Spring Training

Although I haven't done it a very long time, over the last few weeks I've been thinking about playing baseball.  My old baseball glove has been sitting around untouched for at least 15 years, but I fondly remember hours on end spent throwing a baseball, catching a baseball, or seeing how far I could hit a baseball.  In fact, there was a time in my life when baseball was the only thing on my mind - either playing it, collecting baseball cards, or watching it.  In 1980, the year my Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series for the first time ever, I bet I went to 30 games.  And the ones I didn't go to, I either watched on TV or listened to on the radio.  Mike Schmidt was my hero, and in my wildest dreams, I could be as talented, hitting the ball out of the park and making the fans go crazy.

So last Friday, at the thrift store, I saw some baseball bats.  I picked one up and there was just something natural about how the bat felt in my hand.  Since the bats I've owned in the past have long since disappeared, I decided to go ahead and buy one.  I couldn't wait to get out and see if I still could hit for power.  I also was a bit scared, that maybe my eyesight had worsened to where I might not even be able to make contact with the ball.  Of course, the next several days, wouldn't you know - it was raining, cloudy, and overcast.  But today, the sun came out, and I headed to the park for a bit of "Spring Training".  Wow, did it feel good!  Throwing the ball, catching it, running... it all felt good.  I actually think I did quite well, except for being a bit slow at bending over to field the ball.  But I guess that's why there are designated hitters, right?  For us old guys who just aren't as fast as they used to be :-)