Baseball

Pin It

The smell of a worn leather glove.

The cheering of the crowd at a stand-up double.

Sno-cones for sale at the concession stand.

This is what summer is all about.

I was recently invited by the Cubs and the Mets (no, not those Cubs and Mets) to take shots of individuals—as well as team—at their most recent baseball games at the little league fields this week. It was a fun experience and it was great to see these boys cheering each other on, whether or not they were doing well as individuals.

These, by no means, are not all of the best photographs I took; however, since I don’t know all of the parents involved, I did not post any shots which clearly showed faces of the players which I do not have permission to use images.

Just know that there were others…and sometimes, that just has to be enough.

It’s just a game

Pin It
I was recently invited out to a baseball game. I love baseball games. The excitement of the players, the smell of the freshly-cut grass of the field, the sno-cones sold at the concession stand.

Whenever I attend a ballgame I will usually take my camera along. There is something I love about holding this marvelous little piece of technology and capturing snapshots of the game through the camera’s lens.

As I was at this particular game, I found myself aware of the umpire who was making a few bad calls. It seems that umpires are often faulted for this; and while it is often the case, it is not always so. However, this time the umpire made an obvious mistake; this was plainly evident even to the photographer who wasn’t paying attention to runs and score—even he knew the umpire was in the wrong.

Several parents on the faulted team realized this as well; that’s when the muttering and murmuring began.

It’s at this point that I have to question…what has yelling at an umpire ever really accomplished? Has it ever changed the outcome of the game? Has it ever made people into better individuals, or does it just show what a poor sportsman you are?

There are signs which hang at the little-league field; the signs basically read something to the effect of this: These are kids, they’re playing a game. Cheer for everyone. Don’t be a bad sport. Set a good example.


Kids are impressionable, they learn by watching others. I was grateful for a coach who went up to these murmuring parents and asked them to stop—even though he too knew that the umpire was in the wrong. My respect for this man went up tenfold for this simple act of respect for the official at the meet.

As I sat down near a group of parents, one of asked me how I felt about the game and how it was progressing. To this I responded, “You know what? If I had a boy out there playing I’d take him out for ice cream afterward, you know why? Because I’ll bet if he wins the game, he’s going to live, if he loses the game, he’ll live. In the end it won’t matter because in a year he probably won’t even remember this game anyway. He will remember the ice cream though.”

The parent looked at me and smiled. “Ice cream seems to be in order tonight.”

As the game progressed, my student leaned up against the chain-link fence and said, “Mr. Z, I’m going to get up to bat with the bases loaded, and then hit a home run and score a whole bunch of points!”

To this I responded with, “You know what, Joey? I just want you to have fun. That’s the reason I came out today…watching you just have fun is fun for me.”

With that he went up to bat.

He struck out.

But he was still smiling.

Vacation - Thursday's Inspiration

Pin It

Moments

We all have these little spaces and times in our lives when we catch a little glimpse into the life of somebody else. Nearly without fail, it is during these times that we will either wish we had what they do, or feel fortunate for that which we do have.

Yet, then again, there are these people who inspire us. They cause us to look at our own life situation and ask how we can make it better…they make us want to be the best person who we can be. We also then seek to share their story with others, this way; others may be motivated and inspired as well.

You see, I have these little moments in my life where I get into a state of self-pity, and I look at all of the things I am forced to endure. At times, I feel that these things are so overwhelming that I am brought into a state of anguish. I feel that nobody has a more thorny trail to hike in life than I do…then along comes a kid who, no matter how hard his life gets, greets it with a smile and does what he can—even when the odds may be stacked against him.

I’d like to introduce you to Adam Bender, an eight year-old boy who had a cancerous growth in his leg and, when he was 1 year old, had to have it amputated. What this kid has done with is life so far is nothing short of inspiring. It is my hope that his story will inspire you as much as it did me.

If you wish to hear no more, stop now, click the “exit” button, and all is well. However, if you would like, you may read more about Adam HERE or watch him HERE.

I can make you this promise, you won’t regret finding out more about this little boy who just won't give up.

photos by Charles Bertram