Before you begin reading this please go tell your Mother, your Grand-mother, the Mother of your children, your best friend’s Mom, and physically the closest other Mother to you that you love them, and are grateful for everything they do. They all deserve to hear that every day, so make sure it counts today.
Now back to this……
Like most things in life Baseball is a sport fueled by passionate Moms. From cleaning the dirt stains out of all of your clothes, to driving you to and from practice, to listening to you bitch about a coach or ump after a tough game: moms are always there. Even in youth town league baseball, being a baseball mom is no easy task.
I remember making an All-Star team one summer and it forced my mom to chauffeur me around all of Central and Western Massachusetts and sometimes sit through 2-3 games a day in the July heat. And to make things worse, WE SUCKKKED! It was no real fault of our small town, but we would get blown out all the time, and to make things even worse than that, I REALLLY SUCKED. There is a reason I have resorted to writing about baseball on the internet instead of playing it. I was good enough to make the All-Star team, but I was a career #9 hitter (Not just bottom of the order, but always last) I had no power, was decently quick, but my best skill as a hitter is that I would lean into pitches. I probably got hit more often than I got a hit. I made the team because I was a fantastic outfielder, and a pretty good 3rd baseman. In Little League baseball, I cannot imagine a less helpful skillset than being the 12-year-old equivalent of a Rookie Byron Buxton minus the upside. Yet, there was mom… cheering me on even after my 3rd K of the game, sitting in the 90-degree heat on her off day watching me and my friends get blown out. And she was doing all of this with a loving smile on her face. She was there for every game, sat through every double header, and watched every strike out.
But, it’s not the games I’m most thankful for. The sacrifices I remember the most were all the time she helped me practice. My mom was a fantastic high school athlete, pictures of her still line trophy cases. She was the captain of her softball and basketball team, and her son was a .125 hitter who could thankfully catch a fly ball with more regularity then the next kid. (I was convinced I was the next Nomar) My mom would spend hours outside playing catch with me, she would take me to the batting cages whenever I asked. She would crouch and let me try and pitch to her for longer than I can imagine. None of this made me any better, but she did it, and she loved doing it for me. My mom made me feel like I could be whatever I wanted on the field, she supported everything I did. And we all know those sacrifices went beyond baseball, it is one of the countless examples we have of moms going the extra mile for their kids.
I just briefly described the hours a mom has to put in for a shitty baseball player, now imagine the good players. Imagine the yearlong travel leagues, the private pitching lessons, the summer camps hours away. Moms make these sacrifices so that we can play a game. Moms make these sacrifices so they can see your face light up as you rip a double, or make a great play. It’s why we see players get so emotional when they talk about their mothers and wives, go look up what Bryce Harper had to say to his mother on Sport Center the other day, it will bring a tear to your eye. It’s why baseball tries so hard to raise awareness for breast cancer on this day, because without moms there is no Bryce Harper. Listen to the broadcasts today and you will hear inspiring and heartbreaking stories of strong moms. Mothers’ Day is one of those games where you see a playoff style of effort from each and every player. No one want to let mom down on her day. We are guaranteed one emotional HR, 10 heart touching stories, and countless memories of seeing our moms cheer us on as if we ourselves were big leaguers.
Mothers Day is not just another day, it is special, just like our moms themselves. So, take your mom to brunch, take her to a ball game, or– for this one day– don’t make her watch or talk about sports. Do whatever she wants! So, Thank you Mom, I love you and I hope you have the best day you can.
Slapstick Baseball 