The Baseball or Hallmark Hall of Fame

One of my favorite pastimes is sitting at the baseball field in the summer watching any of my 3 boys play baseball. I love sports but baseball in particular. I love baseball like my wife loves Hallmark Hall of Fame movies. Just like my wife taking in one of her favorite movies, sometimes I laugh, sometimes I get angry, and sometimes I cry. Last summer, Janet's love for tear-jerkers and my love of baseball came together in one single night at the baseball diamond.

My oldest son was on a team with a boy whose two parents helped coach the team. The boy, Jacob, was 12 years old and I had seen their family around the baseball park for a couple summers. The father didn't appear to be in the best health due to his weight but he was always at the ballpark helping coach his son.

One evening we got to the ballpark and things seemed to be a little weird. As it got closer to game time an announcement was made to the team and parents that Jacob's dad had died the previous evening. But, despite their loss, Jacob and his mother came to the game to play and coach. Here's where the plot of the story becomes a movie.

Jacob played first base and hit cleanup for our team. During his first at bat he let the first pitch go by just as his dad always told him to. Choking up just a little bit, moving closer to the plate, and a little farther back in the batters box, he was ready for the second pitch. Jacob swung; it was the hardest hit ball I had seen him hit all year and it cleared the fence easily for his first ever over-the-fence home run. Jacob's mom, who was coaching third base screamed with joy and heartache all at the same time and as Jacob got to third base, they shared an embrace that lasted as long as Barry Bonds admiring one of his own home runs. There wasn't a dry eye in the bleachers or even in my lawn chair for that matter.

The baseball was retrieved and given to Jacob's mother and she held it tighter than I have ever seen a mother hold anything before. Jacob was all smiles in the dugout and getting high fives from his teammates. Then, the reality of the situation sank in. His dad wasn't there to see it...and he began to cry.

This was one Hallmark Hall of Fame moment that I am glad I witnessed. The only plot detail missing from this movie was the silhouette of his dad standing in the first base coaches box as he hit the home run. For Jacob's sake, I sure wish that hadn't been left out.


Justin