When I started this blog, I listed baseball among the topics it would cover. I even included a tag for baseball on the side. But why baseball, on a politics blog?

Really, though, why not?

Sure, this is a blog about politics. But it’s also my blog. And baseball means a lot to me.

For one, baseball means childhood for me. It means the joys and struggles of childhood. I played competitive baseball in some form from about age 5 into my teenage years. It took up a key part of my summer from kindergarten until high school. And, of course, I spent much of that time watching a distant relative play on TV.

Baseball meant triumph and heartbreak. I put all my time into playing, and yet, at times, I shied away from it. Notoriously I would take myself out of games when the pressure became too great or I didn’t feel like I was playing at my best. But I always worked hard to be the best pitcher I could be.

I put in the work to win, but I always feared losing. Or embarrassing myself, or even getting struck by the ball when I stepped up to the plate as a hitter.

Finally, baseball means, to me, childhood in all its complexity and wonder. The facets of the game – the rules, the plays and possibilities, the stats, and the mental battle between pitcher and batter – all appealing to me.

Even today, baseball is the game for me. It’s the only sport that ever felt like mine. I watched many sports as a kid. But baseball was my sport.

I have to admit that, at times, I still imagine myself out there playing.

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