05/31/2016
"If You Give a Boy a Baseball..."
He will want a bat to go with it. You'll probably buy the best bat you can find, and then he will want a bucket of balls and a glove and some cleats to go with it. When he realizes he can't carry all these things with his own two hands, he will want a ball bag. Then he will spend hours begging you to go out in the yard to play with his bat, glove and balls, even though you just wanna sit on the couch and watch tv. He will insist. And his insistence will win! When you go out in the yard to hit,pitch,throw, and catch, he will not wanna go back in the house for dinner and will swear that even at dusk there is enough light to keep going. Soon, he will want to go to a field & see how far he can hit that ball. Once he gets to the baseball field he will get dirty and will be happy! He will probably smile and laugh! Once he is all dirty and enjoys the way the dirt feels, he will want to learn how to slide. In the rain - on a muddy field! Then he slides in the rain on a muddy field, and swings his bat and throws as hard as he cab. Finally he learns to catch. Then he wants to go actually play this new game with other boys! And when a boy gets a jersey, he will want pants and socks and a belt and a hat to go with it! And a TEAM!!! Then life as you know it will end! There will be no more lazy weekends. You will see more sunrises than you ever thought possible! Every spare minute of your time will be spent hauling that boy, his ball bag, stinky cleats & Gatorade all over for ball. You will get excited about all the cute baseball shirts that say Baseball is Life & Ball Mom. Your yard will be overlooked! Your house and car will have half a diamond's worth of shale in it because you gave a boy a baseball! Your weekends will be spent trying to keep dry or warm or from scorching in a fold-up chair or hard uncomfortable bleachers. And his weekends will be spent gaining confidence and friends, and learning new skills, having fun getting dirty. So dirty you will learn a whole new way to do laundry! Like going to the carwash lol! His smile will grow bigger and bigger! And each year that he plays with that baseball, he will get better and better. And his love for the game, and confidence in himself will grow right along with his jersey size! Then he might try to be a PITCHER, CATCHER,OUTFIELDER, or INFIELDER. Because baseball teaches him he can be anything he wants! And you will be there the day he hits his first home run, and makes his first double play! And he will make you SO PROUD! So proud you will get him an ice cream and the coach gives him a game ball! And right before your eyes, your little boy will be transformed into a baseball playing beast who set aside his John Deere tractor, one day long ago, simply because you gave him a baseball. And a bat, glove, ball bag , and a jersey to go with it! When you give a boy a baseball you gave him a talent, and hope, a sport, a dream, and friends and a new family! A place to learn about life, room to grow up as a person where he can push the limit, and learn bravery, courage, and about LIFE and memories! And he will have all these things simply because you gave a boy a baseball. Then one day many years from now..... he will be in his room and a baseball will roll out from an old dusty glove underneath his bed! And he will pick it up and realize instantly that when you gave that boy a baseball you also gave him a childhood that he would never forget! And he will hug you, and you just may shed a tear or two. Because then you will realize that everything you gave up along the way was worth it. All BECAUSE YOU GAVE A BOY A BASEBALL! ⚾
