I went to the same college as John Goodman. He starred in the baseball movies The Babe and Trouble with the Curve. Thanks to my daughters, one of my favorite Goodman characters is Sulley from Monsters, Inc.

Both of these men had big-screen dreams and have been incredibly successful in their Hollywood careers. I had no such aspirations.

When I walked the halls where Brad Pitt walked, I dreamed of playing baseball for the Royals.

When I walked the halls where John Goodman walked, I was trying to figure out what my dreams were.

I have been an extra in two baseball documentaries. My total screen time is less than 60 seconds. I am perfectly comfortable being a smiling face in the background.

When John Murphy emailed me, “I’d like to make a documentary about playing catch,” my first response was equal parts excitement and unbelief.

“That sounds awesome,” I replied.

It took about five minutes for the initial excitement to be paired with sheer panic when I realized I would no longer be a face in the background, but was receiving a promotion to be a main character.

I do not have main character confidence.

One of my favorite words in the English language is courage. Courage comes from the Latin word cor, which means heart.

My personal definition of courage is, “Putting your heart into the world.” The biggest problem with putting your heart into the world is the chance that something might go wrong. The second biggest problem with putting your heart into the world is you can’t control how others respond to it.

Courage is simply vulnerability in action.

You don’t feel courageous in the moment. You feel like you want to throw up and you can’t sit still and you can’t stand up straight. That’s exactly how I felt on the first day of filming the documentary. Multiple times I asked Matt, the sound genius and Disney fan, if he could hear my heart in the microphone.

I think it was John, the producer, who replied, “We can hear your heart in your words.”

When John pulled up to the location of the first shoot, he grabbed his glove and we were playing catch while the crew did the glorious work of unloading vehicles and setting up the equipment.

We filmed over the course of four days, and I spent quality time with Mountain Biker Cody and Cool Tattoo Story Jeremy and volunteered my muscles over and over again to Minnesota Matt from St. Louis. We shared meals and played catch on breaks, which were my favorite moments.

We filmed in the spot where Dad first taught me how to catch a pop up.

We filmed in the spot where I had my last high school at bat.

We filmed on the campus where I met Jamie and in the church where we were married.

We filmed the first game of catch with my new Catching Leadership mentees and a Catching Community clinic with a middle school team.

And we finished the week filming in the coffee shop where I wrote A Year of Playing Catch.

While the crew interviewed my family and friends and other catch experts, there was quite a bit of time sitting silently and reflecting on the arc of the last eight years.

On January 1, 2018, when my daughters asked me, “Dad, what would happen if you played catch every day for a year?”, I never could have imagined it would lead to the surreal experiences of the past week.

Borrowing from Dr. Seuss, “Oh, the places you’ll go!”

And from Spencer Durham, “Oh, the people you’ll meet!”

Playing catch has become a “metaphor for life,” as luthier Martin Schleske wrote, teaching me how to pay attention to the good in the world right here, right now.

And in the life-changing words of Steven Pressfield, I think playing catch is “nudging the human race one millimeter farther along its path back to God.”

There’s still a lot of filming to do, and then all the hours of editing and shaping it into a final story. When the film is finished, I know I’ll again be excited and embarrassed and all-the-emotions at seeing myself on the big screen.

But I’m putting my heart into the world exactly how 10-year-old me would have wanted me to, playing ball and making friends.

Maybe Brad Pitt said it best in Moneyball, “How can you not be romantic about baseball?”

* * * *

On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson made history by playing baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers. He was the first African-American to play in the modern major leagues, breaking the long-held gentlemen’s agreement that promoted segregation. On that date, Jackie played first base, which basically means he was a catch partner for the entire Dodger infield.

Jackie’s work, on and off the field, changed the country.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said Jackie “was a sit-inner before the sit-ins, a freedom rider before the Freedom Rides…Jackie Robinson made my success possible. Without him, I would never have been able to do what I did.”

I use one of Jackie’s quotes often when mentoring students:

A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.

To me, this is a quote about building meaningful community. And the true power of this quote comes from the fact that, even though he was on a team, Jackie was alone as he was taunted, thrown at, and endured verbal and physical abuse in most every game he played that first season.

His consistent courage and risky resilience shaped those around him to seeing his humanity, not just the color of his skin.

There is a second quote from Jackie I use with my mentees:

Life is not a spectator sport. If you’re going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my opinion, you’re wasting your life.

Being human, building community, is when real people do real things in real time with each other. Building community is relational, embodied, stepping into the arena where the results are anything but guaranteed.

This year, on the day MLB recognizes Jackie Robinson Day, I will be celebrating Jackie’s work by building community through playing catch.

Consider this your formal invitation to join the grassroots movement of play, connection, whimsy, and wonder.

On April 15, starting at 4:42, play catch for just 5 minutes as a token of appreciation to who Jackie was and his lasting impact on our culture.

The starting time is a tribute to Jackie’s number with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Read it, “For #42.”

Five minutes is a tribute to Jackie’s number with the Kansas City Monarchs, the team Jackie played on in the Negro Leagues.

After playing catch, take a selfie with your catch partner(s) and post it, saying “Thank you, Jackie.” Tag it with #Catch42.

Play catch wherever you are, with whomever is near you. You don’t have to go someplace special. But, if you want to organize a community game of catch, that would be awesome, too.

Community is built where you live your life.

* * * *

How do you build community?

One game of catch at a time.

According to Dr. Stuart Brown of the National Institute of Play, “Depression and anxiety can be caused by play deficit. We are built to play and built through play.”

In Greene County, the percentage of adult men who struggle with suicidal ideation is significantly above national averages. Finding ways for men to connect and encourage one another in person is a cultural challenge.

Play is imperative to help everyone be their best – period.

Former major-league pitcher Dr. Tom House is probably best known for being the person who caught Hank Aaron’s 715^th homerun in April of 1974. Almost 50 years later, Dr. House said, “You can change someone’s life with one game of catch.”

Playing catch is an exercise in joy, communication, and connection, all of which support physical, mental, and relational health. It grounds the participants in the present moment, encourages movement outdoors, increases meaningful conversation, and focuses on fun for fun’s sake.

For the 30 days of November, several community leaders have been challenged to play catch. These leaders will be playing catch with other men, posting pictures and commentary online, and encouraging others to get active and connected through play.

Leaders use their strengths, time, and energy to help others be their best. Through the simple game of catch, these Springfield leaders will be using play to help build a better community, one throw at a time.

I will also be playing catch for the month of November, raising money to support the on-going work of Community Partnership of the Ozarks (CPO).

CPO uses its strengths, time, and energy to help southwest Missouri be its best.

In the last year, CPO’s work impacted more than 111,000 people. CPO helped:

*Provide more than 12,000 bed nights during the worst of the cold

*Dispose of 151.25 tons of waste from the community

*Distribute 72,000 pounds of local produce

*More than 6,000 people file their taxes for free

*Refer 5,000 people for mental health services

Just like playing catch brings people together to be their best, CPO brings the community together to create a better place for all.

If you are interested in making a donation to support the incredible work of CPO, go here.

If you are interested in participating the 30 Days of Catch challenge, or if you just want to play catch, send an email to: ebryan@cpozarks.org.

Throwvember is coming.

Every catch counts.

* * * * *

What was your first job and what did you learn from it?

My first job was working for my dad, handing him tools under the house when I was around 6. I made 25 cents/hour. My relationship with him and the example he set had a huge influence on me; it’s the foundation of my work ethic and client-centric mindset.

What’s something about you that would surprise me in the best way?

I have a license in counseling and was in private practice for 16 years, working with kids and families. Now, I use that training by working with a national employment assistance program company that sends counselors to businesses during a crisis. Even though I work in real estate, I’m not doing anything different…helping people reach their goals and growing through the process.

What value would be missed if you stopped being a realtor?

I endeavor to be the right person for the people I work with in their moment of need, fully attending to what’s going on with them personally, emotionally, relationally, and spiritually in this chapter of their life. At home, I move plants so they can bathe in the sun; people need the same nurturing experience. I want people to feel valued, to grow, and to think and act in ways that make their world better. If we all did that, our world would be a whole lot better.

Describe yourself in 5 words.

Growth-mindset, relational, connector, communicator, thoughtful.

What are your 4 favorite parts of your job?

1. My clients are my friends and I get to help them succeed in their goals. I am deeply grateful for people inviting me into their story and allowing me the opportunity to help make it better.
2. Flexibility of schedule.
3. My co-workers.
4. The opportunity to be fulfilled while exercising my creative growth.

What are 3 challenging aspects of your job?

1. Helping people deal with difficult circumstances (things out of their control) from their personal life challenges to difficulty in the transaction process of getting their home sold or purchased (unknown house problems, lending difficulties, poor appraisal values, etc.). Someone once said, “I’m moving at the speed of relationship.”
2. Staying consistent with daily habits of connection. Bringing and maintaining the energy to be aware of the people I know and care for, to encourage and support them even when it sometimes goes unappreciated.
3. Not getting discouraged when the market is slow.

In 2 sentences or less, how do you define success?

Winston Churchill said, “Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence – is the key to unlocking our potential.” I have little control over the outcome, but all control over my effort. I want to be found always giving my best effort.

Professionally, it goes back to my dad. Dad regularly said, “If you take care of people, they’ll take care of you.” In over 40 years of owning an HVAC company, never advertising, he always took care of people. I think that’s success. He constantly quoted Proverbs 22:1, “A good name is to be more desired than great wealth, favor is better than silver and gold.”

Personally, my mission is supporting greatness in others. I believe when the tide rises, all the boats rise.

What is 1 thing on your work bucket list?

To build the business large enough to support a full-time staff (office manager, transaction coordinator, marketing director, other agents) to mentor and help them grow personally and professionally.

Also, I’d like to travel to the Pacific Northwest so I can see all 50 states.

* * * * *

Jackie Robinson once said, “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.”

Brent’s work as a realtor is so much more than just helping people find homes – he helps friends find their place in the community as neighbors. His creative and thoughtful work makes Springfield a better place for everyone.

Kaylea, your challenge has been accepted.

Over the past few years, there are several ways that our family has had fun with you and Aaron.

Like the oh-so-relaxing video game Mario Kart. There was that one time I beat Aaron. That was a lot of fun. I will remember it forever.

Or the classic, award-winning Italian card game of deduction – Bang! That game is very, very fun. I still don’t know how Aaron wins every single time.

Or the times we have played pickleball. Such fun times for all involved, even in the crazy wind and freezing rain. Right, Jess?

But some of the most fun times I’ve had in recent years with you and Aaron involve playing catch. Aaron, yesterday I gave you a glove. It’s the same model that my dad bought for me, and the same model that I have purchased for both Kaylea and Sophie. That glove means you are part of the family, now.

That glove is an incredible work of craftsmanship, a work of art. In order for that glove to do what it was created to do, it has to be cared for and played with. If you placed that glove on a bookshelf as a decoration, it would never do what a good glove is supposed to do.

Good gloves help you build trust with your catch partner. When you play catch, you aren’t trying to hurt one another or embarrass each other. You are spending time together, connecting with each other. Each circuit of throwing and catching is an exercise in building trust, a physical way of saying, “We’re in this together.”

Good gloves help create meaningful memories. Kaylea, I remember playing catch with you at the Grand Canyon, at the Nashville Sounds game, and watching you perfect your knuckleball over the years. Aaron, you have always said yes to my invitations to play. I am in awe of your cutter and have loved playing catch with you in the backyard (sometimes Caeden joined us), as well as on that very, very windy and brisk December afternoon with Will and James.

Good gloves open the lines of communication. While coordinating your body to throw the ball and catch it, you listen to each other. You throw and share stories about your day. You catch and process one other’s ideas and dreams and worries and fears. Sometimes, bad throws are made. Instinctively, you say, “I’m sorry,” and then chase down the ball and keep playing. Apologies are an important part of good communication, too.

Good gloves encourage fun. There is no shortage of serious in this world. In the upcoming months, you will share and discover all the wonderful responsibilities of building a life together and the work that entails – taxes and bills and car repairs and laundry and doing dishes. Having fun together is an intentional choice you must make daily.

I have had so much fun playing catch with both of you.

Good gloves teach us how to slow down and pay attention, helping you see that what really matters is sharing this experience with your catch partner. In a world filled with an overwhelming amount of noise and distractions, playing catch helps recenter you in the story you are living and, if you are paying attention, remember God’s Great Story. Living in God’s Great Story is all about learning how to love one another in real life, bringing glimpses of heaven to earth in the process. When you play together, sharing joy and paying attention to one another, where time often becomes irrelevant, that is also known as love.

At its heart, playing catch is an exercise in growing in love.

Aaron, Kaylea throws a delightful knuckleball. It is a work of beauty and art, just like she is.

Kaylea, Aaron throws a natural cutter. It is a wonder and delight to behold, just like he is.

My challenge to the two of you is this: This first year of your marriage, wherever you go, as often as possible, play catch. Let your love be displayed and continue to grow as you play together, creating ripples of hope in your wake.

It will require work and time and creativity to play together. But good gloves make relationships stronger. Good gloves bring people together.

All of this talk about playing catch to say this: I’ve been talking about your marriage the whole time:

Trust each other – you’re in this together.

Make meaningful memories.

Practice good communication, with quick apologies.

Have fun together.

Pay attention to each other.

Live and grow together in God’s Great Story of love.

Playing catch, like marriage, like life is an adventure designed to be shared.

And we are all cheering you on.

Like watching David Copperfield, it often leaves us wowed and wondering what in the world we just witnessed. Or, like watching the mesmerizing sleight-of-hand work of Shin Lim, we become speechless, the synapses in our brains seemingly frozen, begging to see the trick again.

Or, like watching Bobby Witt, Jr.

Cooperstown, New York is a magical place. David Tinnes must have said that phrase a dozen times in the 30 hours we were there. The village is in upstate New York, tucked away in the trees, on the southern tip of Otsego Lake. No one arrives at Cooperstown by accident. It is the legendary home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Main Street is filled with stores selling baseball-related memorabilia – cigars and whiskey, vintage gloves and baseball cards, hats and home décor. When you go to Cooperstown, be sure to track down the dark chocolate and raspberry fudge; it is delectable.

Jamie and I went on a seven-day, 2,700-mile catch-playing adventure to Cooperstown, New York. I went to tell a story about playing catch. A story about my dad and daughters and writing a book. A story about being human. Several of my catch-playing friends from across the US decided to meet me there.

Time for some introductions.

David Tinnes. A relatively new baseball fan and Mets fan, bless his heart, David teaches students with disabilities in Rochester, New York. He played catch for a year, ending on Leap Day 2024. He loves his first baseman’s mitt designed in the blue and orange of his Mets.

Kevin Negaard. The king of questions, Kevin is a Nokona glove addict. He played catch for a year starting on the day of his 60^th birthday, connected with more than 2,000 catch partners including Ozzie Smith, and raised $369,000 for the Miracle League of Sioux City, Iowa. Kevin knows everyone.

Don Kirk. At the age of 72, Don started playing catch to help remember the connection he had with his son, Jonathan, who passed away at the age of 35 after a heart transplant. Playing catch is how Don dared to meet his grief face-to-face. From Albany, New York, Don plays catch using Jonathan’s Rawlings glove.

John Murphy. Also known as Murph. Murph is a storytelling documentarian from Salt Lake City, Utah, who has a vision for creating a documentary about the power and wonder of playing catch. Murph owns a beautiful Wilson A2000 that still needs a little more breaking in.

J.D. Mangrum. J.D. pastors Christ Church Charlestown in Massachusetts. His church celebrated its 150^th birthday seven years before George Washington became the first President of the US. J.D. started playing catch to connect with his sons and never stopped. He has now eclipsed the 650-day mark, currently using a new Rawlings he picked up after blowing out his other gloves.

Sheila Forsyth. The newcomer to the group, a marriage and family counselor from Springfield, Missouri, Sheila is nearing the halfway point of her catch-playing year using a Rawlings glove. This was her first trip to Cooperstown and she was joined by her son, Shayne.

Jamie Bryan. My wife of 27 years, a cancer survivor, who teaches students with multiple disabilities at the elementary school I attended as a child.

Max Martin. A former collegiate ballplayer, now a corrections officer from Iowa, Max keeps Kevin honest. Max is soft-spoken until he isn’t. Then, Max is absolutely hilarious. To help keep himself sane, mostly because of work and only partially because of Kevin, Max collects baseball cards.

Me. An always-overthinking writer with Charlie Brown luck who gets nervous far too easily.

Now, for the story.

There are three parts to a magic act.

First, The Pledge. This is when the magician shows you something ordinary. A standard deck of cards, for example. Or pizza.

On Main Street in Cooperstown, just a few blocks down from the Hall of Fame, at a pizza lunch, six of us sat down for introductions. We learned about Murph’s Golden-Glove boxing dad and growing up fighting and why he started making movies – thank you, Star Wars. Kevin shared his passion for working with the Miracle League, helping to make baseball accessible to all people. David works with students with special needs and is only a week away from his oldest child graduating high school. Jamie shared the story of her battle with cancer and the ongoing journey, and Max surprised us all, telling us about the time a stranger attacked him with a box cutter and left him barely alive.

The Pledge, however, wasn’t really the pizza. That was an instrument of distraction, much like a magic wand or beautiful assistant. We were The Pledge. Our pizza-backed stories revealed not only our passions for playing catch, but also the pains and struggles we carry wherever we go. Those pains are part of the cost of being alive. We are all merely ordinary humans.

Ordinary humans are the best humans. Ordinary humans are like Matt Landry of Indiana, who plays catch with his sons, but also plays catch to raise money for the local food pantry. Last September, he raised $22,000.

Ordinary humans are like Ben Finch of New York, who volunteers to play catch on the worst weather days so others can enjoy the good weather days.

Ordinary humans are like Billy and Branch Martin of Ohio, who play catch regularly at the cemetery, as they grieve the loss of a daughter and sister and heal through having fun.

Ordinary humans are like Wade Alberty, the collegiate IT specialist in Missouri, who is a southpaw pitcher in his local corkball league. One of the older guys in his league, he plays because it’s fun.

Part two of a magic trick is The Turn. This is when the magician makes the ordinary thing do something extraordinary. Like all the numbers on a deck of cards disappear except for the card of your choice.

The Turn in Cooperstown developed slowly. It began as we toured the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. There we saw the artifacts and read the stories of other ordinary humans who had accomplished great things in baseball and in life. The glove that Willie Mays used to make “The Catch.”

Hank Aaron’s uniform and statue. George Brett’s pine tar bat. And the new “Souls of the Game” exhibit. These glimpses into baseball history were inspiring and breath taking, reminding me of the James Earl Jones quote from Field of Dreams, “The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it’s a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again.”

Don Kirk joined us near the end of the tour, standing just outside the Bullpen Theater, the same theater where my presentation would take place an hour later. I was battling nerves – always. Jamie, David, Don, and I started playing catch in the Hall of Fame using a Yardball. Don and I have visited and texted and emailed several times; this was our first in-person meeting. Tossing the ball was quite calming and therapeutic, and it was fun getting passersby to participate. Playing catch helps us focus on the now. It’s a grounding exercise, a centering exercise. I took a selfie and tried my best to get Murph in the background.

There are those rare times when the magician offers us a peak behind the curtains, revealing his secrets. Oddly enough, instead of disappointment, our enlightenment makes what we thought we saw even more amazing.

I did my best to pull back the curtain and reveal the secret power of playing catch, telling a story about how this particular, simple, infinite game transforms ordinary humans. Playing catch day in and day out is an exercise in hope that helps us to live a good story.

The storytelling was a success. During the questions and answers, one member of the audience suggested I write a children’s book about playing catch, which is a fantastic idea. I do know a potential illustrator. I even sold a copy of my book. I can now cross-off, “Have a book signing at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum” from my bucket list.

Part three of a magic trick is The Prestige. This is the true “aha” moment. When the blank cards all turn back into normal cards with the flick of a wrist.

Part three, in Cooperstown, came in waves.

And it came because we played catch.

After dinner, we retreated to our home for the night, a rental house with a creek running through the back yard. Kevin pulled out a replica vintage lemon-peel ball, and the throws and stories started. Max wondered what would happen if he played catch with one inmate every day. Kevin considered starting a podcast documenting his catch-playing year titled, “Say Yes.” Murph threw for a while, still breaking in his glove, and then picked up his camera to capture some of the whimsy. Don brought a brand-new baseball for all of us to autograph. He has a shelf filled with signed baseballs from all of his catch partners. Jamie picked up a glove and joined in the game.

“Isn’t this place just magical?” David asked. The grin on his face could not have been brighter.

We compared gloves and told dozens of stories about playing catch, each story sending us off on a new rabbit trail. (No rabbits were pulled from hats or harmed in the experience.) We laughed and played and struggles and pains were temporarily forgotten. Time was irrelevant. Strangers now friends, brought together through the simplest of activities. We each inspired and encouraged one another.

J.D. later texted me, “Nothing like a 19^th century game to help address our 21^st century brokenness!”

When we relocated inside the house, Murph showed us ninety seconds of the catch-playing documentary. It stirred the same emotions one feels during the three minutes Dwier Brown appears in Field of Dreams.

The following morning, J.D. left Boston at 4 AM to join in the fun. He saw the video and we stepped out in the thick, dewy grass toting gloves and wearing hoodies. A duck swam through the creek looking for breakfast and conversations continued. Kevin kept switching out a normal baseball for his lemon peel. I spotted his sleight-of-hand on multiple occasions.

Sheila texted me, “Shayne and I just pulled up to Cooperstown. Where can we find you guys?”

Sheila experienced one setback after another trying to fly from Springfield to New York. She had planned on making the presentation, but didn’t reach her hotel until well after midnight.

After hearing from Sheila, we glovers (a group of catch players) connected and embarked on a catch-playing tour across Cooperstown, starting on the front porch of the Hall of Fame. David, Kevin, Sheila, J.D., and I threw the ball around. The five of us represented more than 2,000 days of playing catch.

Our final catch took place in the left field bullpen at Doubleday Field.

There is a deeper magic than what occurs on a Las Vegas stage any given night. C.S. Lewis referenced this kind of magic in his Narnia writings; it’s also referenced in Harry Potter.

Don was the one who revealed the secret.

“Playing catch is all about people,” he said.

We are all ordinary people carrying struggles and pains with every step. When we have the courage to reveal those struggles and pains, whether the loss of a son or physical scars carried on our body or family transitions or loss of a job, when we give voice to our pain, we are transformed.

Playing catch simply teaches us how to pay attention to other people so their voice can be heard, so their struggles are shared, so they know that they are not alone.

Play is that which brings us joy and connection. And when you play with someone else, sharing joy and paying attention to them, where time becomes irrelevant, that is also known as love.

Love is the deepest magic of all.

Playing catch is an exercise in love.

From Cooperstown, we parted ways, each of us carrying the tools of our trade – a glove and ball – more than willing to share the secrets of our craft with anyone who might have the courage to say yes whenever we ask, “Wanna play catch?”

On Friday, August 16, I’ll turn 50. It’s a good number. I’m working on an idea for playing catch in the Ozarks, spreading joy and wonder and a little magic.

You are invited.

As my nephew Henry would say, “That’s called comedy.”

There has been a lot of talk about graduation speeches recently. Even though I don’t know when or where I might have the opportunity to deliver it, I figured that now would be a good time to put my first attempt down on paper. I am not a celebrity like Brad Meltzer who deserves 20 minutes to deliver a speech. This first draft will be considerably shorter.

To the Class of 2024,

You have spent the last four (or so) years studying and reading and researching and writing and dreaming and thinking and worrying about and planning for the future. You have made it to this day — the commencement of “the future” — and I want to begin by saying Congratulations. We are so proud of you. Take a deep breath and be proud of yourself.

Now, I have one request.

Take everything you have learned and go play.

Go play. With all of your heart. Every single day. For the rest of your lives.

Everything I am about to tell you, I learned while playing catch. I didn’t play catch because I was a gifted and talented athlete. Looking at me, I can see how you might make that mistake. The truth is my baseball career ended as a 16-year-old junior varsity benchwarmer. I played catch, every single day for an entire year, because my daughters encouraged me to try it and see what would happen.

Which brings me to the first thing I want to tell you: Pay attention. Put down your phones long enough to look up and look around in wonder and awe. This third curveball from the sun is filled with inspiration everywhere you look. There is a deep magic in this world and its invitations most often come in quiet whispers and unexpected questions.

“Dad, what would happen if you played catch every day for an entire year?” my daughters asked.

It was an unexpected dinnertime question and invitation and I was paying attention.

The short answer: It would change my life.

I am an introvert and I get nervous quite easily. There were so many times I was scheduled to meet with a catch partner who was a complete stranger. On those occasions, I recalled a quote from a movie that my daughters and I love – We Bought a Zoo. “Sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage.”

When I think of courageous people, I think of Jackie Robinson and Rosa Parks and Nelson Mandela and Teddy Roosevelt and Helen Keller and Malala Yousafzai and Abraham Lincoln.

I, on the other hand, am afraid of snakes and speaking in front of people and going to the dentist. I would never describe myself as being courageous.

The word courage is derived from an old, old Latin word that means heart. Courage originally meant, “To speak one’s mind by telling all one’s heart.” Courage requires us to put our hearts into our work, into our efforts, when we don’t know the outcome.

On those occasions when I was meeting a stranger, I took a deep breath and, for just twenty seconds, I acted like I was the best catch player in the world. And then, the deep magic happened. This stranger and I would shake hands and introduce ourselves and start throwing a baseball back and forth, figuring out how we best played catch together. Often we talked about the most random things. We asked questions of one another and shared stories and the anxious nerves went away.

Play increases curiosity, and curiosity speeds the revealing of the deep magic in the world. As Ted Lasso says, “Be curious, not judgmental.”

After fifteen or twenty minutes of playing catch, something nigh-miraculous happened. I had made a new friend. Take a moment and think of the friends you have made during your time on campus, the serendipitous ways you first connected, and the delightful ways those connections were strengthened.

Deep magic.

Friends are those people who encourage you, even when you don’t realize you are in desperate need of encouragement. Encouragers speak truth from the heart to give others strength.

Just like my daughters did when they first prompted me to play catch.

Their inspired question sent me out into the world where I made so many new friends, heard so many amazing stories, and made me ask questions and start learning things.

For example, did you know that playing catch is an infinite game.

The whole point of playing catch is to make another throw. Throw. Catch. Repeat. It really is just that basic. It’s not a means to another end. It’s not about perfection or performance. It’s not a game of winners and losers. An infinite game is a game that is a journey of creativity and adaptability and exploration.

What happens if we play catch with our non-dominant hands? Try it and find out.

What happens if someone sees us playing catch and wants to join in? Invite them to join and find out.

What happens if you play catch in a snowstorm? Put on a bunch of clothes and try it and find out.

In his book The Practice, Seth Godin writes, “The most important parts of our lives are games that we can’t imagine winning. We don’t do this work hoping that we will win and the game will be over. Play to keep playing. Each step is movement on a journey that we can only hope will continue. It is simply a chance to trust ourselves enough to participate.”

Infinite games are all about having the courage to get in the arena and find out, thank you Teddy Roosevelt. Infinite games push us to live and grow and fall and get up and just keep swimming, thank you Dory.

Playing catch is one of those cool infinite games that is a with activity.

Shannon Alder said, “One of the most important things you can do on this earth is to let people know they are not alone.”

Playing catch is an infinite adventure that is supposed to be shared.

Life is an infinite, adventurous game that is supposed to be shared.

There are no winners or losers. It is a journey of creativity and adaptability and exploration and wonder.

When we play, if we are really paying attention, if we are really playing with a new friend with all of our heart, we might witness even more deep magic.

When we play, there are those occasions when time will disappear. You will have stepped into a thin place.

“Thin places” is a term from Celtic mythology and tradition. “Thin places” are locations and settings where the veil between heaven and Earth seems to almost disappear. There is an oft-quoted Celtic saying, “Heaven and earth are only three feet apart, but in thin places, that distance is even shorter.” They are sacred spaces that are hard to describe in words alone. Thin places are meant to be experienced.

For example, the first time I walked to the edge of the Grand Canyon, I felt as though I was in a thin place. I don’t know how many times I said, “Wow,” and just stared off into the distance.

When you step into a thin place, you will have crossed over from the world of chronos time, the world of quantitative time, to the world of kairos time, the qualitative world of time.

Chronos time is life measured and counted. Seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years. It’s the time of the daily grind.

Kairos time is life lived to the fullest, sucking the marrow out of life’s bones, realizing that every single step you take is on holy ground. It’s the time that makes life worth living.

When you are in the midst of kairos time, when you play so fully and free that nothing else matters, you will experience the deepest magic of all.

You see, most simply put, play is that which brings us joy and connection. And when you play with someone else, sharing joy and paying attention to them, where time becomes irrelevant, that is also known as love.

Love, the strongest power in all creation, is the deepest magic of all.

Wherever your feet may take you,

In whatever career paths you have chosen,

With whomever may cross your paths,

May you go play,

With all of your heart,

Full of courage and as encouragers,

Paying attention,

And so transform this world

With love.

I’m going to Rippey, Iowa – population 220 and the home of Walt Anderson Field – to play baseball in the fourth iteration of the Rippey Ruckus.

Rippey fell in love with baseball in 1880, six years before Coca-Cola was invented. In 1940, they built their own field of dreams, Walt Anderson Field, and hosted a town-ball team, the Rippey Merchants. In 2012, after 70 years of high school baseball, consolidations changed the location of ball games and Walt Anderson Field fell into disrepair.

In 2015, legendary Iowa high school coach Mel Murkin moved back to Rippey and took it upon himself to restore the field to its former beauty. With the help of Merle Jackson, who lived across the street from the ballpark, the two spent five years cleaning up Walt Anderson Field.

In May of 2021, the first Rippey Ruckus was played. It was a hit. Pun intended.

About a year ago, thanks to Anna and the Baseball Bucket List, I learned of the Rippey Ruckus.

The brainchild of Bruce Thome and some of his friends, the Rippey Ruckus has evolved over the past few years. It is now a round-robin tournament of five teams over three days.

Bruce, a Twins fan and distant relation to baseball HOFer Jim Thome, and I connected through social media and started talking about the possibility of doing some kind of catch-playing event in Rippey.

Maybe throwing out a first pitch at a high school baseball game.

Maybe a catch-playing fundraiser when the RAGBRAI comes through town.

Maybe actually playing in the Ruckus.

Early January 2024, it was decided: I would be playing in the Rippey Ruckus on his team, the Rippey Demons. The other teams are from Minnesota (2), Chicago, and Kansas City.

Playing four games in three days means my benchwarming skills (and hamstrings) will truly be put to the test.

Thankfully, my arm should be in decent shape. I’ve been stretching and exercising regularly, as well as taking swings at the best quarter cages in the Ozarks.

I have two goals for the Ruckus. To return home uninjured and to play catch with and make a bunch of new friends.

It should make for an epic baseball weekend.

Friendly Baseball plays every Monday night from 7 – 9 at Northside High School. The Sandlot-style league was created by Mark Zubizarreta in 2012 with the goal of removing as many barriers as possible for people of all ages and abilities to come together and simply play the game.

“I posted the idea on Facebook and we had 18 people show up! It felt like a childhood baseball game with your neighbors, just that we didn’t have to yell ‘car’ every 10 minutes or worry about breaking a window,” Mark said.

Baseball brings people together.

One of the strengths of the league is the team of volunteers who make sure the games take place week in and week out, along with all the behind-the-scenes work that has to happen. I asked Mark to teach me about a few of the regulars.

David — A Yankees fan in exile. He helped create the group back in 2012 and shines at reaching out to the players on the outside.

Brandon J — With the league from the beginning. Last year he was sidelined with a leg injury, and he still went above and beyond in helping players feel comfortable.

Joey — He cares for the group as much as he cares for his baseball gloves, which are always kept in the best shape!

Brandon D — New to the Admin team, you can spot Brandon by looking for the player with broad shoulders, American flag socks, and a swing like Babe Ruth.

Shane — Also new to the Admin team. Shane is competitive by nature and has a big heart. He lends out his catching gear so people can experience the position. (No, thank you.)

Zechariah — He welcomes new folks by helping make sure they get signed in and have someone they can warm up with. A real builder in the community.

Friendly Baseball welcomes new players all the time, even if they are just passing through town. Other ballplayers have included retired MLB player Jeff Frye, Team USA gold medalist Anna Kimbrell, and Gabriel Tresk — a tourist from Vienna, Austria!

A few players sporting KC hats have played in the league, but they were from Kansas. It looks like I’ll be the first person from Missouri playing at Friendly Baseball. It’s an honor.

Besides getting on the field and making new friends, I’m also looking forward to seeing Friendly Baseball’s Legacy Number jerseys. The number on the back of a player’s jersey is the year they joined the league. I’m sure there will be a good number of 12s, I’m hoping to see some 24s, too.

Being a new year, I’ll be swinging a new bat, one I plan to use as my gameday bat wherever I play ball this year. Many thanks to Brock and Rueb Bats for this piece of art. (Proceeds from Rueb Bats support no-kill animal shelters across the Ozarks.) I can almost guarantee I’ll swing at the first pitch I’ll see.

At Friendly Baseball’s Opening Day, Mark is going to help me launch a couple of new projects. Rawlings donated two gold baseballs especially for these projects. The baseballs are made from the same leather as their Gold Glove Awards. (The Gold Glove Award gloves are actual gloves. They can be used for a game of catch. That’s on my catch-playing bucket list, too.)

The projects are similar and simple. Play catch with one of these gold baseballs, take a selfie, and pass the ball along to your catch partner. Once you are in possession of a gold baseball, you have 24 hours to play catch with it and pass it along. Repeat.

Each baseball is labeled with a hashtag, to make it possible to track them across social media as well as to provide focus for the purpose of the ball. (Tag me in the post and I’ll gladly share it.)

The first baseball is the #FriendlyBall. This ball is an invitation and opportunity for anyone to play catch. Play catch. Take a selfie. Pass the ball along. Post a picture with the hashtag #FriendlyBall.

The second baseball is the #DadsPlayCatch ball. The US leads the world in fatherlessness. The whole point of this ball is for dads to play catch and encourage one another to be their best as dads. Play Catch. Take a selfie. Pass the ball along. Post a picture with the hashtag #DadsPlayCatch.

Finally, because it’s baseball, and because it’s Opening Day, I’ll be in full uniform, including tall socks. Even benchwarmers need to look good. At this time, I haven’t decided which uniform I’ll be wearing.

Only two weeks until Friendly Baseball’s Opening Day!

“I’m still processing my journey. I’ve never been good at completing New Year’s resolutions. But this was different. Every day, I was intentionally focusing on someone else, on connecting with someone else. At the same time, I needed the help of others, and so many people were willing to help me reach my goal.”

The biggest challenge was getting started.

“The first 50 to 75 days, just finding someone willing to play catch was difficult. After that, people seemed to know, and word spread. Like the time my wife was at a garage sale and the woman running the sale told her, ‘My son is following his story!’”

Travis is the pastor of North Nixa Baptist Church. Before Nixa, he preached at Orchard Crest for 11 years. He’ll celebrate his sixth anniversary at North Nixa this April.

“Playing catch became something I looked forward to every day. Being a pastor can be stressful, and throwing a ball with someone else was so calming, I needed it for me. It’s just something you have to experience to understand.”

A group of church members made a jersey for him to wear throughout the year. Featuring the blue of his team, the Kansas City Royals, it reads “Wanna Play Catch” across his chest, with the number 12 below the script. Above the script, on the left side, is an embroidered patch of a glove his daughter drew. On the back is his last name and a larger 12.

“Twelve was my number playing baseball and basketball growing up. I chose it because it was my dad’s number when he played basketball.”

Travis is quick to acknowledge the sacrifice and encouragement of his family throughout his year.

“I couldn’t have done it without their support. It does take time and energy to coordinate, to play catch and make that connection.”

Both of us are convinced that connecting with someone through playing catch is the secret sauce.

“People are looking for connections. They’re willing to open up and share when they feel someone is listening to them, when they can tell you care.”

After successfully completing his catch-playing year, he took a couple days off. He missed it immediately. This past weekend, he organized a gathering of dads and sons to play catch and looks forward to doing the same for dads and daughters in the fall.

“In the larger picture, playing catch is so small, so simple. But I’m already catching glimpses of how God is using it to do something greater. I can’t begin to imagine where it’s going to lead.”

Congratulations, Travis, on living a great story!