunning. He was happy to get his first hit, but frustrated anew at no opportunities in the field. Seven year olds get a little frustrated with standing around in the field, waiting. "Will they ever hit a ball to me?" he asked his father after the game. "Yes" Benji told him, "And you will need to be ready to know what to do when that happens."

Will has quite a bit of natural athletic ability. Now that's not just a proud grandfather talking, but it is an opinion that can be backed up with fact. He has played other organized sports, including one season of basketball, and two each of soccer and flag football. In football and soccer he has dominated nearly every game in which he has participated. He has been blessed with good speed, excellent coordination, and an instinct to make all the right moves. In football last fall, when he quarterbacked the Bengals, Will ran for 41 touchdowns, and threw for two. He dominated his age group in soccer, and in basketball, he scored 18 points in the first game he ever played. It just comes natural for him, and he loves sports, but Baseball has proved to be a wake up call for Will. It's pace is much slower than the other sports he has played, and their are long periods of inactivity - especially at this level of competetion. Plus, baseball is just a different type of game.

Baseball is played in a pastoral setting and each baseball park is different from the next. The layout and dimensions of the infield are the same on every field, but that is where the similarities end. Each ballpark has different dimensions to the outfield fence. Some are symetrical, some are not. Some fields have large areas in foul territory between the baselines and the fences, some do not. On some diamonds, the backstop is not far behind home plate. In others, there is a large area between the plate and the backstop, which can be crucial in the event of a wild pitch or passed ball when runners are on base. The outfield fences vary in height from one ball field to another. By contrast, each football field is identical. Gym sizes vary, but each basketball court is the same. Soccer fields are uniform as well. But baseball is different.

Most other team sports are played with a time clock, or played till one team reaches a certain score. Baseball is different. In baseball, the defense has possession of the ball. The game is not broken into two halves or four periods. The game consists of a certain number of innings, and should the score be tied at the end of the 9th inning, extra innings are played. Again, no time clock, so a baseball game can go on, and on, and on. (the longest I have ever witnessed was 21 innings!) With no shot clock, ten second rule, or delay of game penalties, the pace of baseball is much slower than that of football or basketball.

In other sports, the ball or the puck is hit or thrown or kicked into a goal of some type in order to score. In baseball, the scoring is done by simply putting the ball into play, and advancing base runners around the diamond until they cross home plate. However, putting the ball into play is no easy task. The pitcher stands only 60 feet and 6 inches away from the batter, offering up pitches that range from a blazing fastball to breaking pitches like the knuckleball which moves like a butterfly. The batter has one responsibility, and that is one which (I think) is the most physiologically difficult task in all of sports. That is to strike a sphere, with a cylinder, and to hit it (in "coachspeak") squarely. Now think about that one for a minute.

Many folks find baseball down right boring. I think it is the greatest game of all. In fact, it's a lot like life in a number of ways. It is a game that cannot be learned overnight or mastered in a short period of time. The strategies and nuances of baseball must be picked up through practice and game experience. It may seem that the fielders have nothing to do, but in fact, the experienced baseball player is "into the game" whether the ball is ever hit to him or not. He must know the game situation at all times. How many men are out? Are there any base runners? Where should I position myself on this particular hitter? Might he pull the ball or is he likely to hit to the opposite field. Should I play him deep or shallow? If the ball is hit to me, where must I make the throw? If it is hit somewhere else, what do I do? Do I need to cover my base? Do I need to back up another fielder? Do I need to cut the ball off when thrown in from the outfield? Must I tag the runner or is there a force out somewhere? It goes on and on. A fielder must know each situation through the times of seeming inactivity, and yet be ready to explode into action the moment the ball is put into play.

The hitter faces a number of questions as well. Each pitcher is different. The hitter will adjust to the righthander differently than he will the southpaw. How many men are on base? How many outs? Do I stand deep in the box to get that extra split second look at the pitch, or do I move up to help negate the effectiveness of the breaking ball? What kind of "stuff" does this pitcher have, which pitch will he throw? What are the clues? Do I take the big swing or choke up on the bat and just seek to make contact? Is the pitch in the strike zone or not? There is only a millisecond to make the decision to take the pitch or swing away. When I hit the ball do I look to take the extra base?

In base running, do I take a large lead off or a shorter one? What kind of move to first base does this pitcher have? Am I liable to be picked off, or can I get the jump to steal second? If the ball is hit fairly, what do I do? Must I tag up on the fly ball, or take off running as hard as I can? The questions go on and on.

Baseball is a lot like life itself. There are important decisions to be made. Some of what happens falls upon your shoulders. At other times, the actions of others affect your circumstances. There are things you can do to affect the outcome, yet often times the circumstances are beyond your control. You learn to expect the unexpected, and to be ready for whatever comes your way, make adjustments, and deal with the outcome. Sometimes the ball takes a bad bounce. You just have to understand, it happens. Sometimes you make an error. Once committed it cannot be undone. All you can do is seek to overcome and to learn from your mistake.

You learn that to win, you must learn how to play well with others. Individual effort is important, but the sum total of team effort is what matters. It is not the fastest or the strongest player that always wins, but it is the team that adjusts, gives its best efforts, and perseveres that generally comes out on top. No one is indespensible. Expect to sit the bench some, and don't get upset when you have to come out for a sub. It's a team sport. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes the game gets rained out. There is no time clock to let you know how long you have to play. Enjoy the moment. Play the game well.

I hope Will learns how to love the game of baseball as much as I do. It's an acquired taste that some folks never develop. But most of all, I hope he learns that, if he lets it, baseball will teach him a lot about life itself.