Star - 1997
My goal was to play baseball for 6 years and soccer for 6 years. I loved these two sports, I loved how energized it made me, I loved how sweaty I would get, I loved just the act of playing them. By the time it became my fifth year of baseball I had become a lot better then my third year. My third year I was absolutely horrible and everyone on the team hated me, even the coach. The coach was some asian guy and he would always put me last at bat. I dont blame him, I would always jump back from the ball thinking it would hit me when I was at bat, ALWAYS. However, I do blame him for not being fair and always playing favorites and never giving me a change in the batting lineup. We were undefeated that year. My next year I had become a lot better, I wasn't the best player but I was average and maybe a little bit above average. By the time of my fifth year I was one of the top players on the team and I knew it.
What I liked more about this year was that the coach was more down to earth and gave everyone a chance, no matter if they were good or not. One time after a game when we would do our "team salute" and we would slap the other team hi-fives and say, "good game" one guy on the other team said, "you suck." I have done this to teams that I have won games against or to teams I felt bitter towards after I lost. But this just kind of annoyed me and isntead of brushing it off like I always would, I decided to retort. However, I did not reply immediately, I hesitated thinking for about 3 seconds and then settling on 3 words that popped into my mind instantaneously, "Shut up....dildo." I felt satisfied with my reply but I wasn't sure if the guy heard me, but I found out later someone did. I didn't even know what a dildo was nor do I remember how I learned of the word.
Feeling satisfied and happy because we did win that game we began to head back to the dugout to collect our things and go home. Then I heard the coach call my name, "Jeffrey, no more calling people dildos." I was embarassed because I got caught but more embarassed because my coach said dildos. It was humerous in a way too because he just didn't say, "dildos" to me it was more like, "dildooooos." At this point I knew I was in trouble and the coach informed my mother what I had said. Thankfully when I was younger my mother only became disappointed and didn't take much action in means of punishment. While walking back to the car I overheard one of my team mates talking to his mother, "did you hear what Jeff said" then nothing. I believe his mother silenced him knowing I was there and thinking that I was a demon of some sort that would eat their souls if he kept speaking.
My most fondest memory that I walked away with that year was not the dildo incident but it was a moment that seems mythical and legendary according to major league standards. This moment, this memory, may be one of the proudest memories in my life. I always told the story in a major league point of view just so people would get the idea I was trying to convey. In little league baseball there are only 6 innings as opposed to 9 in a real baseball game. So, it was bottom of the 9th, my team has 4 runs the opposing team has 5 and my team has 2 outs, there is a runner on third and I am up to bat. I was determined to at least tie the game, to at least hit the ball so the runner on third could score and we would go into overtime. The first 2 pitches are balls, the third pitch, STRIKE, fourth pitch, BALL, fifth pitch, STRIKE. Now I was worried, I would either get walked or I would strike out and lose the game. I can hear heckling in the outfield I can hear them say, "Its over, hes going to strike out" I thought, "No way asshole." The next pitch is thrown and I swing, it makes contact and I just start running I dont even look where the ball is going. By the time I reach the first base I realize I had hit a home run, it went clear over the fence and bounced over another fence landing in another field where a game was already going on. I begin running to second, full sprint and my helmet falls off, that has never happened to me before, running to third I can hear the shouts and hollers of my team in the dugout. I reach home and my team rushes through the dugout gate and embrace me and yell how great of a job I did, how I had won the game, I felt like a star. I was walking on clouds for sometime after.
I decided that this would be the last year I would play baseball. I came to the decision while playing one day and my arm just kept hurting after every throw. As a result I couldn't throw straight or throw as far as I normally could. This didn't bother me much since I began getting bored standing around waiting for someone to hit a ball to here, to there, to anywhere. I wanted some action and there just wasn't any action in baseball. I always wanted to play 6 years, that was my goal and I debated really hard whether or not to play again, but decided that my arm just hurt too much and I was getting bored of the game. I was content however, that I did something amazing, something triumphant for my last year. My parents weren't there to see it and when I told them that I hit a home run they were happy in some aspect, but not to the point where they wanted to hear the story, kinda made me sad though that they weren't there. It was like I felt abandoned or ignored, I know that that was never their intention but it just would have been nice if someone did see it. Most kids that age, or even adults that play baseball for a living dont have a moment like that. Some just walk away with the memory that they played baseball, I walked away with something more.
What I liked more about this year was that the coach was more down to earth and gave everyone a chance, no matter if they were good or not. One time after a game when we would do our "team salute" and we would slap the other team hi-fives and say, "good game" one guy on the other team said, "you suck." I have done this to teams that I have won games against or to teams I felt bitter towards after I lost. But this just kind of annoyed me and isntead of brushing it off like I always would, I decided to retort. However, I did not reply immediately, I hesitated thinking for about 3 seconds and then settling on 3 words that popped into my mind instantaneously, "Shut up....dildo." I felt satisfied with my reply but I wasn't sure if the guy heard me, but I found out later someone did. I didn't even know what a dildo was nor do I remember how I learned of the word.
Feeling satisfied and happy because we did win that game we began to head back to the dugout to collect our things and go home. Then I heard the coach call my name, "Jeffrey, no more calling people dildos." I was embarassed because I got caught but more embarassed because my coach said dildos. It was humerous in a way too because he just didn't say, "dildos" to me it was more like, "dildooooos." At this point I knew I was in trouble and the coach informed my mother what I had said. Thankfully when I was younger my mother only became disappointed and didn't take much action in means of punishment. While walking back to the car I overheard one of my team mates talking to his mother, "did you hear what Jeff said" then nothing. I believe his mother silenced him knowing I was there and thinking that I was a demon of some sort that would eat their souls if he kept speaking.
My most fondest memory that I walked away with that year was not the dildo incident but it was a moment that seems mythical and legendary according to major league standards. This moment, this memory, may be one of the proudest memories in my life. I always told the story in a major league point of view just so people would get the idea I was trying to convey. In little league baseball there are only 6 innings as opposed to 9 in a real baseball game. So, it was bottom of the 9th, my team has 4 runs the opposing team has 5 and my team has 2 outs, there is a runner on third and I am up to bat. I was determined to at least tie the game, to at least hit the ball so the runner on third could score and we would go into overtime. The first 2 pitches are balls, the third pitch, STRIKE, fourth pitch, BALL, fifth pitch, STRIKE. Now I was worried, I would either get walked or I would strike out and lose the game. I can hear heckling in the outfield I can hear them say, "Its over, hes going to strike out" I thought, "No way asshole." The next pitch is thrown and I swing, it makes contact and I just start running I dont even look where the ball is going. By the time I reach the first base I realize I had hit a home run, it went clear over the fence and bounced over another fence landing in another field where a game was already going on. I begin running to second, full sprint and my helmet falls off, that has never happened to me before, running to third I can hear the shouts and hollers of my team in the dugout. I reach home and my team rushes through the dugout gate and embrace me and yell how great of a job I did, how I had won the game, I felt like a star. I was walking on clouds for sometime after.
I decided that this would be the last year I would play baseball. I came to the decision while playing one day and my arm just kept hurting after every throw. As a result I couldn't throw straight or throw as far as I normally could. This didn't bother me much since I began getting bored standing around waiting for someone to hit a ball to here, to there, to anywhere. I wanted some action and there just wasn't any action in baseball. I always wanted to play 6 years, that was my goal and I debated really hard whether or not to play again, but decided that my arm just hurt too much and I was getting bored of the game. I was content however, that I did something amazing, something triumphant for my last year. My parents weren't there to see it and when I told them that I hit a home run they were happy in some aspect, but not to the point where they wanted to hear the story, kinda made me sad though that they weren't there. It was like I felt abandoned or ignored, I know that that was never their intention but it just would have been nice if someone did see it. Most kids that age, or even adults that play baseball for a living dont have a moment like that. Some just walk away with the memory that they played baseball, I walked away with something more.