October 5
Past and present met on Prentiss Field yesterday. And the future looks bright.
We played Vassar baseball alumni Saturday in the traditional alumni game. From the Vassar graduates who played last year to the alumni who started the baseball program, everyone marveled at the field as they walked into the dugout. You could tell they were proud of the direction the program was taking.
It’s important to look back and see all the generations of Vassar baseball. It’s important to see where the program started and where it is now. And it’s important to keep looking toward the future and where this program could be very soon.
As I stood on first base after singling, one of the alumni said, “You guys look good. You have a really strong offense.” It’s a good feeling knowing that when we put on the Vassar uniform, we are not just representing ourselves and the school, but we are representing all those who played baseball at Vassar before us, the ones who started the program, helped build the field, and got us to where we are today.
But I’m not going to lie: it felt good to beat the alumni. Although most of them hadn’t played competitive baseball in years, it was nice to come out on top, put some crooked numbers on the scoreboard and show them that this program is getting better and better each year.
Saturday was also the last day of the fall season. It was important to end the fall on a high note personally and as a team. Going 4-5 at the plate and winning by a substantial margin will be nice to take into the winter. But although the practices with the coaches have ended, baseball doesn’t stop. We are still going to be lifting, throwing, and hitting on a regular basis all offseason.
Seeing all the ex-baseball players on the field Saturday was inspiring but nostalgic. Most, if not all, of us will stop playing competitive baseball after we graduate. Playing baseball has always been a part of my life and it’s hard to put into words what it will mean when I have to give it up. Perhaps the words won’t come until it’s time. So for now I am inspired to work hard in the offseason so that when I do have to give up playing ball, I can do so without regrets; without asking myself “what if I did this or what if I did that?”
But for the most part, the alumni game was exciting and fun. And hopefully looking into the Vassar baseball past propels us into the future.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Proving Yogi Right
October 1
Yogi Berra once said, “You can’t think and hit at the same time.”
Today, I tried to prove Yogi wrong.
We played an intersquad scrimmage in practice today and I wanted to be conscious of what I was thinking at the plate during my at-bats. That was my first mistake. If it’s true that you can’t think and hit at the same time, then you definitely can’t think about what you’re thinking and hit at the same time.
I walked up to the plate for my first at bat expecting a fastball. Look for a fastball up, I told myself. What did I get? First pitch: slider down and away. Okay, I thought, now he’s definitely coming with a fastball with this next pitch. I guessed right. The pitcher came with a fastball but for some reason I couldn’t pull the trigger. My mind and body weren’t working in sync. Now I’m in a hole, I thought. With two strikes I spread my feet and choked up on the bat. Think fastball, I thought, and adjust to the curve. The pitcher threw an inside curve and I pulled it on the ground to the second baseman for the ground out.
Perhaps I shouldn’t have been so stubborn, but how often do you have the chance to prove a hall of famer wrong? So, for one more at bat I wanted to go up there conscious about what I was thinking at the plate. Of course, once again, I worked myself into a hole. I stepped out of the batter’s box. This time I wasn’t going to think at the plate. Don’t think, I told myself, just adjust this time. Clear your head. I dug in, spread my feet and choked up on the bat. The pitcher threw an inside fastball and I sent the outfielders chasing after the ball in the right-center field gap. You win Yogi, I thought to myself as I stood on second with a double. You were right.
Yogi Berra once said, “You can’t think and hit at the same time.”
Today, I tried to prove Yogi wrong.
We played an intersquad scrimmage in practice today and I wanted to be conscious of what I was thinking at the plate during my at-bats. That was my first mistake. If it’s true that you can’t think and hit at the same time, then you definitely can’t think about what you’re thinking and hit at the same time.
I walked up to the plate for my first at bat expecting a fastball. Look for a fastball up, I told myself. What did I get? First pitch: slider down and away. Okay, I thought, now he’s definitely coming with a fastball with this next pitch. I guessed right. The pitcher came with a fastball but for some reason I couldn’t pull the trigger. My mind and body weren’t working in sync. Now I’m in a hole, I thought. With two strikes I spread my feet and choked up on the bat. Think fastball, I thought, and adjust to the curve. The pitcher threw an inside curve and I pulled it on the ground to the second baseman for the ground out.
Perhaps I shouldn’t have been so stubborn, but how often do you have the chance to prove a hall of famer wrong? So, for one more at bat I wanted to go up there conscious about what I was thinking at the plate. Of course, once again, I worked myself into a hole. I stepped out of the batter’s box. This time I wasn’t going to think at the plate. Don’t think, I told myself, just adjust this time. Clear your head. I dug in, spread my feet and choked up on the bat. The pitcher threw an inside fastball and I sent the outfielders chasing after the ball in the right-center field gap. You win Yogi, I thought to myself as I stood on second with a double. You were right.
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