so jt, you are a great baseball player. one of the top kids in your division and you are one of the youngest. you are on a team with a lot of schoolmates and friends. it's been a great season.. and then came ALL-STARS.... someone casually mentioned that there was an all-star team at the end of the season. one game, 3 kids from each team who are ALL-STARS. picked by the coach. over the season, everyone improved. your hitting got better but you pretty much were consistent the whole season. you're an amazing pitcher, a great fielder and have struggled with batting this year but have a great technical swing. i'm not worried at all. and i also thought you were a shoo-in for ALL-STARS. time went by and memorial day weekend, i was at our neighborhood park and your buddy who lives next door to the park came out to play. his dad also came to chat with me since we are friendly. i found out A was an ALL-STAR. A deserves it, no doubt. but i knew in that moment you were not going to be an ALL-STAR. i would have gotten info about the game the next week. when that realization hit me, i felt like someone socked me in the stomach. i was angry, sad, hurt, disappointed and mostly sorry for you because YOU deserve that spot, my love. thing is, coach picked A (great baseball player), J who is also an amazing catcher and player and coincidentally whose dad owns a private baseball training company..... hmm... and his son. the other two, i wouldn't really contest. but his son? i went home and told your dad and knew he was feeling everything i felt when i found out. we talked things out and ran over all the kid on the team to figure out what we thought had happened and we came up with the fact that the coach put his kid in over you. few weeks later, coach was called out by another parent on our team about ALL-STARS. i immediately got a phone call from the coach. he wanted to let me know you were a very close 4th and that in the future, you would probably develop and make it. you know what babe? i don't need him to tell me what you will be in the future. it will be crystal clear in the future. next year, it will be about stats, not coach's pick. we'll see who makes it next year.
throughout all this, we did not tell you about ALL-STARS. and then at closing ceremony, you found out about the team because your teammate said to you, "you should have been there not <coach's son>". you came home almost in tears (i did not attend because i was staging my own silent protest). it broke my heart not because your feelings were hurt but because you DESERVED it. you EARNED it. and it wasn't fair. it sucks- teaching your kid that life isn't fair by these life experiences. it sucks that you may not believe me and your dad when we tell you that we know in our hearts you deserved that spot. it all sucks. but i love that you took a moment and when asked if you wanted to try out for fall baseball, you said yes.
my love, i tell you every chance i get but i am so in awe of you as a baseball player. it's not just your technical skills. to me, it's so much more the fact that you take it so seriously and are so focused and have a deep desire to do well. you are an AMAZING teammate and offer comfort to those who need it and encouragement to others who need it. your best qualities shine through baseball - everything i love about you.
you're a great player. i'm sure there are better out there and in the future there may be many who surpass you. you are not an ALL-STAR. but truly, none of that matters to me. i'm incredibly proud of you and cheer on your efforts and hard work. i recognize your dedication and drive.
good job, my son. season well played. i love you.
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