Lessons from a Baseball Game: Second Chances Do Exist

They say baseball is a game of inches. They say baseball is a game of forgiveness. They say baseball is a game of redemption. Growing up, I really thought baseball was really a game of clichés. Never has it been more apparent about baseball being a game of forgiveness than in the New York Mets 5-3 victory over the Houston Astros yesterday (7/7/07).

Imagine having a terrible series against the team that traded you away. Imagine playing in an extra inning game and going hitless in your first six at bats. Imagine finishing the game with only one hit in seven at bats. Imagine all this and still being considered the hero of the game.

I personally do not know that I would consider Carlos Beltran the hero of the game but many Met fans did. Certainly, the fact is he was largely responsible for the Mets victory. In the entire series, Beltran had looked bad. Still in the 14^th inning of the game, Beltran made a beautiful catch to prevent the Astros from winning the ballgame. Still, at the plate he looked bad but when he came up in the 17^th inning, with runners on base, he finally came through and got a hit, a hit that drove in the game winning run.

I love ballgames that include lessons I can use as teaching tools for my son. The fact is that we can all have bad days; the fact is we can all let other people down. Still, it is important not to get frustrated; it is important not to give up.

Obviously there are things we cannot do and things we should not attempt to do. Still, it is important to stick with things. It is important to give things your all, even if you have not been doing well up until that point. When you come through, and if you have drive and determination you will usually come through at some point (even if it is not that day).

Baseball is a game of forgiveness. Baseball is a game of redemption. Let us remember to always give people a second chance. When you give people a second chance, the payoff can be quite rewarding and quite enjoyable.

The next time you watch a baseball game, or any sporting event for that matter, watch closely. See what wonderful lessons come out of the event that can be used as teaching tools.