Waiting. Waiting is something we routinely experience in our daily lives. Waiting for dinner, waiting for the start of a favorite television show, waiting for the final bell at school to ring, or work to be over. As a millennial, I endure far less waiting than those of previous generations. I do not have to wait 4-6 weeks for delivery; I simply choose my family’s two-day Amazon Prime delivery option. I microwave a snack, call for delivery, or download a song in under a minute. Texts and emails bring almost instant answers to business or social questions. There is no more writing a letter to an out of town friend. Rather, a quick text is sent and a conversation begins. Since one gets better at any task by practicing, my lack of practice with the art of waiting, left me unprepared when my turn to wait came along. …show more content…
I looked forward to games, since I had played about every inning from Little League through sophomore year, and that became the status quo. So, in my junior year, at the start of the varsity season, with the snow from the long New England winter finally melted, I was ready. There was a senior who was already a skilled first baseman, but the cleats were on, my glove was ready. I had worked hard in the off-season, done well in practice and intra-squad scrimmages and looked forward to showing off my skills. On Opening Day, I sat. Then the next game, I sat. And so it began, the out-of-my-control waiting. Glancing over to first base, a range of unfamiliar emotions washed over me. Watching my team struggle defensively and offensively, with seemingly every ball going into the opposing mitt, while bright yellow numbers ticked up onto the visitor’s part of the scoreboard. I could only wait. Emotions of confusion, bitterness, and anxiety consumed me. The season wore on: another bus ride, another game, another
The warm summer evening. The butterflies in the stomach. The determination and desire to win. This is a moment that many young men experience - Little League Baseball. But, unfortunately, schools lacking funding are looking to cut costs by getting rid of youth sports. That is when Dick’s Sporting Goods, a company with resources to bring attention to this problem, steps up to bat. Their message is effective through the emotional and ethical tie it creates in the audience through the story of a young man who overcomes tragedy through succeeding on the baseball diamond. Relying heavily on pathos and ethos, this message touches the hearts of the audience, calling them to step up as well.
America, and the world love sport; there are hundreds of types, but the one thing that links them all together is the emotion. For players and fans alike, the emotional involvement with the game is what draws them to it; and for Americans, there is one sport in particular that ignites their passion – baseball. Baseball has been called “America’s pastime” for a reason; the suspense, drama, and pride wrapped up in this game have captivated generations. The poem, “Casey at the Bat” effectively captures the emotion tied into the sport of baseball. “Casey at the Bat” is a poem about the last inning of a Mudville baseball game. The team is down two points, and the first two of their batters had already been sent back to the dugout. However, luck seemed to be on their side, the next two batters reached base, and the best hitter on the team was up to bat; Casey. The confident-cocky Casey let the first two balls go by; both were strikes. Then the last pitch came, the crowed held their breath as Casey took a swing; and to quote the poem, “but there is no joy in Mudville -- mighty Casey has struck out.” There are two distinct psychological personalities present in this poem; these emotional beings are the audience and Casey. The actions and words of both shed light on each others personality and mental state during that final, historical inning.
Paul Goldberger explores this theme in his essay, “Disconnected Urbanism,” where he explains how cell phones have rendered public spaces, such as urban streets, less public. Likewise, because of cell phones and other electronic devices, humans have grown lazy and impatient. Nonetheless, Goldberger explains, “Remember when people communicated with Europe by letter and it took a couple of weeks to get a reply? Now we’re upset if we have to send a fax because it takes so much longer than e-mail” (558). This demonstrates how Americans have grown accustomed to swift communication, thus leading them to become lazy or comatose; if an individual is attempting to create plans they may prefer to send out a text message rather than a phone call since it is a rapid communication method. However, when conversing with another individual via text message and that individual does not reply immediately, the person may become agitated or anxious. This is a negative result of progress which could affect humans, especially when considering a job; a grand array of individuals may apply for a job and several may be seeking a reply immediately, however, that is highly unlikely. It is with this growing anxiety that countless individuals have become inattentive. Even so, the younger generations of Americans are also dealing with a
I felt as though I was watching a train barrelling towards me, an inevitable bullet that had come tumbling out of the opposing pitcher’s arm. But instead I stood immobilized, watching my team's only chance of winning whiz by me. Strike three. I heard my team from behind me shouting “SWING!” with my mind screaming the same. But my bat remained unmoving, the pop of the catcher's glove like the nail into the coffin that was our defeat. All I had to do to keep our hopes of winning hope alive was swing, and yet I couldn't. I stayed on the field afterwards, tossing the ball up in the air and swinging away, landing it on the thick maple barrel of the bat.
As more of my teammates began to show up, I recognized most of them. However, I learned later that if I went on to play in the Spring, this would not be the same exact team I would play with. With only twenty minutes until we began,I put on all of my gear and my dad gave me a thorough warm up. Time seemed to fly by, and before I knew it, everyone was gathered together as positions were being assigned. I was originally overwhelmed with excitement, but as the game drew closer, the joy I had felt was replaced with anxiety. The lacrosse game taking place before ours ended and we entered and took our place on our bench. I recognized the opposing team’s jerseys quickly and identified them as a travel team from our area. Taking one final breath, I rushed into the lacrosse net enjoying my bird’s eye view, unsure of what was to
Baseball has always been America’s natural past time. Many fans love watching baseball but do not realize how hard it is to prepare for a season. Most fans think the players just show up on the first day. I think this belief is completely false. I feel that preparing for a baseball season requires much preparation. The preparation I use includes working on my swing, working out, and studying other people’s ideas on hitting. These steps are necessary for me to have a successful season. These steps have proven to be a valuable aid in helping me to prepare for the season. I believe these steps are the basic steps to becoming a great baseball player.
As the clock struck 3:15 we began warming and limbering our muscles. I stretched my legs as far as they would go to the side and reached for the grass. I ran my fingers through the grass and counted along with the team. I felt my legs slowly begin to loosen with each stretch and sprint that we did. Following our series of warm-ups we began playing catch Pop! The sound of a ball hitting leather filled the outfield. As our coaches approached the throwing stopped and the field returned to silence, the buzz of anticipation in the air. Coach McGownd and our assistant Lori gave us a run-down of the practice plan, which included infield-outfield (IO), hitting drills, fielding drills and various base running drills. As he spoke, a few of the upperclassmen whispered back and forth amongst themselves. I caught bits and pieces of phrases like “come on it’s just the first day” and “how about no”. I stood drinking in every word and ignoring their muttered curses. I had never played softball and was determined to learn as much as I possibly could about the game. Coach McGownd asked us to go to a position we thought we might want to play. I ventured across the field and stood by first base. My parents and a few of my friends had told me that I would make a good first baseman so that seemed like the best choice to me. I had no clue how to actually play the position. My emotions ran amuck, ultimately stopping at optimistic.
Troy Maxson was a talented Negro league player who never made it to the Major Leagues because of the race barrier. By the time the barrier was broken , Troy was 43, and his skill had deteriorated significantly. Only the great Satchel Paige managed to make the move to the Majors over the age of 40. Paige would even play when he was 59 years old. Satchel Paige was a pitcher, Troy, a speedy slugger, lost much more with age than Paige did. Troy’s failure to make it to the MLB affected those around him and himself, for the rest of his life. His son, Cory, wants to play college football and is being recruited by a prestigious school. Troy fears his son will face the same trials and tribulations he faced, and opposes Cory playing any sport at a high level. This is selfish of Troy to hold back his son because of his own past. Troy’s past is the general influence baseball has in Fences but there are many other aspects that can be symbolized by the game of baseball. This paper will analyze Fences through the framework of a baseball game or season and point out actions in the play that could be symbolized by baseball actions.The entire play is represented by a game of baseball. Each cha...
It was the summer of 1983. Enthusiastic children from all walks of life gathered together at the baseball diamonds to be split up into different little league teams. "This was it", I thought as I patiently waited for my name to be called. I scanned the competition, keeping an eye out for anyone who shared the same love for the game as I did. Upon completing a thorough investigation, I determined that there were only a select few who would challenge my "self-imposed" all star credentials. The majority of the kids, it seemed, were only there because their parents couldn't afford summer camp.Then the moment arrived. "David Ramos, you'll be playing for Tobers this year", the lead organizer called out. I stuck my...
Growing up, I have always had a passion for baseball. To me, it is much more than just a sport. There have been times when it has acted as an escape from many problems in my life, as I feel that when I am on the diamond, nothing can hurt me. I am aware that many people feel this way about the sport they love, but sadly their careers often come to an abrupt end due to injury. I have a personal connection to this experience. The summer before my fourth grade year I was attending a basketball camp at Davidson College, when in the final seconds of a scrimmage game, my ankle was kicked out from under me. I immediately fell to the ground in pain as my ankle rolled over on itself. Coaches aided me in limping off of the court and to the training room
My days began with going to the gym early in the mornings and going to the park to practice my batting swings and catches in the evening. I even managed to save up some allowance money to spend on the high school’s softball summer camps. However, my time fell short, and the day of the infamous tryouts had begun. My rambling thoughts were running bases through my head. How will I try out in front of hundreds of other girls? Will they laugh at me? Would I even make it? Will my friends make it? While my anxiety got the better of me, the head coach yelled out my name, and I slowly and steadily walked up to the batting box, and got ready for the pitcher to toss a fastball at me. Time slowed down as I anticipated the pitch; my fingers almost lost the grip on my bat waiting, but then, I saw the softball coming my way. I took a deep breath, and I hit it as hard and as fast as I could; it made it all the way to the outfield. I stood there shocked that I could do that, grinned ear to ear, and did a little happy dance on my way back to the line. My friends were celebrating and came up to high-five me when I got to the end of the line, and the varsity first basemen, a celebrity in my eyes, came up and complimented me on how far I hit the softball. A varsity member had spoken to me.
One day in Plainfield, Indiana a 0-13 baseball team won against 12-1 team, with 2 players Norm and Neil Fossmeyer leading the team to victory as Norm hit a double with Neil on third base. The team celebrated as if the Browns won the Super Bowl. After the game they went to get pizza but along the way their coach set them aside and told them “You are your best asset don’t let anything bring you down”. Norm was going to middle school in the fall and Neil was going to a new school for third grade and they weren’t ready for the change. But that made them feel better and more confident.
It was two days until the first game of my last high school football season. My team and I were going to play Bayfield, a battle we had persistently prepared for since the last game of our junior year. The sun was beating on my pads, radiating the heat to make practice seem even worse. I was exhausted and looking forward to the end of my last sweat poring practice for the week. Our team was repetitively executing plays to make sure they were like second nature to us on Friday.
The definition of procrastination is: the action of delaying or postponing something. Tim Urban, who conducts a speech called Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator for TED in 2016, explains that every human is a procrastinator- some more than others. I agree with everything he says in his speech because I can connect with every piece of evidence he claims, mostly including that there is a “Panic Monster” that pops up in your brain when you are close to a deadline and haven’t gotten anything done, especially when it comes from why I’m always so stressed out about school. There are two different kinds of procrastination: deadline and non-deadline. (Urban, 2016) Everyone that I have ever met is a procrastinator
...e not only created a world where our slavery to time is inevitable, but are now pushing the envelope to race against the clock. No longer are we satisfied to wait three days to receive information in the mail; we simply send a fax or an email with the punch of a button or the click of a mouse. In a civilization that craves instant-gratification, whether in terms of financial transactions or communication, speed has become the most valuable commodity. Our newly conceived definitions of the words “fast” and “slow” are resetting the biological clocks of younger generations.