Shiny ... Pink ...Sneakers & Baseball

Shiny ... Pink ... Sneakers  & Baseball

Yes, you got it.  Tonight as Nathaniel's baseball team warmed up, another league was finishing a game on our field.  The league is part of the special olympics league ... and man ... did they inspire me.

And, it was more than just the players ... it was their coaches, the volunteers, and most of all the fans.  

Here Erin and I sat between 2 fields.  2 completely different games.  To the front of us was Sam's league.  A little girl wearing her shiny pink sneakers.  And, when she crossed home plate ... boy did she mean it!  

Behind us ... 2 travel teams playing.  And, one coach yelled to a 10 year old player, "You gotta learn how to catch that ball, boy." (Nasty attitude to fit those nasty words!)  Also, parents on cell phones, others gossiping~ and the ones who were watching the game were either bad winners or bad losers! So Sad.

So, we focused our attention to the front ... Parents cheered! Brothers and Sisters screamed in joy as the ball was hit and the runners took their bases.  

1.  Everyone got to hit the ball. Even if the pitcher (a volunteer) had to throw 10 balls ~ everyone got a hit!

2.  Everyone got on base!  

3.  Everyone got to score! Yes, they got to experience the rush of crossing home plate!

And, just when you think, "It can't get better than this!"  Erin sees that every time the batter hits the ball, the pitcher was throwing another ball behind his to either third base, short stop, or second.  Then the fielder who caught the ball would throw it to first.

The basics of the game.  And, you know what ... they were doing better than some professionals.  They were capturing the essence of the game.  America's Game ~ America's favorite past time.  Just like apple pie, baseball is something that belongs to us.

There was so much joy, pure excitement.  It was amazing.  And, I cried.  I admit it ... there were tears shed between Erin and I.  

I am okay with that.  So ... at the end of the game ... to go against what Tom Hanks said in A League of Their Own, there can be crying in baseball.