The Baseball Diamond
Many people don't understand the point in playing baseball. Why would someone swing a stick, hit a ball, and try to get back to where they started before the ball returns? What pleasure is there in that? Why not participate in a sport like wrestling or track where there is an obvious level of individual improvement and therefore pleasure. Well, I play baseball because of the love I have for the sport, and because of the feeling that overwhelms me every time I walk onto a baseball field. When I walk onto a field I am given the desire to better myself not only as an athlete, but also as a person. The thoughts and feelings I get drive me to work hard towards my goals and to be a better person. The most relevant example of these feelings is when I stepped on the field at Runyon Complex in Pueblo, Colorado during our high school state playoffs in 2003. This baseball field will always be an important place to me.
It was two hours before our anticipated game against Manitou Springs, the second ranked team in the state. As I walked through the brick arches I heard nothing but honking traffic from blocks away. I got an eerie feeling when I saw all the smoke coming out of industrial factories, and noticed that no one else was there; I felt like I was in a ghost town. Our team started to go on to the field that we would be playing on to observe the differences in it. As I walked through the gate leading to the field, I was awestruck. It seemed as though this field was the only place in this strange neighborhood privileged enough to receive light from the blazing sun; standing on the field made it seem as though the creepy town had disappeared. The feeling overwhelmed me as I saw the flawless grass outfield and th...
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...gout echoed with yells and high pitched whoops.
The announcer began announcing our team to start the introduction for the game. Since I was the lead-off batter, my name was echoed over the park first. It was at this time that the feeling elevated; the feeling that makes every baseball field so special. As my teammates yelled for me, while I ran to the nearest baseline and faced the crowd, the feeling gave me goose bumps and raised the hairs on the back of my neck. The feeling is so amazing that it will keep me playing baseball for as long as possible because it makes my love for the sport that much more. I can't even begin to explain the complex feeling I get when I walk on a baseball field, but that feeling will always be cherished and hopefully when I pass on my love of baseball to others, they will too understand what that special diamond makes me feel like.
The one constant through all the years has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It's been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game, is a part of our past. It reminds us of all that once was good, and what could be again
Therefore, the day of game on June 10, Phil and I woke up early and began our two and half hour journey up the Massachusetts Turnpike to Boston. As we are driving up the pike, you can see the clouds getting dark and cloudy as we get closer to Boston. When we get into Boston, we get lost tr...
Over the past decade breast cancer has become one of the most predominant diseases in the United States. Breast cancer starts out as a malignant tumor in the tissues of the breast which is formed from the uncontrolled growth of abnormal breast cells. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, but it can also appear in men. (Stephan, 2010)
For the past one hundred years in the United States, the best American past time was baseball. A typical game day would include a dad and son going to a game and catching a foul ball. But what happens if a war breaks out and the dads and the players on the team are enlisting? Who will play? During World War II, the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) was created. A movie called “A League of their Own” was based off of the AAGPBL. The director of the movie is somewhat accurate to what happened in the AAGPBL. The director of this movie was Penny Marshall (Barnes and Nobel). The producer of the film is Elliot Abbott and it was copyrighted on July 1st, 1992 (IMDb.com). The movie has three main characters. Tom Hanks plays Jimmy Dugan, Geena Davis plays Dottie Hinson, and Lori Petty plays Kit Keller. I really enjoyed this movie and I hope you might have some interest in it after you read this essay.
I looked through the crowd of people in my row all dressed out in their home spirit team. The bloody red color of the B spelling Boston on the jerseys with the ketchup stains on the fans shirts. Compared to the field of precisely cut grass, so green and handled with care. The sand finely grained, wetted and pearly white paint coats the sand connecting the bases together. Each base is dusted and cleaned so that even those in nosebleed seats can recognize the famous bases that get used for stealing and home runs. I watched as the players marched out on to the field with only pure testosterone that drives them. The first pitch of the game struck the catcher's mitt like a bullet; I can hear the ball whistle in the air striking the tough fibers of the leather brown mitt. It was a strike; both teams were evenly matched, this final game would decide who would win the pennant. The St. Louis Cardinals held pride being on top of their division. The game went on into overtime Both sides were exhausted with sweat rolling down their faces and adrenaline pumping. The Red Sox were the last to bat before the game would come to an
Just as alcohol prohibition during the 20’s and 30’s was not successful, marijuana prohibition has not been successful either, as evidenced by its current and increasing popularity in the United States. According the deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, Mr. Paul Armentano, marijuana was made illegal in the United States with the passing of the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 (2014). Later, Congress classified marijuana as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substance Act of 1970 (Armentano, 2014). Since then, hundreds of thousands of Americans have been arrested for the possession, distribution and use of marijuana. According to Professor Katherine Beckett, “there were 829,625 marijuana arrests” (Beckett, et.al., N.D.) in 2006 and that number is increasing. The debate on whether or not to legalize marijuana for recreational use has raged for decades but is beginning to see the light of day with the recent state-level victories. With Washington and Colorado guiding the way, the country as a whole is considering the issue of whether or not marijuana should be legalized. If legalized, tax revenues could potentially generate millions, if not billions, of dollars annually for state and federal coffers. Marijuana should be legalized. Legalization will not increase usage nor will the current prohibition decrease usage; however tax revenue from the distribution and sale of marijuana could benefit many state programs and even possibly eliminate governmental deficits in the future.
Now, I play baseball whenever in my spare time, which helps me reach my overall goal of playing the sport. It used to be for fun, but now I am trying to go farther than just having fun in the sport. I have had to do many things to get where I am, but I do not want to be finished yet, I want to keep going throughout my life and keep succeeding. “Baseball is a good thing”. Always was, always will be.”
The risks of getting cancer in this day and age has been increasing at a rate that could be detrimental to the human race if we do not act now. It is scary to think that you or someone you love and care about will get some type of cancer in their life time. Although there are many different types of cancer that is in existence today, the main focus is breast cancer. We are going to explore the causes breast cancer, the stages, how we can treat it and what precautions that can be taken to help lower ones risk of getting breast cancer. In America a baby girl born today has a 1 in 8 chance of getting breast cancer sometime in her life. These statistics do not seem so scary until they are put into perspective. Every three minute a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer and one will die every 13 minutes in a given day. If these rates of breast cancer continue to rise there will soon be a one in one baby girl born that will et diagnosed with breast cancer. This is the future of our world that we are talking about here and no one seems to be changing the main factors that contribute to breast cancer. There are many different suspicious causes but one thing that is clear is that an unhealthy environment has an enormous impact on women and their development from babies to women.
With seconds to spare I arrived at batting practice and began to prepare for my game. I hear coach call out my name and as I he acknowledged that I was there he told me I was pitching. My brain shifted and went into a whole new mode, I was more focused and more determined than I have ever been. This was the biggest baseball game of my career and I 'm starting on the mound. Honestly it couldn 't have turned out any better, the fate of the pin and my team lied in my hands and I loved the pressure. The pressure made me thrive and before I knew it our team was marching onto the field for the national anthem. During the singing of the national anthem I peeked into the crowd and first row down the first base side was the little boy I met on the cart and his dad sitting right next to him. This game was for that little boy, I needed to impress him. I pitched six strong innings and my team ended up winning the game. It was the most exciting game of my career and the best part was being greeted with the best pin in the tournament after such a spectacular win. The little boy ran out into the middle of the field where we shook our opponents hands and in front of everyone in the stadium handed me the only thing I cared about besides winning. I was in the best mood for the rest of the day and I rewarded myself with a nice long sleep. I could only image what the next day had to
Barriers to employment, transportation, public accommodations, public services, and telecommunications have imposed staggering economic and social costs on American society and have undermined our well-intentioned efforts to educate, rehabilitate, and employ individuals with disabilities. By breaking down these barriers, the Americans with Disabilities Act will enable society to benefit from the skills and talents of individuals with disabilities, will allow us all to gain from their increased purchasing power and ability to use it, and will lead to fuller, more productive lives for all Americans.
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (2007). Facts About the Americans with Disabilities Act. Retrieved February 18, 2008 from http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/fs-ada.html
In the United States one in eight births are preterm (“Funding for Premature Related Research”).Premature means that the baby is born early, which is any baby born before thirty-seven weeks but health problems are usually only a problem for babies born before thirty-four weeks (“Funding for Premature Related Research”). Premature births are the leading cause for neonatal deaths and half of all premature births have no known causes (Lynch and Dezen). Babies who survive prematurity face multiple health problems including cerebral disease, vision and hearing loss, mental retardation, and lung problems (Lees, Reynolds,andMcCartan). Obviously with so many premature babies being born today, with so many unknown neonatal deaths in premature babies, and with all of the health problems for premature babies, there is a problem that must be addressed.The government needs to further fund research for the care and prevention of premature babies to prevent unnecessary death and health problems, cut costs in the long run, put previous findings into effect and reduce parental stress.
Sports have been played all around the world for hundreds of thousands of years. Its help shaped the way we live as human beings. Everything reveals around sports these days. Take baseball for example, it’s has grown to be known as Americas past time. Mainly because it has help shaped America. How? Why? You may ask yourself. Baseball has been a sport that has been around for a long time all the way it roots date back to the late 1800. However it didn’t really get popular until the 1860. During this time America was going throw some difficulty’s because of World War 2 with Germany becoming an ultimate power house and African Americans not having equal rights. People turned to sports to put their minds to ease however African Americans wanted to be equal as well but people weren’t not giving them the respect they wanted to revise.
The purpose of The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 was to protect the civil rights of disabled Americans, as well as put an end to discrimination, and to make adjustments to better accommodate the disabled. When presented to Congress, the Act surpassed party lines and gained support and popularity very quickly. While in theory the ADA seems revolutionary and helpful; in practice it presents the disabled with numerous problems, most of these arise in the form of red tape.
So, another inning flies by and each pitch I'm learning more and more about the game not only the rules but who each player is how they stand when they bat and when they field the ball. It was fun watching the game but what was even better was getting closer to my dad and being able to talk about each play and which player was playing that good that day and which player was struggling, it was just another thing we could talk about. The 7th inning came around and everyone stood and "Take me out to the Ball Game" I just fell in love with song and the people dancing and singing every word. After the song was over everyone sat down at the same time you could hear all the seats being sat in. The game resumed and it said the same score 1-0 the rest of them game. I could tell that some fans were losing interest because the game was so slow, but I was not I was so into the game and I tried to learn as much I could and I did. When the game officially ended fireworks went off and they were as loud as could be and I could hear all the players screaming and high fiving it was a great experience all together for not only me but for my father as