Looking at the day baseball that took place today, I had to really put into perspective how a simple sport involving a bat and a ball can truly mean more than just a ticket sale, or a day in the sun. I hope for those of you who don’t have baseball in your hearts, get a new found respect for America’s Favorite Pastime.
I removed the ice pack from my face and looked in the mirror, I could see the stitching from the ball beautifully stamped across my eye. “You look like Rocky,” my coach, or as I called him dad, says.
Being a female on an all boys team was scary in and of itself, but having your dad as the president of the little league, and your coach, I thought, well this stinks. Thanks for the pressure, baseball Gods.
Going back out on the field after my “traumatizing” hit to the face, it took a while for me to lose those jitters, but I eventually got through it. Those boys that I once rolled my eyes at instantly became brothers that looked after me until college. Some of them til this day still check up on me, make sure I’m staying out of trouble. If they only knew.
The same year I was awarded 11/12 All Stars for a small little league in Reno, Nevada, I went to my first Major League Baseball game (that I could remember). The moment I sat down at The Coliseum in Oakland, California, Eric Chavez hit a home run, and I saw my first Major League Baseball diving catch. This was also the last MLB game my dad and I saw together. A’s won, and I later found out, this was the year of Moneyball. Which is where Brad Pitt and I met (movie premier) and we’ve been happy ever since.
Sorry, just wanted to make sure you were paying attention.
Let’s fast forward, through my college years at the fields, through my brother being scouted by MLB teams, through hanging up my cleats; I was given a wonderful opportunity to live my baseball dreams on the media side.
The beauty of being on the other side of the fence watching a baseball game take place I couldn’t put into words. But I love a challenge, so I’m going to try.
Christopher Hanewinckel/USA TODAY Sports
First off, “How can you not be romantic about baseball?” Huston Street and wife (pictured above) show how you can’t paint a more beautiful picture. Who doesn’t love fireworks? After a baseball game, when the temperature has cooled down, and the competition has done the same, you look up and your face glows to the reflection of a beautifully lit sky over America’s Favorite Pastime. Sometimes you’re even lucky enough to spend it with someone you love.
via Peter G. Aiken/USA TODAY Sports
While Justin Verlander gets to spend it with Kate Upton, he shows typical “‘Murica” when combining MLB and an American Flag. When the Star Spangled Banner starts playing, you can’t help but get chills, and sometimes that adorable little girl belting the song makes your heart melt a little.
via Benny Sieu/USA TODAY Sports
Your family and memories. Whether you are watching the guy you’ve looked up to since you were 11, or watching your little cousin playing T-Ball, you get a sense of joy you couldn’t duplicate.
Seeing a child’s face when his favorite baseball player hands him a foul ball while he swims in his over-sized jersey (mom bought him an extra large, because he knew he would grow into it), as he looks up and gives a bigger smile than the Green Monster. That. That is why baseball is the best sport in the world.