As the crowd boos, you hear the New York Yankee commentator say “coming up to bat after a long year of suspension it’s the third basemen for the New York Yankees, Alex Rodriguez”. I grew up in awe watching great Yankee third basemen Alex Rodriguez. I remember playing baseball and trying to do everything he did, like how he chewed his gum, and how he wore his baseball socks. I would also imitate his batting stance as played. But all of a sudden the player I once looked up to tested positive for steroids.
During my freshmen year, I made the varsity baseball team at my high school. I was anxious for the upcoming baseball season to start because that meant I not only get to watch baseball but, it was also time for Major League Baseball. As I was
I’m sure you’ve been told persistence is key, and believe that you can do something, not that you can’t. Well I’m not going to show it to you, or tell you, I’m going to prove it to you. The summer after 4th grade year, our baseball team had the greatest summer ever. At the beginning of the season since their was so many kids at our age group that wanted to play, the adults in charge had to split it up into 3 teams. All 3 teams had fair or average seasons. My team had the best of the 3, but it wasn’t quite good enough. We had had, just enough success, not as much as we would have liked. We found ourselves barely sneaking into the tournament as the worst out of 8 seeded teams. We had to play against the undefeated Watertown team in the first round. We were told we had no chance to win, and we believed that too. The most I’ve ever been wrong in my life was saying, “we have no chance to beat them.”
I have known Lauryn Banks my entire softball career. Three words that come to my mind when I think of Lauryn are dedicated, supportive, and extraordinary. She is truly one of the most incredible teammates that I could ever have the honor of playing with. Lauryn is the epitome of hardwork. Our high school has an extremely competitive softball team. However, this did not discourage Lauryn. After making JV her sophomore year, she worked incredibly hard to make Varsity her junior. Not only did she make the Varsity team, she was by far one of the most stand out players on the team. Her hard work paid off when she was awarded second team all district infielder. Lauryn is both vocally a leader on the team and a leader by example. Whenever the team is down Lauryn is always there to pick us up.
Baseball has been so much more than just a passion and sport for me. It has taught me life lessons and given me the determination to succeed in whatever I do in
It was the last games of the baseball season. We had are worse pitcher pitching for our team. And they had an ok pitcher pitching. We got to the semi finals and our coach was going nuts. I was in the locker room getting ready for the game and my teammates Austin and Tevan were right next to me also getting ready they were one of the best players on the team.
I started playing travel softball when I was twelve years old when a man I had known for several years named Byron asked me to play on his team. Travel ball requires you to have much more knowledge about the game in order to be successful. At this level, we had to begin to use signs while batting and other terminology while playing defense. Byron had been around the game of softball for years and had tons of knowledge to share with his players. For example, when we were working on defense at practice, Coach Byron would hold up a sign that would say something like “6-4-3.” All of the defenders on the field would have to know what that meant so they could execute the play. In this case, it meant we were supposed to turn a double play. It occurred
Blood, sweat and tears. All for one sport you love. Going to the fields, putting my cleats on and batting.(Cumulative) From the time I stepped on the diamond, I knew softball was going to be something I was good at. Usually most people start off playing t-ball and work their way up to the big leagues. Not me. I started my third grade year. Of course I was hesitant (nervous), but I got over that fast enough. I played every position possible. I was a strong hitter (usually making it on base every time). But that’s 10 u. Over the years, I became exceptionally good at softball. I had many compliments on how good I was. Parents were telling my parents how good I was. But that was only the beginning.
At the beginning of the Softball season, I had a horrible pitch, now after a ton of practice, I can finally get a perfect pitch. I always wanted to be a pitcher because there were only two pitchers on my team. But it was me against my coach and my team. Would the coach approve my pitch? Would the team accept me as a pitcher? Read my story to find out.
I step up to the plate. The hot lights of the Mets stadium hit my face. Clayton Kershaw was pitching. He is the best pitcher in the MLB. The pitch comes. It was a slow hanging curveball right over the middle. I swing will all my might. I hear the crack of the bat and I see the ball fly over the fence. I trot around the bases and I am approaching home plate. I step on home then I wake up.
it's a hot Texas Sun beat down upon my neck a fast ball whizzed past my bat and into the catcher's glove after you had another strikeout. I trudged back to the dugout thoughts of failure filled my mind of my confidence slowly vanishing. I wasn't accustomed to anything less than success before high school. I prospered in youth athletics while living in South Dakota. I had a phenomenal baseball coach to transform my robbed potential into success on the baseball diamond. Unfortunately, my father's Air Force career demanded that we move before my baseball season. Without me my team went on to win the city state championships advancing all the way to the Little League World. When I was younger my family moved to not affect my athletic performance the difficulties began I was torn from my tight-knit community in Northern Virginia and forced to adjust to life in West Texas prior to the start of my freshman year. I struggled to regain the close friends and relationships I left behind for the first time in my life.
lukas k//After school I hung around with my friends until baseball practice at 4:30. until baseball practice. At baseball practice we practice and fielding and hitting.after baseball practice me and my friend Max walked back to his house, after baseball practice me and my friend Max Walked back to his house, because it's only five blocks away.we hung out and rode bike for a couple hours until my dad pick me up. When my dad picked me up, he informed me that I could babysit. my dad picked me up, he informed me that I could babysit. After thinking about it, I said “yes”. He brought me to McDonald's, then to Shanes. The person I babysit for. After babysitting until 330. I went home, took a shower and went to bed. The next morning I got up at
When I started to play baseball I was nervous because I saw how fast they were pitching so I thought i couldn't hit the ball. When I was up to bat I was sitting there waiting for the pitch and there it was the pitch. I heard strike one then… strike two, i was nervous because the whole team was watching me. and then the third pitch came and with a crack of the bat it was soaring over the fence into the tree line. Then all i could here was the whole team cheering. And i know why they were cheering, it was because i just hit my first home run!!!! The next week the first game was against derby. We won the game 12 to 10. It was fun.
That when you do something in the past that you weren’t good at, then you try it again. When, you try it again you would know what to do but better. So, when I took a break from baseball and didn’t play for months and I came back better than I ever was. So, taking a break was a good thing for me cause i cleared my head and had a different mindset. And, they made me be better at what I do, and maybe even better than people that I couldn’t beat in the past. I once, saw a docomatary about a player (Derek Jeter) that took a break from playing sports and was a good thing for the Yankees. They won the World Series when he came back to play for them. Then i started to think to myself that if they took a break and
The smell of fresh cut grass and sunflower seed it was the smell of the best baseball season. I am going to Des Moines for the state tournament and you had to play for two days and we got a hotel and everything.We woke up at 6 because ower game started at 8:00 and we need to warm up to so we went to Des Moines and there were a lot of people and a lot of teams that I had to play them, they were huge and tall and i'm just normal.
Generally for selfless people talking about themselves, but it’s like running on a bed of nails for the first time. Parents, grandparents, and teachers taught us to be self less and the help people that need it.By the way talking about hardship, love of sports, and serving in the National Guard is going to be a difficult task to accomplish.
Ever since I could remember, I have always had a great interest and love for the game of baseball. As a kid, I would spend countless hours in the backyard with my grandfather, or even by myself, tossing, hitting and fielding a baseball. When I wasn't in the yard pretending to be Nomar Garciaparra I would watch the Boston Red Sox games on TV with my Grandfather. Even in my early adolescence, as impatient as most are, I had the patience to sit there and watch the Sox.With my eyes glued to the screen with a look of anticipation fixed on my face ready to mimic my grandfather with the excitement of a home run hit or the frustration of Mo-Vaughn striking out. Call me crazy, but I was addicted, even as a young boy, to Boston Red Sox baseball.