Baseball and Life

Spring, Baseball and Life

This time of year is about renewal - new grass, baby birds, flowers blossoming, spring cleaning and…baseball. Living in Tampa, the season begins early, as does spring itself, with spring training in March. Like many “boys” my age, it evokes the memories of playing catch with friends on lazy summer afternoons, playing catch with Dad after work - he still in his starched white shirt and tie, listening to games on the transistor radio, arguing about who was better - Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris or Willie Mays.

But it’s also time to reflect on how baseball is a metaphor for life.  I stressed this with my kids as they were growing up. Obsessed with winning everything they attempted, I tried to get the point across that baseball is perhaps the perfect sport because it is mostly about losing, disappointment, slumps, steaks, recovery and getting up when you are beat down.

It teaches us that we all have slumps, we all disappoint ourselves and others with our little, and sometimes major failures, but the truly strong, courageous and talented hang in there, keep swinging, and not giving up, knowing that all we need is that one hit to end the slump, and we only need a hit every third at bat to be considered successful! And, most importantly, team work and perseverance may be the most important qualities for success in life, and in sports, especially baseball! I don’t know if they listened or heard me, but they are successful and happy so I like to think so!

On a personal note, this time of yer evokes memories of playing catch with my own children, my daughter going on to captain her high school softball team, and my son, although not a sports fan, loved to go outside with my and throw the baseball as hard as he could to me ( or was it at me !?!) as we laughed with joy. It is the memory of catching a fly ball at a spring training Yankees game - the batter I cannot remember, but the pitcher was the great Mariano Rivera, who may never be equaled as a “closer”. The ball was signed, given to my daughter who still keeps it on display amongst her other momentos.

Baseball is a game of individuals working together as a team. The pace of the game allows us to see each player, each play, as part of a long competition, and a six month season, taking us through a long, hot summer, political strife, economic ups and downs and personal and family challenges. But when the umpire says “Play Ball”! we have the chance to start again, to be the best versions of ourselves, and to hope for a win. And if we don’t win, we get to do it over again the next day, and the next after that, for 160 games. Like life, the baseball season is long, filled with ups and downs, with steaks and slumps, joys sorrows, successes and failures, but with each new day, and each new season, there is hope!!

In health,

Dr. John Monaco

MONACO Wellness

www.monacowellness.org

(813)541-6440