Sports

I’m going to get nailed for this post, but oh well, here goes. Trophies. I hate them and here is why I have a problem with giving them out to children playing sports.

Kids today are growing up and thinking that if you try your best, then everyone gets trophies. Wrong. I understand kids playing t-ball, teach the fundamentals and do not keep score, but there comes a point in time that kids need to learn that there are winners and there are losers and at the end of the game, that trophies are not handed out for doing your best. Kids need to understand that sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes, it rains the game out. Point being, we can not always win every game. And we sure as heck do not get trophies as we grow up and go through life for trying hard.

My nephew called the other day to tell me that he got a hit in his t-ball game. And that was awesome. I was so proud of him and I wish that I could have been there to see him run the bases, because when he called me, I could tell how happy he was. And he told me how they all lined up at the end of the game and congratulated the other team. So when I asked who won, there was a long pause. So I asked which team scored the most runs? Again, a long pause. So, I asked if everyone got trophies and they did and he was so happy.

I get it, trophies symbolize something to little kids, a since of accomplishment. But it also sets the bar low too, because in life, we have to work harder than the other person to rise throughout the company and move ahead.  We need to teach kids that it is OK to work hard, that it is OK to put in the extra time at practice to get ahead. By just saying that everyone is getting trophies, it just says that everyone is at the same level and the are not. I have two sons, I am guessing that one is going to be better at baseball than the other.  I do not know for sure, but that is just my guess. But I am going to tell them how when I was a kid, I hit 200 balls a day, year round. And I would shoot 100 free throws a day, year round. Or I would run to stay in shape, year round. I did not want to be average, I wanted to start at either short stop or third base for my baseball team and I did. I wanted to be either the Point Guard or the Shoot Guard and I wanted to be the one that the coach would point to at the end of the game when the score was tied, to take the winning shot and I was. Hard work pushed me to the next level, not getting a trophy and it has continued throughout my work career as well.

So, today, after lunch and I do my job, I think that I am going to ask if we can all get trophies, because we all showed up today. Good job us!

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This… is a simple game. You throw the ball. You hit the ball. You catch the ball.

I don’t know what it is about the movie Bull Durham, but for whatever reason, the writers explained the game in such a way, that it makes sense. Playing baseball as a kid, I had the chance to be coached by some men that had played in the minors, worked out with guys that made it to the majors and talk with men that are now in the Hall of Fame about how to improve. But at the end of the day, baseball is really a simple game.

Baseball is a metaphor for life for me. Some days, you can hit everything that is thrown at you. Other days, you can not hit a beach ball if it was lobbed right over the plate and then there are other days, you just want a rain out. Today is one of those days. Today is a day that I would love a rain out. A day to sit in the club house, laugh with the kids, roll the ball on the floor and just be kids.  Nothing really bad has happened today, but neither has anything great. But I was reminded a few minutes ago, that we should be happy for today and the chances that we get today.

Every little boy in America that has ever picked up a baseball has dreamed about one day, stepping into the batters box at Yankee Stadium. Facing down a veteran pitcher and taking their fastball over the left field bleachers. Why? Because we are guys. But more importantly, because is a simple game. It does require some knowledge, but thinking ahead of players and where they hit the ball and being in the best position to get them out. Which is a lot like being a parent. Think about it, you have to be thinking 3 moves ahead of your kids. Are they getting ready to pull down a pot off the stove? Are they going to tackle their brother? Where are they going to school? Can we start saving for their college now?

At the end of the day, baseball really is a simple game. And baseball really is like life. Baseball has a team, your family is your team. There is a manager of the team and at home, the parents run the house. So in some strange ways, life is really like baseball.

 

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Last night, the National League destroyed the American League by a score of 8-0.  As a die hard Yankee fan and knowing the home series for the World Series is on the line, that one hurt.  The National League started out strong and their pitching kept the American League batters at bay, but that this what the All-Start game is all about. The best of the best. But I wanted to point out a few quick highlights/observations:

  • The Yankees were well represented.
  • The started 2nd basement for the National League, Dan Uggla, his uncle is a good friend.
  • The boys were able to watch their 1st MLB All-Star Game

Baseball is America’s favorite past time. And there is a reason why we sit and watch 9 very long innings every night and that we endure a schedule of 182 games.  But let’s be honest, we love it. The boys are now 15 months old and are starting to pay closer attention to what is on tv and especially sports that we watch. This is just the first of many All-Star games that we will watch. I just hope that they love them as much as I do.

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I grew up going to baseball games and as a kid, one of the things that we would always do was collect autographs from players. I was fortunate to players like Chipper Jones when he was playing in AA baseball & Manny Ramirez when he played for the Kinston Indians in A ball and the list just goes on and on. And yes, these guys were great signers and I was able to really start collecting autographs.

So I am trying to start collecting autographs for my sons. I am trying to do it on two different fronts:
1) Get some of the current members of the Baseball Hall of Fame:

  • Cal Ripken, Jr, (Already have)
  • Stan Musial
  • Reggie Jackson
  • Johnny Bench
  • Nolan Ryan
  • Brooks Robinson
  • and the list continues

2) Get some of the current players and prospects that are in the minor leagues:

  • Dan Uggla
  • Dylan Bundy
  • Jonahthan Schoop
  • Derek Jeter
  • Josh Hamilton
  • and the list continues

And then there are Football autographs too that I want to get, Ray Rice, Torry Smith, Ray Lewis, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, etc.

I want teach my sons that these are athletes and that they people, just like everyone else, but that they are exceptional athletes that worked hard to get ahead in their sport. But I also want them to be polite when they meet athletes, say please and thank you, and to most importantly, have fun collecting autographs.

This will be an ongoing and updated list over the course of the next few years.

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BasketballMarch Madness has come and gone. We have moved on from college basketball and the thrills of March Madness to Major League Baseball. But in a recent conversation with my brother, we came to one conclusion, the game as we once knew it, is gone. March Madness will rarely have the same impact as it once did. The game of college basketball has changed and not in a good way.

The players today are being recruited with the intention of only stays 1, maybe 2 years, whereas players would stay all 4 years. UNC lost 3 of their starters to the NBA this year: Harrison Barnes, Kendall Marshall and John Henson. All deserve to go and make the money. All deserve to fulfill their dreams and taking their careers to the next level. But as a college basketball fan, I hate it. College coaches are rebuilding each year, not to get better, but to replace the starters that are leaving as sophomores.

Gone are the rivalries. Gone are the players that play because they love the game, not because of their career changes in the NBA. Gone is the game.

So, as I reflect on March Madness, the best team won this year. Kentucky. Granted I would have loved to have seen a rematch between Kentucky and UNC but it was not meant to be. But this offseason, UNC will replace 3 players and Kentucky, well Kentucky will have to replace their entire starting 5 players.

The game has changed and March Madness will never be the same again.  But for those of us that have loved the game and followed the game of college basketball for years, I will get to share stories with my sons about the game use to be.

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Growing up as a child, I remember sitting around an open room with friends and trading cards that we had duplicates of, all to build the complete set Topps Baseball Cards. There was a sense of accomplishment when the set was completed and then you could help your friends complete there sets as well. Hours, countless number of hours were spent look through, at, talking about, baseball cards.  Because I have not looked at baseball cards since I was much younger, I contacted a good friend who runs a great blog dedicated to collecting baseball cards: Stats On The Back. He suggested to go with the 2011 Complete Set that included Series 1 & 2, which lost me, because growing up, we just collected cards, there were not all of the different series. But we did have the options of collecting Topps, Upper Deck, Fleer, Score and Donruss, but now, my buddy said to just stick with Topps.

So this year, I decided that I would buy each of the boys their first Topps Baseball Cards sets, so that when they are older, their collection would have already been started. And my hope, is that as they grow up, we start building the sets together, in stead of me just purchasing a completed set for them. I hope that they too enjoy the hours that we will spend together, talking about the different players, helping each other build their sets, and just having a lot of fun doing it together.

2011 Topps Baseball Card Set

2011 Topps Baseball Card Set

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I am finding it increasingly harder to think of ways to teach my sons good sportsmanship, when you have pitchers like Cole Hamel who intentionally hits Nationals player, Bryce Harper in the back.  See for yourself in this Youtube clip from ESPN.


I respect the fact that Cole Hamels admitted that he hit him on purpose. I don’t however respect his reasoning which was to

I was trying to hit him,” the two-time All-Star lefty said Sunday night. “I’m not going to deny it. I’m not trying to injure the guy. They’re probably not going to like me for it, but I’m not going to say I wasn’t trying to do it. I think they understood the message, and they threw it right back. That’s the way, and I respect it.

You can read the rest of the article here from ESPN.  I have been thinking about this a lot lately, because when I was growing up, yes there was an understanding that the older guys would welcome the rookies, but they would not try to hurt them. And I am not saying that Cole Hamels was trying to hurt him, but he was not offering to buy him a steak dinner and teach him the way a Major League Baseball player should conduct themselves either. Fortunately, in this particular case, Harper was not hurt and honestly, neither was Hamels, because he got a 5 day suspension and does not even miss a start. Yes, a 5 DAY, not 5 start suspension, which is what they should be doing. Major League Baseball missed a real opportunity here to set an example and to do the right thing and they did not. do it.

If my kids were to hit another player on purpose, do you think that I would just sit them out for 5 days? Nope. That would be it for them for the year. Now, in saying that, they would have run after the game, done pick ups, etc. and they would still go to ever practice, but they would never step foot on the field for the remainder of the year. Why? Because it is not good sportsmanship to throw at another player and then get off with a slap on the wrist. We have to teach our children that there are consequences for their actions. Throw a baseball at another player, you are done for the year. Hit a kid in the arm, you are going to be punished.

Maybe Major League Baseball should ask some parents what they would do with their children in a situation like this?

 

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homeplateGrowing up as a kid in North Carolina, I lived for 2 things, Basketball and Baseball Season. And year round, I had either a basketball or baseball nearby and when it was too cold to be outside playing basketball, I was at the gym working on my fielding by throwing a ball against the wall. But more than just throwing a baseball against the wall, was watching games and following box scores.

Baseball season started around February and usually ended around December. I watched Cal Ripken, Jr. religiously to study how he watched the pitches and positioned himself for the hitter, planning where the ball would be hit.  I watched Don Mattingly, not only because I was a die hard Yankees fan, but because I loved the way that he hustled and approached the game as a leader. I also loved his swing, which inspired me to learn how to switch hit.

But something happened around high school. But I lost interest. I couldn’t watch ESPN Baseball Tonight anymore. I didn’t care to go to minor league games anymore. I even passed on going to major league baseball games, even when we had great seats.

But this year, this year is different. This year, for the first time in years, I have been excited about baseball season. This year, I’ll be able to watch games with my sons. This year, I will be able to take my sons to their first game, granted, it will more than likely be a minor league game, but it will be their first baseball game.  I have been waiting for this season, baseball season.

 

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April 5th, 2012 is Opening Day in Baseball. As a huge baseball fan, today marks the day that summer begins. I can’t wait until my boys get old enough for me to take them to their first opening day. There is nothing like walking into the ball park for the first time, seeing the freshly cut grass, and watching the teams take batting practice.

For a lot of fans, today marks the day, that they believe that their team will make a run for the World Series. Today, it marks a day of the start of a game that I love.

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I grew up playing sports. I honestly, can not remember a time where I was not playing a sport, primarily either basketball or baseball as a child. Every Saturday morning, we played basketball. Mondays and Wednesdays were baseball. Soccer was Thursdays. So Friday and Sunday we had off, however, we were usually playing basketball at the gym.  Some of my most vivid memories were playing sports, whether it was the friendships formed from playing or the coaches that took the time to teach us the love of the game.

The times have changed. There are actually games that being played on Sundays, time that should be devoted to church and family.  As much as I love sports, there has to be boundaries. I want my sons to play sports, but I want them to have their priorities in order: church, family, and then sports.  So as my wife and I have talked about this, we have decided that we want to encourage our children to play sports at the YMCA, where Christian values are placed as the core values and sportsmanship are the top priorities.  But, they also do not play games on Sundays, which is important to my wife and I.

 

 

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