Just Keep Swinging

If you have been following my blog or know me personally, then you know my son Randal plays baseball.  He loves the game, and he’s pretty good at it, too.  The past few years, he’s played on his middle school team and on league teams in the spring, summer, and fall.  This summer, he’ll be playing on a travel team.  We’ve become quite the baseball family because it seems that is all we do from March to October. 

Randal during the school team's season

Last week, my son’s team played in and won their league’s tournament.  The championship game was intense.  After the first inning, we were up 1 to 0, and the score remained 1 to 0 until the last inning of the game.  Randal pitched the entire game.  Let me tell you … that last inning was nothing short of spectacular.

We were up first to bat.  We go through a few batters.  Right before Randal heads to the batter’s box, one of the boys on the team got a hit and brought in another player.  We’re up 2 to 0 now, but we have 2 outs.  The bases are loaded.

Here comes the first pitch.  Randal swings and misses.  STRIKE ONE.

Here comes the next pitch.  Randal swings, but it’s a foul ball.  STRIKE TWO.

Now as a parent, I’m in the stands, and I’m about to lose my freakin’ mind!!!!  2 outs?  2 strikes?  I’m thinking there’s no way in the world we can recover from this.  We’re about to go back to the dugout and hope to keep the other team from scoring so we can pull off this game.  (Don’t you just love my French?  We / oui … and I haven’t suited up to play a single inning.  Lol.) 

Here comes pitch number three.  Randal swings.  The ball flies out deep into right field. 

Grand slam!  Let me say that again in case you missed it.  GRAND FREAKIN’ SLAM!!!!  Four runs come in, and we go up 6 to 0.

Another batter from our team comes up.  He hits a grounder and gets out at first.  That’s the third out.

It’s the bottom of the last inning.  Randal goes to the mound to pitch.  Three players up.  Three players down.  Just like that.  One.  Two.  Three.  He strikes out all three players.  Game over.  We win.

WE WIN!!!!

I know this ain’t the MLB.  It’s a league ball game with 10 to 13 year old boys on the field.  But lemme tell you something.  I couldn’t have been any prouder of my son.  He was calm.  He was confident.  He was composed.  He was under a great deal of pressure, but he still accomplished what he and his team had been working hard for all season … to win a championship.

After the game when I had a chance to talk to Randal, I asked him how he managed to stay so calm and focused during the game.  To paraphrase, he simply stated he did what he had to do.  He told me that he heard all the trash talking the parents and fans of the other team yelled out to and at him during the game. 

“You got him now!  He can’t hit your pitch!” 

“The pitcher’s getting tired.  Hit a homer on him!”

“He’s got nothing on you!”

“Strike him out!”

“Shut him DOWN!!!”

… and there were a few other things he told me he heard during the game that I won’t mention.  (On another note, the good Lord knew exactly what He was doing to shield me from those people and the comments being made.  This Mama right here would have had a few things to say to those folks.  And how are you gonna come to a game and trash talk about 10 to 13 year old kids?!?!?  I mean … really?!?!?)

Randal said he took all of that good and bad energy (his desire to win and the comments of the naysayers) and used it to get him through the game.  That energy became his motivation.  He never said a word.  He never talked back to the other team or their fans.  He just got the job done and flashed them all big smiles as he walked off the field after every third out.

After talking to him, why did my heart almost burst with even more pride?  My son, in only a way that he could do, had just become my teacher / motivator.  There was a lesson in that game.

How many times in life have we felt discouraged or like we were trying to accomplish the impossible?  How many times have we felt like we had 2 outs, were in the batter’s box with 2 strikes against us, and the game was on the line?  Do we give up?  Do we become afraid and think there’s no way possible we can do what we have planned or desired to do?  Do we internalize the words of the people we hear screaming for our demise in the background?

Or do we just keep swinging? 

It ain’t over ‘til it’s over, so just keep swinging.  Grand slam.  Game over.  Victory.

As a mom, it is my absolute duty to use the example of this game for the rest of Randal’s life (lol) to remind him of the lesson he taught me on that championship game day.  Stay calm, stay focused, find your motivation, and just keep swinging. 

Thanks, son.  You always make me proud.

Video of the championship game grand slam.  Please excuse the

quality of the video.  I got so excited and started to cheer.  I forgot

I was still recording (lol).