Getting Back To The Basics – Cape Cod Baseball League

I’ve mentioned before that I’m a big baseball fan.  I have followed the game for most of my life – first as a Chicago Cubs fan – and now as a Philadelphia Phillies fan (since 1980 when I moved to the Philly area).  It’s been fun to support the Phillies especially over the past five years as they have been very competitive, but…

Professional baseball isn’t what it used to be.  With steroids, free agency, lack of player/team loyalty, higher ticket prices, and a crazy pay structure, players and teams don’t relate to average fans – like myself.  I have found my overall interest in the game slacking off.  Much of this is due to the realities of adult life – I now have a family and a job that require my full attention.  But I believe that some of my fading interest in the game is related to the fact that professional baseball has gotten away from its roots.

This is why I loved going to see a Cape Cod Baseball League game when Leanne and I vacationed in Cape Cod a few weeks ago.  The teams in the league are made up of college baseball players who are looking for a way to work on their skills over the summer.  Players come from all over the country to play in this league.  They are not paid.  They live with volunteer host families.  And the games which are played at a high level are free to the public.  Players actually walk around during the game to accept entries into the game’s 50-50 drawing which is used to help offset travel expenses for the team.

We went to a game between the Cotuit Kettleers and the Hyannis Harbor Hawks.  We literally sat on top of the home team’s dugout.  We could hear the players talking.  We saw players who were not yet tarnished by the riches of the big leagues.  We saw the game of baseball the way it was meant to be played.

Our evening in Hyannis was a reminder that it can be important to get back to the basics.  We allow so many things to come along and distract us from why and how we started doing what we’re doing – whether it’s work, school, church, or even family.  It’s easy to be distracted by the next big thing.  It’s not steroids or free agency, but we are often distracted by other things like non-stop activities, efforts to accumulate the most toys and gadgets, or a drive to climb higher on the corporate ladder.  These things by themselves may not be bad, but I think we often lose sight of why we started a family or why we started working.  I think it’s important to get back to the basics, so we can rediscover our love for “the game”.

Has the push for more taken away your love of “the game”?

What can you do today to bring back the love?