(Editor’s Note: Charles Galiano was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2012 MLB Draft out of Commack high school and again by the Milwaukee Brewers out of Fordham University. He recently announced his retirement from the game of baseball after two seasons in the minor leagues due to a persistent shoulder injury. The following words are his own, as he bids farewell to the game he loves)
Dear Baseball,
Sitting here on the plane right now back to New York thinking about what baseball has done for me, I have nothing but immense gratitude and love towards this game. This game has given me damn near everything since I picked up a ball and a bat heading to my first tee ball game at Commack South Little League. I remember sitting on the floor with my brother nervous as can be about if I was going to play right. My brother went underneath his bed next to his Pokémon cards and grabbed a binder with some loose leaf paper in it. He grabbed a pen and started drawing the baseball diamond and explaining how the game is played. I remember being so nervous about which way to run after I hit the ball… He cleared that one up for me thank God. Anyways, almost 2 decades later I find myself in a professional jersey representing one of the 30 teams in the MLB as the battery behind the dish. Pretty insane to think that at one point I was once nervous about which way to run on the bases and then somehow I find myself here.
From little old Commack South tee ball to a professional batters box I found myself having one of the best baseball playing moments of my life. I share this story not to brag, but to inspire the kids reading this and to paint a picture of what hard work will bring. All the hard work I put in through my life was literally all worth it from this moment. It was opening day with a packed stadium. Thousands and thousands of fans were eager to see their hometown team play against the Chicago White Sox affiliate. I find myself up at the plate late in the game down by one with a man on first. I walk up to the plate and take ball one. Next pitch was a fastball painted on the outer black and I drove a line drive over the center field wall. I went completely deaf as I watched that ball clear the fence and when reality set in, I could feel the crowd absolutely erupt. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I rounded those bases and the home run siren blasted as thousands and thousands of people yelled and cheered for what I had just done to take the lead in the bottom of the 8th, and to eventually win the game. That was a high that is higher than anything you can even fathom.
So thank you baseball for the opportunity to experience my favorite baseball moment and the opportunity to bring thousands to their feet. What a feeling. Parallel to that, hearing my name twice on draft day, once in 2012 to the Philadelphia Phillies and another in 2015 to the Milwaukee Brewers brought me a sense of euphoria that is simply impossible to ever replicate or even come close to it. Thank you baseball for allowing me to feel the strongest positive emotions in my 23 years on earth.
You’ve given me everything on the field, as well as off. My identity, financial benefits, social recognition, the opportunity to play in front of thousands of people, the ability to take the field with the best players in the world from all different walks of life, sign tons of autographs, travel all over the world and lastly, put me in a position to be able to inspire the youth which is by far my favorite of them all. Having the feeling of a young ball player look at you like your God is a feeling like no other. I absolutely enjoyed taking advantage of every opportunity I had to work with kids and inspire them to enjoy the perks this game has given me. I will continue to give back to this game because it is my duty and it is the least I could do for all this game has done for me. Its like all I had to do was make a deal with baseball… I bust my butt everyday and the game will give me everything I ever wanted. For me, that damn near held true. My life has been so blissful because of you baseball. You kept me out of trouble and kept me on a virtuous path that lead to nothing but great things. You showed me the way and taught me life skills that will allow me to continue down the virtuous path and led me to great things down the road. So thank you baseball, I will ALWAYS be in debt to you for that.
Lastly, word of advice coming from someone who’s career just ended. Have no regrets. My career is over because my shoulder failed to take the abuse longer than 23 years and I am okay with that. I’ll never regret how hard I played and how no matter how I was feeling I always told the coach “I’m good.” One thing I do regret however, is not enjoying playing enough. I put so much pressure on myself throughout the years that I can honestly say I did not have as much fun as I should have. I was way too hard on myself. It’s interesting because I made it so far but I almost forget all the success I had because I was blinded by dwelling on my failures and how to minimize them. This is a good trait to have to an extent, however, take a minute to enjoy the successes and fall in love with the process of developing yourself as a ball player. Can’t be too hard on yourself in this game. Bust your butt day-in and day-out but play this game like your playing wiffle ball in your backyard… Have fun.
People say, “Its just a game,” but every real baseball guy knows its not just a game, it’s a way of life. Forget all the outside noise and just enjoy competing with your teammates. That’s what it is all about. Play to win for your team and all your individual statistics and successes will take care of themselves, trust me. Set goals, work hard, compete hard, play hard, and ALWAYS respect this game. I love you baseball, thank you.
-Charles Galiano