Osgoode’s Vaughan Rawes reflects on his decision to return to the diamond, this time as a York Lion.
I remember the feeling as if it was yesterday. Losing (what I thought was) my last career OUA baseball game by giving up a 10-5 lead in the last inning and missing out on the first playoff berth in Queen’s baseball history as a result was an incredibly difficult day. After four years growing the program, countless hours of practice, and way too many 5:00 a.m. road trips, my time as a varsity athlete was over in a heartbeat. Although the bus ride back to Kingston was a long and hard one, it afforded me the opportunity to reflect on my time as a Gael and appreciate my time as a varsity athlete.
OUA Baseball is by no means a glamorous league. Despite being a “Big 4” North American sport, the league has to contend with a lack of recorded statistics, payment of team fees by virtually all players, and a regular season organized almost exclusively by the league’s dedicated coaches. What the league does have is an unrivalled sense of community. League alumni dedicate their fall to cover games on social media, compile the league’s statistics, and work with sponsors in order to provide award winners with prizes and raise the league’s profile.
When I was asked to join the York team halfway through this past season (which took place via Instagram, because it’s 2019), I initially dismissed the idea almost instantly. Between the demands of law school, having undergone two arm surgeries, giving up Thanksgiving at home in Ottawa, and not having played a competitive baseball game in two years, it did not seem feasible or worthwhile to join a 1-14 team. Upon reflection, I realized how much I missed the competition, teammates, and sport that shaped my undergraduate experience and began to seriously consider the offer.
It didn’t take long after looking at the team’s playoff schedule to realize that the decision to play should have been an obvious one. The final game of the round robin, against Queen’s, was all that I needed to see. With many lingering connections to the team and coaching staff, the opportunity to compete against them was a special one that I could not pass up. As the majority of my former teammates are nearing the end of their careers, playing on the same field for one final time was an opportunity that I had to take advantage of. To top it off, I knew that it would likely mean batting against one of my former teammates, which ended up being one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve had on a baseball diamond (and gave me some long-lasting bragging rights).
Despite going 0-3 in the playoff tournament (and battling a seven-hour rain delay in the process), being able to compete once again made it memorable. The lasting memories of sport are not based on the outcome of an at-bat or game, but the time away from the field with teammates on long bus rides or in hotels. However, there is nothing that can compare to the sense of competition that arises when you step into the batter’s box and look your friend on the mound in the eye, knowing that you will be talking about this for years to come when you have both left the game. That is why I play, and that is why I came back.