[paradygm]

> “What’s the worst that can happen?”

As a parent of a daughter who loves baseball more than anything else, we are letting her passion guide her, even though it is a remote possibility she will become the professional baseball player she wants to be. The opportunities that are opening up for her, and the life skills and lessons she is learning wouldn't have the same impact if we were trying to steer her in a direction that wasn't of her choosing. The lesson she has learned early, and one I wish I had learned earlier, is if the worst thing that can happen is someone will say "no" then there is no reason not to try.

[tnecniv]

This is what my parents did. They always said they’d be happy if I decided to become a poet if I wanted as long as I committed myself to it and didn’t just use it as an excuse to lay about all day. I always thought it worked out well.

Baseball is also a beautiful sport that combines the fun of playing a game with cutting edge tech and analytics. It can teach a curious child that keeps asking “why?” a lot while still being fun (unless you’re a Mets fan), and it’s a sport that you can keep playing basically your whole life in rec leagues at all sorts of skill levels. Even if she doesn’t end up with a career in the sport, there’s a lot her passion for the game can teach her.