Growing up in small-town Oklahoma, baseball was an everyday part of life. I traded cards with friends, watched the Braves on TNT with my Grandpa nightly, and played as often as possible. Many times, this meant grabbing your glove, a ball, and whatever you could find for a bat and finding the closest empty field. It didn’t matter if there were two of us or twenty, we found a way to play ball. The summers were jammed packed with tournaments and long weekends spent in dicey hotel rooms. It’s just how it was. We were not going to be denied this love, this passion we had for the smell of freshly cut grass and the rattling of bats in our overly packed bags as we rushed to greet our friends. Some of my fondest memories of my childhood are centered around this sport.

When my wife and I first arrived in Ireland, we didn’t know baseball was played here on the Emerald Isle. It wasn’t until I was approached by a fellow expat in a café that I was reintroduced to the game I had so many fond memories of. I couldn’t help feel like this moment was something out of a classic 90’s movie, where a group of rag-tag ball players, rounded up by a chance encounter, formed a team and played a game out of pure passion and love for the sport. I came to find out that baseball in Ireland is exactly that and so much more. Many aspects of playing baseball here have mirrored that of my youth and how I grew up playing ball. Often times, it’s difficult to find the space to practice, to acquire the correct equipment, or to find transportation to and from trainings or games. But that hasn’t slowed baseball in Ireland. If anything, it has helped shape the game here even more.

Just like when we were kids and we were told we couldn’t do something because it was too hard, if we
were passionate enough about it we would find a way to make it happen. After a year of ball here, this has rung more true than ever. It isn’t easy playing baseball here, but we find a way because it’s what we love.

Since joining the Dublin City Hurricanes, I have continued to learn and grow not only as a player but even more as a person. There is such an eclectic mix of people here, some who know the game very well and some who are just now starting out. The range of skill levels has taught me that every single experience brings a learning opportunity. From training with
a veteran that has played with the Texas Rangers organization or from listening to a first-time player that grew up playing cricket or hurling, I have found that every person can teach you something new and valuable in life. Each opportunity presents the chance
to grow and improve skills on and off the diamond. In fact, I have found that I enjoy teaching and helping develop those who are newer to the game just as much as I do playing the game. I am often willing to trade practice time where I continue to develop my own skills for a fun go bat or to throw batting practice. I often feel selfish for this, as I get such enjoyment watching those individuals progress quickly throughout the training sessions. And I’m not the only one that this applies to. Each veteran on
the Hurricanes walks around our training sessions and helps those looking to improve their skills. The leadership and patience I see in these wily vets is something I take great pride in when it comes to being a Hurricane (or a “Cane” as we often call ourselves). It is these lessons and moments that I cherish here the most.

No matter what the future holds for me, whether it’s staying in Ireland a bit longer or heading back to the States, I know a few things will always remain. One, I will always be a Dublin City Hurricane. The love and compassion that this ball club has showed me, and my family, will last a life-time. I will continue to be connected to this club and continue to help improve baseball in Ireland for years to come, as I will forever be indebted to this team. Secondly, I will carry the lessons and love I have learned from everyone on the team with me throughout my daily life, in very much the same way I’ve carried those fond memories with me growing up with this game. It’s not every day you get to play your favorite sport with amazing people from all over the world, learn from them and grow with them, and watch yourself grow as a person because of that. That’s something I will hold dear for the rest of my life.

Bryce Landers

Dublin City Hurricanes President 2018