By Matthew D. Stokes
The other day I took a stroll down memory lane and went back to my alma mater, The Walker School, for a varsity baseball game. My presence apparently helped as the Wolverines beat Excel Christian Academy, 11-2, on a sunny Saturday afternoon.
The game started around 11:30 a.m. at Warren Field in Marietta, Ga. A fair amount of fans attended the game though most were the players' parents.
The Game
Inning number one did not stir up much excitement as no batters reached base. I began to wonder if I could make it through watching seven uneventful innings. Thankfully action started to unfold during the second frame. After Excel scored a run in the top half, Walker responded with a whooping five runs during the bottom half, highlighted by a three-run home run that barely cleared the right field fence. Chicks dig the long ball and so do I. Seeing a home run hit with an aluminum bat on a relatively small field made me appreciate what the professional hitters manage to do with wooden bats against higher velocity pitching and larger fields.
Though Walker scored six more runs in the game, the rest of the game made me impatient. Maybe my expectations as far as the players' skill levels were too high. Perhaps watching the R-Braves and Atlanta Braves several times last year had me spoiled. By 1:30 p.m. the game had finished, a 11-2 Wolverine victory. When the final out had been recorded, I left as soon as possible. I could not bear to watch another game with the sun beating down on me.
Reflections
Going back to Warren Field, where I used to play high school baseball, evoked some strong memories. I thought back to the times that I stood at home plate fearing that I would strike out, which in retrospect made hitting that much tougher for me. I saw the outfield grass and remembered chasing doing fly balls, sometimes in vain. Most of all I reminisced on being in the dugout and loving baseball more than anything else when I played.
But most of my teammates and classmates were not at the game so it did not mean as much as it used to for me. It is true that going to sporting events where you know some of the athletes on a personal level is more enjoyable than watching strangers play. I felt like an outsider being at the game and not knowing many of the parents and other fans. But I had an assignment to do so I sucked it up.
Matt Stokes is a sophomore communications major at Berry College. He can be reached at matt.stokes@vikings.berry.edu.
