Introduction: Welcome back, as I hope you all are doing well! On Tuesday, April 26th, my favorite baseball player George Springer hit his 200th career home run! As a result, I have decided to write a post on why every home run that he hits out of the park is special to me! With that being said, I hope you all enjoy reading my article, as this is one of my more personal posts that I have written and published!
George Springer is more than just a baseball player to me. The opening statement may have seemed direct, but it is true.
George Springer and myself both have a speech impediment, stuttering, which is why he is my favorite athlete, baseball player, famous person, etc. Needless to say, George Springer over the last six years has reached a level of "special" that no other professional athlete could or ever will reach.
To put this into perspective, I have a whole box of baseball cards dedicated to George, a poster of him on my bedroom wall, a few shirts, and even my phone case is Springer themed, as seen below.
So when George comes up to hit to leadoff a game or at any time for that matter, I get excited, nervous, or any other emotion that you could think of.
Springer hitting in the leadoff spot has to be tough, but in my opinion it is similar to stuttering. Although a challenge, George faces it head on and is one of the best leadoff hitters that baseball has ever seen. Currently, Springer has 47 career leadoff home runs, fifth most in MLB history.
When George gets into the batter's box or is even in the outfield, I am locked in to all that he does. Whether it be looking at his tall blue socks, noticing his new Rawlings glove, watching his facial expressions, you name it, my full attention is on him while he is on the field, simply because we both have a speech impediment.
Stuttering, is a word that I have heard and dealt with daily for the last 15 years of my life. Prior to 2017, I had no idea George stuttered, as I do not think it was a coincidence when he had his "breakout" season that year and ended up winning the World Series MVP. To put it into a nutshell, these past six years have been amazing, simply because I have one player and more importantly one person who I can relate and look up to as a lifelong role model.
Saying "I talk like George Springer" sounds way cooler than saying "I have a speech impediment". When I say it like this, it does not seem as frustrating, or I do not seem to get angry, frustrated, or sad. Sharing this "disability" with George is something that I consider to be an honor, because the majority of people cannot say that they talk like a 3-time All-Star and World Series MVP. As a result, I often call George, my "stuttering buddy" even though we have never met.
Obviously, hitting a home run is one of the ultimate goals in baseball, but when George hits a home run I imagine something different coming off of his bat.
Instead of the baseball disappearing into the sky, I imagine that George has just hit the stuttering disability out of the park, as it seems to just disappear forever. Some of you reading the previous statement may think that I am crazy, but it is true. When George hits the baseball over the wall, I am most likely either screaming, going crazy, or am crying tears of joy in celebration because I am imagining that my stuttering journey has come to an end and that I do not stutter anymore.
As George rounds the bases, I take in the moment as best as I can, as I know it will only last a few seconds. When he reaches home plate and begins to put on the Blue Jays "Home Run Jacket" at the top of the dugout steps, it seems like I have this special kind of energy coming out of me that only Springer can spark. Honestly, it feels like the weight of stuttering has been lifted off of my shoulders during this short time, as George has no idea how different he makes me feel when he hits it out of the park.
On Tuesday, April 26th, with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Blue Jays down by two runs, George steps up to the plate. Boston reliever, Jake Diekman has come into the game for a possible save opportunity, as he is only one out away from securing a Red Sox victory. After the count builds to 2-1, Diekman throws a 96.1 MPH 4-seam fastball that George crushes out beyond the center field wall for a two-run home run to tie the game. At that point, my whole body went numb and I froze, as I was just taking in the moment knowing that he had just hit his 200th career home run. The Blue Jays would go on to win, 6-5 in 10 innings.
Instead of making excuses for myself, I look at my whole stuttering situation as a positive, because God has given me this disability for a reason. Sure, I question Him, but it does not mean I am miserable all the time and stop living my life. Having mentioned this in my previous posts about stuttering, thinking of doing this would make me sick to my stomach. Life is short, as I do not want to spend the majority of it complaining about my current situation, as I know it could be much worse. So, as a result, I do my best to have a smile on my face, and just enjoy the life that God has given me.
Watching George Springer highlights has become a daily occurrence, as seeing him hit home runs and make spectacular plays motivates me a lot and gives me strength to power through my stuttering when some days are harder than others. To sum it up, a George Springer home run is not just an ordinary home run to me, as I consider each one he hits to be very special.
One day, I hope to meet the man who I have looked up to for the past six years. Meeting George is something that I could not even imagine, as he has been such an inspiration and has had a major impact on my life. Trying to imagine meeting him is hard to do, because I do not see myself getting any words out at all and instead breaking down and crying right in front of him, that is how much George means to me!
Final Thoughts: This post was not meant to make anyone feel bad or sorry for myself about my current situation, as stuttering is all I have ever known. As a result, I have no idea if I would have the courage to write about my stuttering experiences multiple times and share them with you all in the first place. Writing has become my main source for talking, as I feel a lot more comfortable typing what I am thinking than actually saying it to a person or a group of people in real life.
Thankful would be the word that I would use to describe my stuttering journey, because I believe that I have become a stronger person because of it even though I still am going through it on a daily basis. Without God giving me this obstacle in my life, I do not think I would be as strong as I am today, as all the honor and glory goes to Him!
As always, feel free to share this article with others, as I would love for it to encourage and motivate people as this is one of the main reasons why I write about my stuttering experiences to begin with.
See you at the Ballpark!!!
Adam
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