The love of baseball for me began many years ago, but has certainly changed over the past fourteen years of raising little Rebels! It used to be about peanuts and cracker jacks and of course Sweet Caroline…used to be.
The game changer for me was the day our oldest son looked at me and told me “Mom, I want to play ball, college ball.”
It was then I became a baseball mom in my heart and head. It was then the journey of practices, training, ball games, work outs and such became about what he was doing in preparation for his future and not just about what he was doing for that moment. It was then I started looking at the student athletes and really appreciating the hard work that they had to put in to get there.
This brings me here today because I want to scream for a hot minute about the Rebels! I am so stinking excited for these boys! And for their mamas! (And dads too!) From Little League, to middle school, high school to college, I cannot imagine how many mama hugs were given after strike outs, errors, lost games, etc.! And to even it out for you dads, just in case you are keeping score, I also cannot imagine how many pre-game pep talks, “go get em’ next time” or “atta boys” there have been!
And after all of the years of hard work and dedication to the game, look where these boys are! These Rebels are at the College World Series! On their field of dreams! Wow!
That’s just so exciting! These boys that once had this dream are living it right now! And through the years every tear of defeat and every celebration of victory have led them to this moment! And that gives this mama goose bumps! Like crazy!
Watching the Rebels this baseball season has been pure excitement! What an incredible season! I literally have goose bumps all over typing that. For Rebel fans, you know those goose bumps you got when the last pitch was thrown by Laxer at the Super Regionals…yep, that kind of goose bumps! And the kind of goose bumps you got when Gatlin hit that ball for the winning run! Yep, that kind!
The bliss, the adrenaline, the incredible wave of pride comes back with every photo I see from these games, every motivational video I watch, every Hotty Toddy chant, it is just so awesome! We are watching “History in the Making” and dreams coming true! And it is amazing!
Behind it all we know there have been countless hours (years) spent in preparation both physically and mentally for the boys to get here. That is what gets me so excited. To see their dedication, commitment and love for the game yield these results is incredible. I love that. I love to see dreams come true!
*Side note: I am one of those mamas that cry when they show the moms and dads in the stands! Not to throw my husband under the bus or anything, but he cries with me!(Sorry, love!) It’s a great feeling. It’s felt deep within my heart, a sense of extreme joy when watching a mother or father as their child’s dreams come true.
I’m thrilled for the players, the coaches, the staff, the athletic organization, and all that have been involved in the success of the team. I am thrilled for the fans…but the mama in me is thrilled for the mamas out there that once looked into their son’s eyes, perhaps hearing the same words my son told me, “Mom, I want to play ball, college ball!”
I’m not just proud of them, I am proud for them!
Y’all know that with every pitch thrown there is a mother somewhere holding her breath. (And praying like crazy) Every at bat, there is a dad pre-determining his son’s swing by reading his body language at the plate. With every spit, there is video of that grossness (okay, that’s the only part of baseball that grosses this mom out) that I will see and close my eyes real quick. With every foul ball hit, there is one happy fan and thousands of others hoping for the next one. With every home run, there is a shower!
With every loss comes the will to win the next one. With every win comes the fruit of the hard work that the coaches and the players have put in. With every Hotty, there is a Toddy and with every gosh, there is an almighty!
And with every beat of Love is Gone, there is a fist pump!
I leave today with goose bumps (again!) and a great big Hotty Toddy to all of you!
GO REBELS!
Lori Weatherly is the proud wife of a Rebel and proud mother to three little Rebels, two that she gets to take to Ole Miss ball games and one that has a special “Hotty Toddy” room in heaven. She is the author of “Facets of Life; What I Didn’t Expect When I was Expecting.” Her work includes sharing her personal journey of child loss through writing and speaking as well as her hand painted, inspirational card line. She has a passion to help others and a most special place in her heart for adoption. Her website is LoriCWeatherly.com.
Rebel Baseball Dreams Coming True
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