Hey, Dad. You Wanna Have A Catch? Poem by Bill Upton

10 years old is a rough age
For a boy to figure things out
Like disappointment,
Like defeat in sports,
Like letting his dad down.
All three together would constitute a disaster
For a little leaguer,
Finding himself and his team in the World Series-
Best of 3, winner takes all-
His first trip into unknown territory.
On the sideline was his father
Who had played catch and taught fundamentals
For several years in the yard,
Probably drawing from a deep reservoir of patience,
Careful not to discourage,
While being tough enough to repetitively instill
The foundation of discipline
That would last for the rest of life.

Game one went to the home team.
Game two went to the last inning with two outs,
Down by a run,
And the 10 year old on second base representing the tying run.
The next batter singled, giving the boy a chance to score
To tie the game.
But, as fate would have it, the throw to the plate was perfect.
It was waiting in the catcher's mitt before the boy got there.
He realized that a head on collision was the only way to score.
In an instant his skinny but determined 70 pounds
Met full tilt with the catcher.
He was tagged out as he went airborne and landed
Flush on his left knee.
Game over, home team loses.
The boy lay at home plate trying to absorb every ounce
Of disappointment,
Of defeat in sports,
Of letting his dad down.
It was a moment which would never leave his memory.
His knee, puffed up to twice its size, prevented him
From a dignified walk off the field.
Seeing that, his father, knowing that this was a
Teachable moment under the worst possible circumstance,
Immediately herded him into the car to go to the hospital.
Water on the knee was the diagnosis and was treated by a needle,
One that looked and felt like a sword to the kid
As it punctured then drained the fluid.
After immobilizing the knee, the doctor told his father
That there would be no game 3 for his son.
His knee needed to stay inactive to heal.
Evidently, there is something deep in a father's DNA
That forces him to allow his boy to become a man
Under difficult circumstances.
The next day, after hours of negotiating, pleading, in every way possible,
The kid had his dad almost convinced to let him play.
They drove to the field without a decision.
The manager pulled his father aside and had a conversation.
The only words heard by the kid were, 'We need your boy today'.
After what seemed an eternity, his father nodded to him.
It was a nod that taught the boy the meaning of 'game day'.

We ended up winning that game,
And, with it, the Little League championship that year.
I don't remember how I played that day, but that I played,
And evidently it made a difference to someone.
After the ceremonial team hug at the end of the game,
The first face I saw was that of my dad.
To this very day I remember an unbridled feeling of pride-
For the unspoken bond between a father and his son.
With that knowing wink, a smile, and that certain look of trust,
He had started me on the road to manhood.