Before we launch into this very interesting story about modeling our behavior, I’ll give you a little background.

The story starts with a little 5-year-old girl playing baseball with the boys.  She didn’t even sign up.  In fact, she knew absolutely nothing of the game.  She was playing her first year of basketball in the City League when her coach asked her if she would be interested in playing on his Little League Baseball team.  He said he had one more spot to fill, and if she was interested, she could play on his team.  The only catch was the first game was the following Saturday, so she would have to go to the game without ever practicing with the team.  She liked her basketball coach and was a bit intrigued by the idea of another sport.  Plus, the basketball season was about to end, so why not?

I picked up Kelsey’s uniform the next day.  She tried everything on and looked simply adorable with her big blue eyes and long blond ponytail peeking out the little hole in the back of her baseball cap.  I remember her telling me the cleats were her favorite part of her “outfit”. To this day, my daughters both have a shoe thing.  I have no idea where that might have come from.

The next Saturday was a busy day.  The last basketball game just so happened to fall on the same Saturday as the first baseball game.  God bless all the parents of busy kids, with their smelly sox, dirty cleats, and mud tracked into our cars.   I don’t know how we make it through it all, but we do.  When the basketball game ended, we went directly to the ballpark with Kelsey literally changing into her uniform in the backseat of the car. 

When we got to the park, Kelsey’s team was already gathered in their dugout.  The assistant coach had everything under control, so our slightly late arrival was not disruptive in any way.  Our team was up to bat first, and Kelsey’s name was way down near the end of the list.  With a huge grin on her face, she took a seat on the bench.

The batter just before Kelsey had the third out, so her team stood to take the field.  Kelsey froze.  She had no idea what was happening.  Wasn’t it her turn to bat?  Her coach kindly said, “That’s three outs, Kelsey.”

Her response, “What’s an out?” 

Yes, it was a steep learning curve that year.  Kelsey was one of two girls in the 5/6-year-old league that year.  Most of the boys had played T-ball the prior year, so they had a little bit of an advantage.  But Kels was sharp and a good little athlete, so it didn’t take long for her to get caught up to the rest.  She ended up playing three years of baseball with the boys and three years of softball with the girls.  After that, she focused entirely on basketball.

I will tell you one more fun baseball story I simply love before we move on to why we’re here. 

Tryouts were a challenge for Kelsey, as she was painfully shy.  She would shine when she was in a game, but tryouts and being the center of attention were horribly difficult for her.

One of the funniest things in her “baseball with the boys” career was when she tried out for her 7/8-year-old season.  I will never forget this moment…ever.  Kelsey was not new to the game.  She had been playing with the boys for two years, so this would be her third.  She was a standout due to the fact she was one of the only girls, and she was an excellent athlete.  She actually had made the All-star League the prior two years.  So, most of the kids and the parents in her age group knew who she was. 

All the kids had to show off their baseball skills for tryouts, which included batting.  But being so shy, anxiety often would get the best of her.  Kelsey was over the top nervous. 

She was struggling as she was standing in the batters’ box that day.  Swing and a mess…. Sing and a miss…quite unusual for her.  Then from right field, cocky little Jake Bell yells in the most demeaning, sarcastic tone you can hear from a seven-year-old boy.  “What’s the matter, Kelsey?  Can’t you hit the ball?”

He was mocking her at the top of his lungs from right field.  My heart broke.  How humiliating and embarrassing for her.  The place was packed with kids, parents, and grandparents from her entire division.  And believe me, everyone heard good ol’ Jake and his wisecrack.  Then as the next pitch came over the plate, Kelsey connected.  As luck would have it, and believe me, it was pure luck; Kelsey hit a line drive right at little Jake Bell.  He missed it, but it hit him in the thigh and knocked him down.  And what did little Jake Bell do?  He yelled, “Mommy!” and started to cry. 

Please forgive me if I find it funny, but believe me, the humor was not lost on the crowd that day.  I was not the only one laughing.

 So, here’s why we’re here. At the end of that baseball season, the fight for first place was as close as it gets.  It was literally down to the last game of the season.

The All-Stars games would run into the summer, but that team would be a mix of the best players from the division.  This last game ended the division games and was the playoff game for first place. It was a super close game, but a typical game for their age group.  What made this game different was not the players, but the spectators, specifically the parents of the children playing the game.

The bad behavior belonged to the fans of the Red Team and the Blue Team alike.  As the innings clicked across the board, the tension in the crowd grew to a point that I could never have imagined.  At first, the frustrated parents voiced their opinions a bit too loudly as the game rolled along.  When not satisfied with how the game was being played, they started yelling at their kids, which is never ok in my book.  This escalated to turning their fury toward the officials, and then… the Red and the Blue collided.  A Red Team father took a swing at a Blue Team father.  The police quickly arrived and removed the most offensive of the spectators, both of whom were still yelling as they were escorted away from the game to the parking lot.

I understand what it’s like to be competitive, but these were seven-and eight-year-old children.  What was the real lesson being taught here?  Was it the game of baseball or the idea that we must win at all costs?

Perhaps it was a missed opportunity for a different lesson entirely.  Proverbs 16:24 says “Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”    Those parents were missing a golden teaching moment.  Colossians 4:5-6 says, “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

There will be many opportunities for competition in our lives.  Sometimes we will win, and sometimes we will lose.  But winning isn’t always winning, and losing isn’t always losing.  If we win the game and lose the respect of those we love, we really haven’t won at all. 

But who won the game, you ask? I honestly don’t remember.   

Wishing you joy and peace,

Lorrie