#21 Drew Irwin

Last night, Keely and I went to the Highland Park baseball game. One of the kids she nannies for plays on the team, and she thought it'd be fun to go watch.

This, of course, brought up a lot of memories from my high school experience because I spent years of my life at Scotland Yard trying to be a baseball player. And even though it never really worked out for me, I do have some fond memories of that place. I hit a 360-ish foot home run to left field as a junior (suck it, Cubby), and that was definitely a top one.

Of course, knowing me, it also made me think what could've been. By junior year, I was really trying to take baseball seriously. For the first time, I had private lessons, and I was really getting better (as noted by said homer). I had a new bat, a new glove, and I was playing better. Then, BAM, broken finger on my throwing hand less than a month before tryouts.

And while it healed well enough to play, I threw awkwardly. I didn't hit very well. I was cut...again.

And it sucked. For the longest time, I thought it would be cool to make the team. Get a uniform. Have walk-up music. I honestly didn't even care if I played against good teams. And maybe I should've told that to the coaches and maybe they would've let me sit at the end of the bench. But it doesn't matter.

And last night made me think about all that again. Highland Park has some cool uniforms now, and there's this huge poster with all of the kids' bios. And now they even have little banners for each varsity player with their name and picture. It would've been so cool to have had that happen.

Baseball was the thing that I was really good at growing up. I had a great glove, and I had a good bat. I never really had any power, but I was a little kid for my age. And while I've watched baseball a lot since I quit, going back last night made me remember how close I got. And how badly I failed. And how these kids were doing what I wasn't able to do.

And I wonder if they appreciated it. If they knew how cool it was to have a banner. And a poster with their bio. And that they got to have walk up music. And be called in the starting lineup. And wear the uniform. I'm sure some of them do.

But do they simply take it for granted now, and their disappointment will be in college, where they can't make the team. Or in the minors. Or will they never have that disappointment that most of us have? And if so, do they ever appreciate how lucky it is to be doing what they're doing?

I hope so. At the very least, for my sake.