“It’s easy to overlook and get caught up in the losses, It’s easy to get caught up in your success. Just enjoy the game you love”.
Amanda Howard from Spotlighthigh.com Media conducted an interview over dinner with former baseball player, Stephen Strout about The Love Of Baseball.
“Are you still playing baseball?” I asked once we’d gotten our pizza.
“I am only playing recreationally, now.” he said, taking a bite of his pizza. “I only play club baseball. I’m not on the college team, but I still love playing so much.”
“What’s your favorite memory of playing baseball?” I asked casually, moving to pluck a few napkins from the dispenser.
He thought in silence for a moment, and then asked, “Does it have to be only one single thing? Or can it be a lot of things together?”
“Anything that you can deem your favorite,” I laughed.
Finally, he said, “My senior year. Definitely.”
“Why?”
“Well,” Stephen began sheepishly. “I’ve been playing baseball for like fourteen years now. And up until my senior year, I always felt like I wasn’t doing enough for myself or my team. I decided the summer before my senior year that I was gonna be the senior that everyone relied on. I was gonna work on my batting skills–that’s really what I had a problem with–and I was gonna do everything I could to help my team succeed.”
“And what happened with that?” I inquired.
His smile was huge. “I had the best batting average on the team. My average was .475, which means I got a hit 4 out of 10 times, which is really good. Most people don’t get that good. I got selected for All- State Outfielder 6A. I got twenty-four runs and twelve stolen bases. And I completed my goal of not striking out all season.” Suddenly, he blushed. “I don’t wanna sound arrogant. I don’t usually talk about this stuff.”
“You don’t sound arrogant at all!” I beamed. “That’s incredible! What exactly is an All-State Outfielder?”
“It means I got selected as one of the best outfielders in Virginia,” he grinned.
“And you didn’t strike out at all this season?” I asked. It was hard to convey my amazement, as I wasn’t able to fathom playing a total of fifty-six games and not striking out at all. “That’s literally so crazy. And you said you had a problem with batting before your senior year!”
“I know,” he laughed. “It’s amazing what hard work and focus can accomplish.”
Later on, as we continued our conversation, I ended up asking him, “If you could choose one quote for people to remember you by, what would it be?”
He then retreated into silence, carefully pondering his verbal legacy. After a carefully measured moment, he said, “Don’t worry too much about it.”
Expecting a quote about dedication or passion, I was taken aback, but his face was pleasantly relaxed, not indicating that he was telling a joke. He calmly observed my confusion, and proceeded to explain,
“It’s pretty easy to get caught up in the losses. It’s easy to get caught up in your success. That makes it easy to overlook the joy you have for doing what you love. It’s taken me almost fourteen years to realize that for myself.” By Amanda Howard