It all started with a few simple elements: a Dad, a ball, two gloves and all the time in the world to learn how to throw.

To most youngsters, this is how the game of baseball is presented to them. Little did I know, this was the exact moment I would start falling in love with the most beautiful game in the world. 

From the smell of fresh cut outfield grass to the crack of the bat, there is not a thing about baseball I don’t love. With this beautiful game that I hold near and dear to my heart, there are ample life lessons I have learned along the way. Some of these lessons I have learned from playing the sport and others I have learned from years of watching my beloved New York Mets. For those of you who have chose to read this, you will be taking a journey down the path of a ballplayer who loves to play the game as much as he loves his favorite MLB team.

Growing up, my dream much like any other baseball fan was to someday play in MLB. Although I did not obtain my goal, (I came a few steps short, playing college baseball at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, New Jersey). This Div. III baseball program was as close as I got to my childhood dream. It is an accomplishment that I cherish and am proud of. The experiences I gained from tee ball all the way up to my days at FDU have shaped me into the man I am today. They have supplied me with tools to succeed beyond the diamond and into my daily life.

One of the most vital life skills baseball has taught me, is to be humble. As a ballplayer you are going to fail much more than you succeed. I mean look at players in the Hall-of-Fame, they were lucky enough to be successful three out of every 10 times at the plate. If you are not humble, the game of baseball will humble you very quickly. That’s the beauty of baseball: it runs a direct line through life. If you stay grounded and keep focused you will have ample success in life.

Coupled with the ability to be humble, if you are not patient, you will not succeed in baseball or more importantly, life. As I previously mentioned, you are going to fail a heck of a lot more than you succeed in baseball. You are going to have hitless streaks, make errors and mental mistakes. But with those mistakes, if you are blessed enough to grant yourself the patience to tell yourself, “I’ve got this next time” you can find the rewards this game is willing to provide.

This philosophy can be used with life too, everyone goes through struggles and tough times, it is how you react in those tough times and get yourself out of it that makes you the ballplayer/person that you are.

Lastly, and probably the most important skill that playing this game has taught me is teamwork. The beauty of team sports is that all responsibilities do not rest on one individuals shoulders. It takes a cohesive unit to get the job done and get the sweet taste of victory. In most cases, this is true of life as well. Whether it be at work, family, friendship or even a relationship it often takes equal efforts of multiple people to find success.

As far as what being a Mets fan has taught me, I could go on for an eternity, but I will try to sum it up as best I can. Since what feels like birth, the Mets have been a major part of my life. From the first time I walked up the concrete ramps of Shea Stadium, into concourse and got my first full glimpse of a MLB field, I was hooked. From Mike Piazza to Pete Alonso, I have seen it all, the ups, the downs (unfortunately more downs than ups) and all that falls in between. Although this team has never provided me the ultimate joy of winning a World Series in my lifetime, there have been a plethora of lessons that I have been able to apply to my life from watching my team.

Being a Mets fan is not always the easiest. This team has a very unique way of getting your hopes up as high as they physically can and ripping your heart out at the last second. It’s sad for me to admit that, but it’s hard to not face the facts with that. Whether it was the 2006 season where the Mets looked like the best team in baseball and falling short, to 2015 where they were so close to a World Series title and just not being able to close it out, there’s been a lot of heartache.

With that being said, one major positive has come from this roller coaster of emotions, it has shown me to appreciate the little moments. For example, although the Mets playoff run in 2015 ended with them falling up short in the World Series in 2015 to the Kansas City Royals, there were so many little moments that I still cherish to this day.

Whether it was beating up on the Dodgers at home in Game 3 of the NLDS or David Wright battling back from spinal stenosis to hit a home run in Game 3 of the World Series, these little moments, fleeting in time provided so much joy in those moments, it helped eased the pain of defeat. If you are able to step back, even when you do not get the results you wanted in the end, and are able to enjoy the journey and the little things, you will have a life bountiful with joy. It is not always easy to have the glass half full perspective in life, but if it is applied, more often than not, happiness follows.

With the nickname “Lovable Losers”, negativity is already connected with this franchise. Although this team may lose more than it wins, it has taught me an invaluable skill, unconditional love. It could be August 12 and the Mets are 12.5 games out of first and I find myself still watching and rooting as hard as I would if it was Game 7 of the World Series. I think it goes without saying, but if you have the ability to have unconditional love for a historical “loser” you can unconditionally love the people in your life as well.

But, with all of that being said, the most important lesson that being a Met fan has taught me, without a doubt, is to hate and root against the Yankees as much as physically possible. All jokes aside, this is a perfect example of passion. I love the Mets so much, but I truly might detest the Yankees even more than I enjoy my Mets. Few things provide me greater joy than watching the “Evil Empire” come up short, although I’m sure witnessing a Mets World Series would triumph that feeling (we shall hopefully see).

Baseball is the perfect metaphor for life. You are going to fail or strikeout a heck of a lot more than you are going to succeed or hit a home run. It took me years to realize that the game of baseball was just a game I loved to play or watch, but it was a perfect way to learn how to deal with real life situations. I am so fortunate for this game being brought into my life, it has truly shaped me into the person I am today. It has taught me to have passion, unconditional love, patience and many more life lessons/skills I am sure I will realize on this long journey we call life. Just remember the next time you strike out, whether it be at the plate or in life, you can always get ’em next time.