Up to just three months ago, I would have told people that I grew up a big sports fan. I would have told them I had watched and remembered every Super Bowl since the 1999 season, when I was just 11 years old.
But if asked about my thoughts on baseball, I would have a less solid answer. I tell people I enjoy playing the game in a park or watching a World Series game, if it doesn’t interfere with Monday Night Football.
How quickly things change. I found myself, just the other day, choosing to watch a regular season Major League Baseball game instead of reruns of “Friends” or “SportsCenter.” I have thought about my rapid change of attitude and my newfound love of a game I thought I knew before I arrived in Brooklyn. I came to understand three important things that connect my experience in Brooklyn as a cub reporter and a small-to-moderate baseball fan to the experiences of the Cyclones’ players, who are just now attempting to break into the upper echelons of professional baseball.
First, it requires sacrifice and dedication. If I simply had stayed in my apartment, checking online box scores and play-by-plays, I would not have learned anything about the sport and I would not have progressed in my writing. My evolution as a columnist, reporter, and baseball fan required me to absorb every moment of the game. It required me to sacrifice some things I wanted to do in order to find my niche. And I’m happy to say I successfully accomplished my goals.
The Cyclones’ players have not made it this far in their careers by watching other people play or hit a home run on Xbox. Their talent and evolution as baseball players have come through sacrifice and dedication. And for both of us to progress, those ideals must define our every day.
Second, it requires a humble mind and a willing heart. I had to drop all pride and pre-existing notions of my success and admit to myself that I was in over my head. Humility is not putting yourself down, however. It must be accompanied by the willingness to do whatever it takes to end up where you want to be. I am happy and proud of myself for understanding that concept early and being willing to experiment and take on new assignments.
The players also had to drop all former ideas and accept that they were on the bottom rung of a ladder that seemed to extend endlessly upward. And then they had to be willing to change some of their approach to the game and start basically from scratch with nothing but their knowledge of a ball, a mitt, and a bat.
Finally, if we can accomplish those two tough steps, we find ourselves falling in love with the game, whether like me, for the first time, or like the players, all over again and on a higher plane.
I can honestly say that after only three short months of being absorbed in the sport, I love the game of baseball, and I keep looking for more facets of the game I can discover. Some people may scoff at me, considering the short time I’ve been truly exposed to it. But if you have paid attention to this column and this season, it really shouldn’t come as a surprise.
After all, everything in Brooklyn comes fast and furious. Why should this be any different?
Scott Hansen, an intern from Brigham Young University, compared his life to those of the Cyclones all season long. He did a good job, and we wish him luck in his future endeavors.
