Baseball
Memory, Emotion, and the Mental Game Behind America’s Pastime
Baseball isn’t just a sport, it’s a soundtrack, a ritual, and a mirror for emotional resilience. For individuals in Maryland and DC, this reflection on transistor radios, childhood giggles, and the ups and downs of pitching reminds us that the game is as much about heart as it is about skill. This post explores how baseball shapes memory and how emotional coaching might just be the next great strategy.
I have always liked baseball. I have no idea why. Maybe it was the invention of the transistor radio. The transistor was invented in 1947, and I would not have been old enough to know what it was. But by 1957, when the transistor radio was invented, my parents might have been able to afford one. The radio at that time would have been expensive and truly a luxury item at about $130. I know we had one.
How do I know? My sister and I shared a room, and we managed to sneak the radio in at night and listen to the ball games under the covers. I don’t think we really understood the game itself, but the sneaking was great fun. “Settle down, girls!”. “Don’t make me come up there!” would echo up the stairs and lead to more giggles under the covers. I do not remember my Dad ever following through on those threats, but they sounded serious.
The baseball announcer was a hoot. Big voice with lots of crescendos and excitement, and I remember an organ playing at certain times. Of course, they played the National Anthem at the beginning and “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”. The 7th inning stretch was usually “God Bless America” so we learned all the words by heart. George Steinbrenner is credited with making it a tradition as he instructed the organist to play it at every ball game for the New York Yankees until other clubs adopted it. Of course, we all wanted to sound like Aretha Franklin. Watch her on YouTube and tell me if it does not make you cry.
As an adult, my husband and I lived in Baltimore, and it was easy to find a balmy night to go to the park, and at that time, it was cheap to get box seats on the first base line and watch Jim Palmer pitch. Sometimes I think about how a pitcher needs to be trained to handle the ups and downs of performance. I think I would like to be an emotional trainer for high school pitchers. I would sit on the sidelines and yell, “Great pitch” when they are doing well, and “You stink” with the throw one way outside. I think that would be good training and serve them well in college and beyond. The pitcher has to take in the good stuff and let it fill him up and strengthen him and sluff off the bad at the moment but not forever. The pitcher needs to hold a place for the bad stuff, like putting it in a spot behind home plate where it can be picked up later but not affect his game. Later he can sort through it for the good stuff to work on.
Maybe we all need hecklers and cheerers for that very reason.
If you’re exploring emotional resilience or want to coach others through performance highs and lows, therapy can help. Learn more about individual therapy in Maryland and DC or explore therapeutic approaches that support emotional regulation and growth. For insights into the mental game of baseball, see The Mental Game of Baseball from OurBallSports.
By Dr. Gloria K Vanderhorst
