Remember Our Lost Love

The other night I watched a movie that I haven't seen in years. "For The Love Of The Game" came out in 1999. I was 22 at the time and had just started dating my future wife. I went to the movie expecting it to be as good as "Field Of Dreams" and I remember leaving the theater disappointed. But, 10 years later, I thought I would give it another chance and see if the movie was as bad as I remembered. The movie was good on so many levels, it got me to think about the love I had playing baseball as a kid. I think that somewhere between the ages of 16 and 32 we forget how much we loved playing sports. At least I did and so I wanted to reminisce about some of the memories that I had as a kid growing up playing baseball and just maybe it will help take you back in time to remember what it was like when you played for the love of the game.

The thing I remember most about the game was the environment and the sounds and smells that came along with the game. I loved when I first walked out onto the field and could smell the grass. To this day, I can lay down in a park, close my eyes and smell the grass and it takes me back to when I was a boy. I loved the crack or ping of the bat. I loved hearing the chatter we would make to support our pitcher and distract the hitter. I loved the breeze against my face. I loved playing in weather so hot that you could see the sweat stains on your cap and every inning you would come back to the dugout, the stains were going higher and higher up the cap. I loved getting a reason to slide in the first inning so I could look down and see dirt all over my uniform for the rest of the day. I loved sitting in the batters box and watching while everything went into slow motion. I loved the feeling of my heart pounding when the pitcher was about to release the ball. I loved sliding into second base to break up a double play. I loved the snacks we used to get after the game, win or lose.

I often wonder if people that used to love doing something so much take time to remember what it was like. I know that our lives get so busy and our responsibilities have grown. I know that our time is short and our to-do list is long. I just encourage you to go to your local park, lay down in the grass and close your eyes. Lay there for a moment and remember back to when it was just a game to you. Can you see him coming? The little boy running up to you with open arms. Can you see him now? Do you recognize him? You should. It's you when you were little and still had a love for the game.

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