How Baseball Transformed My View on Hate

I absolutely look forward to baseball. Mid-February, pitchers and catchers report to their respective locations in Arizona or Florida to begin regular preparations for MLB. The ball hitting the glove . . . the bat hitting the ball. Watching clips of these things, new prospects, interviews, speculation—it’s all so joyous to me! I would love to be there during this time. It’s not even the games that are appealing. It’s the drills, the practice.

Practice?

Don’t start, AI!

I love baseball. I love the St. Louis Cardinals. I have since 1982, when I watched the end of the World Series on my black and white television in my bedroom. A few short years later, I was able to listen to Mike Shannon and Jack Buck call games via radio (yes, radio) on KMOX, the Voice of the Cardinals. A few more years, I was able to go to my first game live. I was hooked.

Baseball helped me with math. I completely nerded out and learned how to calculate ERAs and batting averages so that I could take stats on my video games. (Hardball, anyone?)

Baseball helped my imagination. I would emulate my favorite player’s batting stances, practice taking ground balls like Ozzie, or work on the imaginary 9th inning scenario (bases loaded, 2 outs, bottom of the 9th).

All these years later, baseball still gives to me. Now, honestly, as a Cards fan, we’ve been spoiled. In the past, I let the flow of the game affect my moods. Recently, my team has struggled. They’ve made changes (long overdue). As badly as we have been, I find myself more excited and really enjoying baseball.

The team not playing well or to the level I’ve grown up with is not the giving part. The giving part is how baseball has helped me not “hate” as much.

Let me explain.

There are teams, particularly rivalry teams, I’ve grown up “hating.” What’s interesting to me is in developing relationships with friends at work, some very close, I learned to view their favorite teams in a new way. I can watch with curiosity. I can see moves they make, players they’ve developed, and I don’t feel bitter or upset.

Let’s be clear: the suffering is not mine; it is my friends’. My heart hurts for them. I try to be a help and a light, as positive as i can be. It hit me one day I no longer have these harsh feelings towards their teams.

Crazy, I know.

But, maybe if you catch yourself saying “hate” or whatever in certain aspects of your life, you’ll be able to have a different perspective, particularly if people you care about are going through unimaginable sufferings. Hate, well, it’s just not good, is it, despite how the world sometimes portrays it as okay.

That doesn’t mean I’m going to wear those jerseys—gross!

Go baseball; Go Cards; and boo Dodgers/Yankees!

#baseball #lovelikeJesus #suffering #springtraining #mlb #stlcards #playball #videogames