The headaches have gone away for the most part and I'm continuing to catch on a regular basis though after 4 games I still haven't gotten a hit, but still not worried. I'm hitting the ball the way I would want to just haven't had the desired results...sooner or later they'll fall in.
We finally got another catcher so on a positive note I won't have to torture myself catching every single day and catching bullpens. On a not so positive note, I won't be playing quite as much because he and I will be switching off on a day-by-day basis, but it's the lesser of two evils.
We finished our 3 game series against the Aviators winning 1 and losing 2 and we got to play our 1st game against the hometown Macon Pinetoppers. Every Saturday at historic Luther Williams Field is fireworks extravaganza night so I was excited to get to play in front of a crowd and see some fireworks after the game. Well, after a dramatic comeback we found ourselves leading the Toppers 5-4 going into the bottom of the 9th when lightning struck right behind the centerfield fence and we entered into a lightning delay that would take over an hour. However, during the hour long delay I got to sit right outside the dugout and talk to a group of kids. We signed baseballs, ticket stubs, shirts, hats, and I even got to sign a kid's cast. I gave one little boy a bat that had been broken and his face lit up like it was Christmas. When I dreamed of being a big-time ballplayer this was what I dreamed of. It takes almost nothing to make a lasting impact on the life of a child. It seriously was almost nothing for us to just step out and sign autographs and take pictures and just be nice to kids, but in their life it could be something they'll remember forever. I sincerely hope and pray for more opportunities just like this one; not to play the game, but to get to be a role model...to get to be a little kid's hero for a night. Hopefully, when I get these opportunities they get to see and feel the love of God...that's what this is all about.
In the 5th chapter of Ephesians, Paul tells us to make the most of every opportunity. In the game of baseball, every at-bat counts. You never know who is watching you. We've always been told that at any given game there could be a scout in the stands and every game could be your one opportunity so play every game like it could be your last. In life we should have the same attitude. Spending time with kids seems like such a small thing, but it was making the most of an opportunity. Every time we come into contact with someone or really anytime anyone sees us is an opportunity for us to show them the love of God. Every time we lose our temper, lose our self-control, or exhibit any number of behaviors that aren't pleasing to God it is a wasted opportunity and for the rest of this summer it is my goal to not waste a single opportunity on the field and more importantly not waste a single opportunity off the field.
On a side note, in our games against Macon I get see their special batboy...a golden retriever named Jake the Diamond Dog. He's been trained to bring out the game ball, bring the umpires water and a towel, and retrieve the bats. He even chose Lindsey as the sweetheart of the game...gotta love minor league baseball.
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