I love baseball.
It’s not logical, as if love is ever logical.
I love going to the stadium and watching batting practice and infielders going through their drills. I love shadowing starting pitchers and studying their pre-game routines, trying to position myself as close to them in the bullpen as possible to see their grips and just learn by observation. I don’t want an autograph or even a tip of the cap, I just love watching them throw the ball and hearing the explosion in the catcher’s mitt. My favorite days are when I’m shagging flies or playing long toss or taking hacks in the cages at Fun Acre.
I love baseball so much I made a resolution to play catch every single day of 2018. And for the first six weeks, it’s been a blast making new friends and hearing new stories.
For Valentine’s Day, I wanted to ask my wife for a game of catch. And then whatever synapses fired that first set me out on this quixotic catch playing quest started firing again.
I heard the stories of the heart and vision behind Miracle League in the America at the Seams project, visiting with the founder as the featured story for the state of Georgia. Miracle League creates specialized fields and uses a buddy system so anyone can play baseball. Their simple motto: “Every child deserves a chance to play ball.”
My wife, Jamie, is an elementary school teacher for students with multiple disabilities. Over the years, several of her students have played in the local Miracle League. Last summer, my nephew played in the Miracle League in Arkansas. I heard one of his at-bats broadcast on the radio. It was an absolute riot.
I want to use this year of catch-playing craziness to connect students of all abilities to the greatest of games, so I am now looking for sponsors. ALL donations will benefit Miracle League. Money will be used to pay for students to play, toward stadium renovations and construction.
As Brad Pitt says, “How can you not be romantic about baseball?”
https://www.crowdrise.com/o/en/campaign/wanna-play-catch1/ethanbryan
Catch-playing story to come later today.