Wednesday, July 22, 2020

Baseball and Marriage, Let's Celebrate

Today is an important day in my life for two reasons. First, today is finally Opening Day for the 2020 Major League Baseball season! But, for me, today is much more special than that! Today is my 15th wedding anniversary! I am blessed to celebrate this day with my MVP, my husband! There is no one else I would rather share a bullpen with or go through a losing slump with, and if I’m being honest, there are many days I’m surprised he hasn’t made me a free agent! 




Baseball has always played an important part of my life, and I thought there’s no time like the present to compare baseball to marriage. 

The Festivities
Growing up I had the privilege to attend many home openers at Arlington Stadium cheering on my beloved Texas Rangers. This is not just an ordinary day in baseball. This is a day when they call in all the big shots for the celebratory festivities. One of my favorite Opening Day memories was on April 8, 1991. My dad took me out of school a little early so we wouldn’t miss the first pitch of the Ranger’s home opener against the Milwaukee Brewers. President George Bush was throwing out the first pitch. You may remember that his son, George W. Bush was one of the owners of the Texas Rangers during that time period. It’s not every day that a fifth grade girl from a small town in Texas gets to see a real live president with her very own eyes, so this was a big deal!

In marriage, our wedding is like an Opening Day. We plan for months for this special ceremony that will kick off an exciting season of unknowns. We invite the Hall of Famers in our lives, including our family members, former Sunday School teachers, coaches and college roommates to share in these festivities. We want everything to be perfect. But, just as an over the top Opening Day ceremony doesn’t promise a World Series, an extravagant wedding doesn’t mean a successful marriage. It takes work....

Teamwork Makes The Dreamwork 
A former high school coach drilled into my head, “We’re only as strong as our weakest link” over and over. As much as I rolled my eyes at her exhausting voice, I now see where she was going. Marriage, much like baseball, is a team sport. We have to be dedicated and committed to a common goal, if not, it makes for an extremely long, losing season. 

One of my favorite baseball experiences was in October 2012 when my sweet husband surprised me with tickets to the Wild Card game to watch the Texas Rangers take on the Baltimore Orioles. Our seats were amazing and the atmosphere was like nothing I had ever experienced! The fans were on fire! Sadly, my beloved Rangers lost that night to the stupid Orioles. What? I’m not bitter. But, seriously, looking back on that game I couldn’t even remember if they had won or lost because I had so much fun being a part of the experience. The fans rose to the occasion and the night was memorable. 

Marriage is a lot like a MLB season. There will be seasons where you’re celebrating with champagne, and there will be long seasons of loss. When I think back on our fifteen years of marriage, suffering through two miscarriages in the hopes of expanding our family was one of the toughest seasons for our marriage. The days were long and we didn’t know what to expect. Thankfully, we prospered through, and winning seasons were on the horizon for us and we soon welcomed two little rookies into our clubhouse. 

 Jess was born just in time to cheer on the Rangers with his big sister in the 2011 World Series.  

Jentry was born shortly after the Rangers 2013 post season.  

Find Your Fans
As I mentioned earlier, baseball has been a huge part of my life since I was a child. When my parents realized this obsession was not going anywhere, they started planning our family vacations around baseball parks. When we arrived at these stadiums I wanted to look like a local! The first thing I did when I hopped of the L line at Wrigley was buy a Cub’s shirt! The first thing I did when I went through the turnstiles at Dodger Stadium was buy some Dodger sunglasses...well, first I took a picture of me jumping over the outfield wall of Dodge Stadium, but then I bought some Dodger gear. My point is, I didn’t want to be a fake fan. I wanted to be invested in the team I was rooting for. 

Just hanging out at Dodger Stadium in 1995. 

In marriage, you need to find your cheering section. Now, I’m pretty sure my friends aren’t walking around with Mark & Emily T-shirts, but if you attended our wedding, you may still have a golf ball or handheld fan with our name on it. 

Sidenote, if you are reading this and you are not married, do NOT get married outside in Texas in July. All the personalized golf balls, fans and water bottles will not help your situation! Maybe this is how I know who my fans are! It’s the ones that showed up to that HOT wedding, sat outside and yet still love us!! 

As I was saying, your fans...aka support system...are a key component to your marriage. They are the ones that take your kids so that you can get away for a weekend. They are the ones that you text when you are on day 12 of unsuccessful potty training. They are the ones that help you when your grandmother moves into a nursing home. They are the ones you call when you need a few extra prayers. They are the ones that show up when you need them. They are the ones that don’t just root for you individually, they root for your family. I cringe when I hear public speakers say the new cliche terms like, “let’s unpack this” or “we’re not sure how that looks.” But, here I am about to use a tired, trendy term: Find your fans, and do life with them. 

Listen to Your Manager/Coach
My love of baseball started early. I remember learning to hit a plastic ball off of a red Fred Flintstone sized bat at the age of five. 


I then graduated to an aluminum bat and a softball. If my dad wasn’t busy, I was begging him to pitch to me in the backyard. I am really surprised my dad hasn’t billed me for Tommy John surgery after all the pitches he threw to me. Perfecting my stance, towering over the plate and waiting for my perfect pitching...a tad high and outside...became my favorite pastime. 


My freshman year of high school I tried out for the softball team and to my surprise, I made varsity...as a designated hitter. I was flattered because all of my time in the batting cages had paid off, but being labeled a DH basically means your fielding stinks. BUT I earned my letter jacket my freshman year, so let’s focus on the positives. 

I can't even comment on the ridiculousness of the tall socks and awkward pose of this picture. The 90's were a special time. 

I learned early on that listening to my coach was KEY to my success. Can I be honest? I didn’t like my coach. At all. But, overtime I began to trust that she saw the big picture and knew what was best for our team. 


I remember vividly one spring evening when it was my turn to bat, I stepped into the batter’s box and glanced at my coach for the sign, clearly expecting to see the “swing away” sign, but she gave me the “bunt” sign. Umm, hello. Did you see who was up to bat? I don’t bunt, I hit. I stepped out of the batter’s box processing the sign my coach had just sent me, hoping that my helmet covered my eye rolling. I knew HOW to bunt, but I didn’t WANT to. I wanted to HIT! I glared back down the first base line wondering how many sprints she would assign me tomorrow if I ignored her sign and swung for the fence, but my conscious got the best of me and I decided to be obedient. I stepped back in the batter’s box one foot at a time, pulling my bat back into my best Julio Franco stance staring into the pitcher’s eyes. As soon as she began her wind up, I lowered my bat and waited. Thud! The ball struck my bat and rolled four inches from the plate. I dropped the bat and sprinted (y’all, I hit, I don’t run. So imagine a slow motion sprint) to first base where I was called OUT upon arrival. Insert eye roll #2 of that at bat. As soon as I began to think, “See, if you would have just let me swing.....” I heard the home plate umpire call my teammate SAFE! My bunt was successful. Even though I had been called out, I had successfully accomplished the job I was asked to do. 

Listening to a coach is hard, but for my husband and I listening and trusting in Jesus Christ is imperative. I am so thankful that even in my time of doubt, I have a husband and Savior that see the bigger picture. Even when I want to tell God, “No, we’re going to do it my way!” I hear the Holy Spirit subtly remind me that my way is often for my own selfish desires. I am thankful to have a husband that leads our family to obedience in Christ. I’m thankful that when I’m struggling to process things, I have a husband that will pray with me and for me. 

The Legacy
Last summer my dad and I finally accomplished something we said we would for years, and made it to Cooperstown, New York to the MLB Hall of Fame. We spent hours in the museum looking at memorabilia, rosters, championship rings and statues of great baseball players throughout the years. It was a dream come true for two baseball fans like us. 


If you’re wondering why Cooperstown, New York was chosen as the place to celebrate Hall of Famers record breaking careers, it’s because it’s the town where baseball was founded way back in 1839 on Doublesday Field. 

Doublesday Field, the birthplace of baseball. 

Much like we looked on in awe of how far baseball had come, and at our heroes accomplishments, I hope my family looks back on our marriage one day as All-Star! I pray for winning seasons in our marriage, and for grace and forgiveness during the slumps. I pray for rosters full of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I pray that when any of my teammates are seeking wisdom, they look to their wise Coach first, and obey the signs and directions they are given. 

Ladies and gentlemen may I direct your attention to the Jumbo-tron for a special dedication:

Mark, I would like to thank you for 15 amazing seasons. You’ve handled every curve ball and change up I’ve thrown to you. You’ve calmed me down on the mound and met me in the dugout with ice when I needed to cool down. I cannot imagine being anyone else’s teammate. I know the Trade Deadline is fast approaching, but I appreciate you always keeping me as your starter.  I love you and will always be your biggest fan.  I'm looking forward to many more seasons. 



Thanks for reading!  I always appreciate the support. 

2 comments:

  1. Happy Anniversary and such a cool story.

    I met my ex through an A's game. My kids were raised at the Oakland Coliseum as I say. My favorite picture set I have is of my kids ten years apart, we are with the A's four World Championship Trophies.

    Baseball has played a huge part in our lives here.

    ReplyDelete

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