Baseball has been big deal for me as long as I can remember. I love watching games on TV or listening to them on the radio after a long day of classes or work at my summer job. More than anything else, I loved playing it, pretending I was on the biggest stage, striking out the likes of Miguel Cabrera or David Ortiz in a clutch situation to ice a World Series title.
By the time I got to high school, I saw that I wasn't good enough to make the team, whether it was because my skill level wasn't there or there were players younger than me that were at the same development point that I was. It was discouraging, and by the time I was 18, the window I had to play had been blown shut. The chances to play were gone.
The thing about passion is that it never dies. Before I got to college, I realized that playing at the next level was simply not in the cards. I could have just let it die right then and there. But then something hit me: If I can't actually play anymore, why not go into writing or TV and radio broadcasting? Why should I douse a devotion that could not be extinguished, when I could simply do the next best thing?
That first week of freshman year still lingers from time to time as I walked along the mall by the library, looking for clubs to even consider joining. I worked my way around, the thought of not knowing where to begin swirling like leaves taken in a stiff autumn breeze. The only thought I had was: find something that works toward your major, and one just do because it will be fun. Finally, I found what I was looking for: the campus radio station. From then on, I had been calling games, working the studio to make the on-air production go smoothly, the whole enchilada.
I don't want to say I don't miss playing the game. I always wonder what could have been if my skill was at the level necessary to play in high school, get my name out there for college coaches. But am I crying myself to sleep over the "coulda, shoulda, shoulda"? Not really.
The passion does not have to be specific to baseball, or any sport for that matter. It can be anything, from music to horses to painting. The trick is to find how to make the improbable likely. Love books but don't know how to express yourself through the written word? Take the classes necessary to run a business and open up a bookstore. Want to be in TV but don't feel comfortable being on screen? There is always the technical side of the production
So to those who told me that my skill level wasn't enough to live my dream, I want to say thank you. Without being grounded, I would not have found something that brings me joy, and would have been left to wallow in the pit of misery and "what if"s.