Way back in February my son said he wanted to play baseball. He’d never
played baseball before, so I wanted to make sure I got him into a league that
would teach him fundamentals and also be fun. I was lucky enough to make the
deadline—just barely—for Coach Pitch Little League at Trenholm Park. Over the past
five months, my son has worked hard, learned a lot and fallen in love with
baseball. As a reward for his hard work, a few weeks ago his team won the championship
of his league. He was a solid player for his team and it was a huge thrill for him to be
part of it.
Since then, he and the other kids chosen for the Trenholm All-Star team have
been practicing almost every day in the hot sun preparing for the South
Carolina Little League All-star tournament. The tournament ended today for the
Trenholm All-Stars with a loss. Throughout the All-star preparation my son didn’t
miss a practice, played hard, improved as a player and had fun. During the
tournament he didn’t play a single inning; he knew he wasn’t going to. He was
an alternate for the team. He couldn’t even sit in the dugout during games because
of the league rules. Still he was there every game, warmed up with his team, cheered
them on, and took a knee for the post-game talks from the coaches. Not once did
he complain or get discouraged—sure he told me he wanted to play but he was
never angry or bitter about it. He accepted his role, learned, and had fun.
I’ve told him how proud I am of him for the way acted. I know the
coaches saw it and I hope they say something to him too. The world around him places
such a high value on individual success that sometimes anonymous dedication and
commitment to the team go unrewarded. Like most of us, I like a star but I know
that loyal teammates make loyal friends and those loyal friends have made all
the difference in my life. And that's the lesson I want my son to learn from baseball—loyalty
leaves a permanent mark.
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