Personal Narrative: How Baseball Has Changed My Life

This mindset would be crushed on my first day of baseball practice, where I was put in my place and forced to re-evaluate what it truly means to be a successful person. Baseball has taught me that no amount of inborn genius can or should

The origin of Roberto’s early life of baseball started when he watched a baseball game for the very first time. His childhood wasn’t the greatest considering his limitations. One of Roberto’s biggests limits was that he couldn’t sleep at night. He would always be thinking of baseball. People would say that whenever they saw Roberto, he was playing some form of baseball.

For a young baseball player one of the highest goals to achieve is hitting a homerun -for me that was all I wanted. I already achieved most of what I wanted in baseball, and one of my proudest was a no-hitter, but it was no home run. When I first realized how bad I wanted this feat was one night after a practice where all we did was just hit. The majority of my teammates hit at least one homerun that practice, but me I hit the fence but never was able to send one over. The car ride home after the practice was horrible, I was a mess.

These quotes shaped the way I thought about both baseball and life in general. I never gave up and continued to work my way out of my slump. As Babe Ruth once said, “[I] never let the fear of striking out keep [me] from playing the game.” I realized that everyone makes mistakes and can’t be perfect. This doesn’t just apply to baseball, but can apply to our everyday lives when it comes to relationships or even schoolwork. Odysseus was mentally struggling when he was on Circe’s island.

I first played Tee Ball, like I said before, then moved up levels as my age got older. It starts at 6u-18u then after high school there options of division one, which I one day hope to play! At first I was not very good at softball. I could barley throw or hit very far and most definitely could not pitch. The first time I ever pitched was 8u and I was the biggest, tallest, and one of the most strongest players so my

Baseball seemed to be my life when I was a little kid. Playing catch, hitting balls, pitching, the whole nine yards. It has always a life long dream of mine to play Major League Baseball. I was a little kid with big dreams, nothing seemed to be impossible. I got older though, I started to realize some dreams were just too big.I couldn’t throw 100 MPH and didn’t have lightning fast speed.

I got my will to compete from my parents and my grandpa. When I started softball at age 6, my dad was the coach. Ever since then, my dad has coached me and pushed me to be the best. One quote my grandpa always told me was, “If you’re not first, you’re last.” I’ve always believed this quote and strived to be the best. My family is so competitive that when we play corn hole, the rules are really strict.

Jackie didn’t pay attention to what people thought or said about him, just knowing he was going to get on base the next pitch. Jackie Robinson was born on January 31st, 1919 in Cairo Georgia. Was the youngest of five children, so wasn’t noticed by his parents much. His brother, Mack, was a track star, earning a silver medal in the 1936 Olympics, the main reason that Jackie was drawn to sports at such an early age. In high school, Jackie lettered in four different sports, baseball, football,

For fifteen years, baseball was my life; I have countless favorite memories and am grateful for the lessons and values learned during my baseball journey. After a year of playing in college while battling an injury, I decided to alter my goals; ultimately, I chose to leave baseball behind. Finishing out the school year left me feeling anxious pertaining to what I might expect in the future, but deep down I knew I made the right choice of transferring to the University of Illinois. Brand-new friends introduced me to opportunities I might have previously passed on, and as a result, I found myself wanting a connection to the community. Being a student teacher in our Child Development Lab, joining student organizations, and volunteering at our

When I was playing baseball I wasn’t happy; it was complete torture. When I was in cross country practice I loved life. I knew it was what I wanted to do, not baseball. “I just don’t know how to leave baseball; my dad loves that I play his favorite sport.” I spoke to my mom and she suggested I enjoy my high school career doing something I enjoy. My decision is clear but I just don’t know how to tell my dad; sometimes we are concerned about other people’s feelings, that we don’t do what we truly love.

His parents signed him up to play when he was young. His early interest in photography started when one day his older brother, Frank, told him that he would give him his Diana Camera if he got a base hit in one of his games. Unfortunately, he did not hit the ball BUT he did get on base because he got hit in the shoulder, so he got to walk onto first base. He still ended up getting the camera. (Mark Seliger) Mark quickly became obsessed with his camera and fell in love with developing his pictures in his makeshift darkroom that

Ronald Torreyes 24-year-old Venezuelan, who currently just concluded his first full season with Yankees. Standing at a height of only 5’10, Torreyes is the shortest player on the Yankees Roster. His stature does not although, hinder his playing ability as he has proven to be an impressive asset for the Yankees bench this season. To further understand Torreyes, we will need to further look into the man that I consider to be a great utility player for the Yanks. Torreyes discovered baseball during his childhood in Venezuela, he would later sign with the Cincinnati Reds as an international free agent when he at the young age of 17.

Hank Aaron was born on February 5th, 1934 in Mobile, Alabama. Hank was the third of eight children and was very poor growing up. When Hank was 8 years old his family moved to Toulminville, Alabama were he showed a strong passion for football and baseball. In Hank’s junior year in high school he transferred from Central high school to Josephine Allen institute. After only 1 year Hank had proven his abilities on the baseball field and in 1951 he quit school at the age of 18 to play for the Negro baseball leagues the Indianapolis Clowns.

My mother has always told me that nothing good has ever come out of laziness, which has inspired me throughout my life to work hard at anything that comes along my path. For example, when I switched softball leagues I wasn’t considered to be very competitive because I was the new player. I continued to work hard with my new team and by the second season, I started at first base, earned the nickname “Home-Run Hazel” because by the end of the second season I hit five home-runs, and I was also voted MVP of my team. This is a standard that I am still working for in Bettendorf softball that I hope I will reach by next year. This strength has helped me in many of my classes and in all of my extracurricular activities.