Life Lessons through Baseball (week 442)

I must first thank all of my friends and family who have donated over $500 to the ELB "U8 A" All-Star Team!  We needed to raise $4,000 as a team to help pay for fields, equipment, and tournament registration.  The "Friends Benjamin Keisler" were able to raise 1/8 of that amount with just a few emails and a few clicks, and I am extremely grateful for your love and support.  I learned that I have a lot of people in my life to be thankful for.

The actual baseball has been filled with highs and lows this week. Beginning with the lows, we took 2nd place in our own tournament--losing in the championship game to the same Torrance team that we beat twice the week before--and striking out 11 times!  I started the game as our pitcher and ended up giving up 2 runs (none earned) and that held-up on a late night.  I learned an important lesson from Torrance, who battled back from two straight losses to beat us in the game that mattered most.  I learned that you can't take anyone or anything for granted.  It really is an amazing opportunity to play something that you love and have a chance to play in a championship game on your home field.

Two nights later, we won the St. Hedwig Tournament at the local Catholic school--beating the tournament host on their own field 9-0--and seeing their team experience the same feeling of getting shut-out in their own tournament championship.  At the end of the game, the other team gave us cupcakes (even though we beat them). I learned that it is really fun to win but that it is just a game and that we are all just 8-year-olds that love cupcakes.  Chris attended all of my games and has been such a good brother, so I got him a cupcake and brought it to him off the field before I got one for myself.  My parents learned that I actually do think about other people, and my brother in particular, before I think of myself (sometimes)!