WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A CATCHER TO ME

The first thing that pops into my head when I think what it means to be a catcher are three words. Those words are heart, grit, whatever it takes. Yea, I know that last one was more than one word, but you get what I’m saying.

I view being a catcher as more than being a baseball player, or athlete, or someone that plays sports. It’s almost like when picturing or thinking of what a true ball player is and then from a catchers point of view, that is what a catcher is. There’s a lot of words jumbled up there, but I think you got my point. Basically, to me, a catcher has so much meaning behind it that it really is hard to articulate my true meaning.

Now, let’s go back to those “three words” I brought up in the beginning here.       

Heart for many people can be defined as how hard a player works or how much they want to win. The heart I am talking about has nothing to do with me, but everything do with my teammates and my team. As the catcher, I want the heart that I bring to the field to push, drive, motivate, keep teammates accountable, and be aware of how their actions directly impact the team they play for. I know I may have these crazy or high expectations for my teammates, but really, it’s not as heavy as it sounds because it’s more of a passive action that heart plays a role in when it comes to myself and teammates. The expectation that I am really talking about here is what am I bringing to my team and teammates.

Grit might be one of my favorite words. I’d like to think I bring a certain amount of grit to my game. When I’m watching a game or even the catcher on the other team during the game, I love it when I noticed he is a gritty catcher. It’s not like throwing or blocking or receiving, but a certain way they just are, if you know what I mean. Grit really is one of those intangibles that isn’t taught or practiced. Like most things in baseball, it is one of those things that is just there and if you have it, people know it.

Now let’s talk about the third”ish” word”ish” and that is “whatever it takes”

This can be one of those words that is self-explanatory; and we already know that a player that has a whatever it takes attitude will be that player that puts a bunt down to move a runner over or hits the ball on the ground to the right side of the infield to advance the runner from second to third. Just as a smart ball player, we should all play fundamental team ball and do what is needed depending on the situation of the game.

What I’m talking about here with a whatever it takes attitude goes a bit deeper than situational awareness on the field. There has to be a feeling of an untapped energy or force that you have to feel to feel like you literally will do whatever it takes to be there for your team. It is this internal sense of urgency that propels you in the direction of being that teammate that each and every one of your teammates looks at they just know what you are all about. Your coaches look at you and just know that in a crucial moment or a crucial game, you are the guy that can and will be counted on to put your team in the best position to win.

If you think about it, if you have heart and you have grit, than you are that catcher that has a whatever it takes inside him and trust me when I say this, you’re that dude!