This I Believe

“Get it next time big guy,” says the whole team battling through a river of errors and faults. “Pick me up,” I say, frustrated after messing up and allowing a run in. Our team gets up to bat down a run not discouraged at all, but the accident actually because the team to be more pumped saying our team’s catch phrase, “Get pumped, get pumped.” A close game brings out features in people you don’t see everyday. “Win this and we are going to playoffs,” says our coach wanting the win more than anything. Two outs go by fast, but luckily we have a guy on second base. The team is still enthused and few lost hope. The guy on our team that is up to bat is a batter that isn’t such a great hitter. He is still determined to help the team win. The stress gets to him and he starts to cringe in fear. He goes up to bat and gets a few bad calls by the umpire. He starts to lose faith in himself and his willpower starts to decline. Teammates, coaches, and fans all erupting in optimism noticing a loss in encouragement. Yelling loud, voices cracking, and many smiles emerging when seeing the reaction to a team enthusiastic for a sport we all love. Then the pitcher pitches a meatball waiting for it to get hit. He hits it! The ball is a strong ground ball to the third baseman. The third baseman fields the ball cleanly; he could have been smart and tagged our runner, but he takes the risk and throws the ball across field. The throw was a strong throw, but was too high of a throw to catch. The first baseman leaps for the ball but misses by a mile. The runner who was standing on second base runs his heart out making it home to win the game. Our team swarms onto the field jumping for the sky. “We just beat the team that we have never beaten,” says a teammate. Over and over again we look at the scoreboard to try and make ourselves believe that we have just won. The way I see determination is when I want something so bad, I do whatever I can to do it. Determination allows me to think what I want to think. It allows me to believe whatever I want to believe. It allows me to be whoever I want to be. Madness is lost with determination. Pain and hurt are lost with the attitude thinking I am going to do the best. When I step up to the plate, the pressure is on. I start to lose my faith in myself each strike that goes by. With the help of my team, I get passionate about wanting to be where I am. If something went wrong my team would encourage me to calm down and get it next time. Determination brings out the beauty in everyone.