I love baseball. We all love baseball. It’s one of the best sports in the world. I dare someone to even attempt an argument against that. I’ll shoot your argument down very quickly. But what exactly makes baseball such a great game? Hell, how do I even answer that?
Baseball is the game of life. It is every single aspect that we all strive for each and every day. It is the ups and the downs that the world suffers on a daily basis. Stick with me here now…
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I’ve always had baseball in my life. I played the game since I was very young, about five or six years old. It’s always been there, but it never really meant anything until I stopped playing it. There was a point in my life where I questioned whether the game of baseball really meant anything other than just being a recreational kids’ game. I was not fortunate enough to play after my freshman year at York College of Pennsylvania. The game ends for everyone at some point, and it ended for me in college. However, something weird happened when I was cut from the game I loved. I actually seemed to grow into a better person.
Failure sucks. I failed at the game of baseball. I failed at the game I love and cherish so deeply. I struggled with this for a very long time, until I learned what the game of baseball really meant. Once I was able to cope with the fact that 0.001% of the population in America makes it in professional baseball, it became a little easier to love the game again. But that wasn’t everything. I still held a deep depression over the game ending for me. Luckily enough, there was this team called the Orioles that saved me from further torture.
Well…Alright, so the Orioles were absolutely terrible for a long time. So maybe they should not be the reason for my rebirth into baseball. But they did play a large role. They were always “there” for me in my times of darkness. It didn’t matter whether I had any friends or not. It didn’t matter whether I had messed up my love life, or had done poorly on an exam. I still had the Orioles. I still had something to relate my life back to. Now, I am sure some are wondering “how does baseball relate to real life?”.
It’s actually rather simple. The game of baseball is long and treacherous. One week your team looks terrific, and the next week they are struggling in multiple phases of the game. To me, life is the exact same way. We get overworked with little details and things that won’t be that big of a deal in a week or two. Baseball is the same way. That strikeout with runners on second and third really isn’t worth torturing yourself over. The error that allowed a runner to score? Yea, not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things. The game was developed as a game of failure. It’s the old saying “you can fail seven out of ten times and be deemed successful”. Life is almost the same way. The beauty of baseball and life is that they tie into each other so greatly. We often fail in life, but we can learn from our mistakes and grow as people. Baseball is the same way. You will fail, but a learning experience is always there.
I’ve been very unhappy with my life at times. It’s not easy to be human. But baseball always reminds me how life is. There is no easy path in life, and baseball is the prime example of this. This is how I have learned to enjoy the game. There is no need to overwork yourself over one game. There is never a reason to react in such harsh manner. It’s a game, but it’s also a representation on life. I have learned to relate the game of baseball to life, and it has made me happier in bother aspects.
I leave you with the quote I have lived off for the past five years. Cal Ripken Sr. meant a ton to the Orioles organization, and he doesn’t even realize how much this quote has affected my life:
Baseball is a walk of life, the lessons you learn playing baseball can be applied to everyday life.
The next time you watch an Orioles game, think about this quote. It might make you enjoy and appreciate the game a little more.
Tucker Blair was born and raised in the Baltimore area and currently lives in Elkridge, Maryland. He graduated from York College of Pennsylvania with a B.S in Entrepreneurial Studies and is currently a Project Analyst for a Management Consulting Firm in Federal Hill, Baltimore. Tucker was previously the Managing Editor at Orioles Nation, where he worked on prospect lists, reports, and analysis on the Orioles minor league system. He also previously wrote his personal blog, The EntreprenOriole.