A Guide For Athletes

      When I was growing up I was a student-athlete. Athletics and competition were true passions of mine, though I'm glad the student prefix came before the athlete. I watched and read about so many retirements of athletes that it always made me wonder what I would do when the inevitable presented itself. I was lucky to have numerous sports to retire from that when I reached the end of the road it was clear. I'm still a ping-pong player and horseshoe thrower but the days of team activities are pretty much behind me.

     Baseball is my favorite sport. Probably because if someone from the 19th century were taken to Yankee Stadium they would be able to recognize the game and follow along with ease. I also like the game because it has so many variations: hardball, softball, stickball, and wiffleball to name a few. Each and every game begins with a discussion of the rules. What is fair and foul, the number of balls and strikes, and the style of pitching which will be allowed (overhand, underhand, or lobbed). These discussions regarding rules also included deciding who plays what position and for which team. This taught us all the basics of fairness as nobody wanted to be on a losing team.

     I stopped playing hardball at fourteen. During my last game I committed two errors in one inning in the outfield. Then I was the lead off batter in the next inning. Our coach had given us some basic signs so after drawing a walk I took a look at him and noticed the steal sign was on. On the first pitch I was off and made it to second safely standing up. No sooner had I dusted myself off I looked over at the coach and the steal sign was on again. I went on the first pitch and made it to third standing up safely. The small crowd in attendance started cheering me as I tried to get my breath back. I looked at the coach and I'd like to write that the steal sign was on again, but it wasn't. People actually wanted me to steal home! On the first pitch I took a huge lead and faked going home. This created some real drama on the field and off of it. Fortunately, the first pitch was hit for a single and I scored easily. My night was over as the coach took me out immediately after I scored, in order to give everyone a chance to play. It was an all-star game, with the point being that everyone was pretty good. This was fine with me as I had no desire to return to the outfield and greeted the coach's decision with a thumbs up.

     My guidance to athletes is to try and feel a goodbye before it becomes apparent to you and everyone else. Enjoy the feeling of the adrenaline rushing through your veins before and after each and every event. Win or lose your last game will be memorable, try to be aware of this feeling. Most importantly, you must anticipate the loss of something that defines you. There will be a sense of something missing for a while, but it eventually will occur to you that stopping was all for the best. It was something you did and something you can endure no longer. Sports are a metaphor, so be happy for all the clarity about Life that they give you. The time you spent doing them was not wasted. Bottom line is that we need to replace these activities with something else, hopefully it will be less taxing on your body and just as rejuvenating for your mind. Consider your options and stick with your decision. There are plenty of people to take your place. If you aren't capable of being a coach or mentor, then simply do what I do now and just watch. Cheer if something good happens, but don't ever boo or make a snide remark to an athlete. They are doing what they love and might be trying at that moment to feel their own goodbye to the game. Make it easy for them.