PUTTING THE BALL IN THE AIR
Imagine it’s late in a scoreless game. The bats have been quiet all day, but the offense has finally strung together a few clumsy base hits. First and third, one out. All they need is a run – they only need a sacrifice fly.
That’s it.
They just need to put the ball in the air.
I’ve loved baseball ever since I can remember. My father, a ballplayer in his own right, taught me everything I know about the game. Some of my earliest memories are of him teaching me how to properly catch a ball. He’d stand in front of me holding the ball in his hand and moving it up, down, left, and right. I would respond by moving my gloved hand into the correct position for each situation. I was five years old.
When I was growing up, all I wanted to be was a ballplayer. I played softball year-round. When I wasn’t playing, I was practicing. When I wasn’t practicing, I was watching other people play. And the rest of the time, I was talking about it to anyone who would listen to me.
I’m now a fully grown woman who is well past her playing years, but I still love talking about baseball. Mostly, I talk about the Chicago White Sox, who, by heredity, geography, and downright bad luck are my favorite team. But I’ve got my eyes on the rest of the league, too.
I’m very grateful to have written for several sites in the White Sox World, but the idea to have my own space has always been something I’ve wanted to try. A place where I could write about my passion on my own terms, on my own timeline, and for my own enjoyment.
Starting something new is always scary for me. I’m a person who craves the safety of the familiar. I have been planning and refining my vision for this site for such a long time that at some point, I became paralyzed by it.
I finally decided I was too in my head, and I all I needed to do to start was… start.
In other words, I just needed to put the ball in the air.
Welcome, friends, to jackilikesbaseball.com.
I’m glad you’re here.