Baseball isn’t for everyone — but it still affects the whole household. We see that up close in our home.
One of our twins loves the game. The other has little to no interest in it — he’s made that crystal clear more than once…usually while we’re all traveling together in my truck.
Nicky’s argument basically boils down to one question:
Why is baseball such a big deal?
He’ll say things like:
“Why do baseball players make so much money and get all the fame — cars, houses, TV? Why do we value them more than doctors who save lives, or architects who build places for people to live? I don’t get it. It makes no sense.”
It’s a good question, and I respect the heck out of him for making his case.
When Nicky, 12, questions why baseball is such a big deal, I zoom out.
I tell him sports have mattered forever because they give people a release — something to rally around, cheer for, and forget about life for a few hours.
And I remind him: athletes aren’t the only ones who matter.
Artists matter. Firefighters matter. Musicians matter. Doctors, teachers, judges, nonprofit leaders…they all matter. And yes…even some politicians.
He listens. But he doesn’t totally buy it, which is very on brand for Nicky.
I love his skepticism.
Siblings are part of the baseball journey, too
Siblings are a big part of the baseball journey. It’s not their journey, of course — but they’re around for a lot of it, especially when they’re young.
So they need to feel included.
They need to feel seen.
And they need to trust that the family doesn’t rise and fall with the game.
So how do we, as baseball parents, make sure their ride through youth sports — and life — is filled with the same confidence and joy as their baseball-loving sibling?
Nicky isn’t a ballplayer — he’s an artist and a performer
Nicky is the artist in our family, and he’s legitimately talented. I’m not saying that because I’m his dad — the kid has a gift and it’s not something Elizabeth or I passed down to him.
He’s constantly observing. Analyzing. Thinking. He works things out in his head before putting it into a painting or drawing.
Nicky excels in the classroom. He recently made the honor roll. He takes advanced art at school and private lessons on Friday afternoons. He also has taken an interest in soccer and theatre. He’s a good young actor — the kind of kid who can surprise you with how naturally he nails his lines, even the funny ones.
Nicky stopped playing baseball a few years ago after his first season of Minors. He got hit a few times and struggled at the plate mostly because he was afraid of the ball but also because he refused to wear his glasses — the ones his eye doctor told him would help him see the ball. He’s a tad stubborn. 😎
When registration came around the following season, I already knew Nicky was probably out. He had made that clear. But I gave him one more chance to opt in.
I’ll never forget what he said that morning:
“Dad, I’ll play if I can just play second base and pitch. I don’t want to hit. The pitchers are too wild and they throw too fast.”
Fair enough, I told him.
FOUR YEARS AGO: Nicky pitching, Alex catching🩵
Our daughter Natalie is part of this, too
And then there’s our daughter Natalie, a senior at Arizona State University.
Natalie is one of those kids who always puts family first. She’s also someone we’re incredibly proud of.
Our local high school invited her into their engineering academy before she started there, because she excelled so much in related coursework in middle school.
Natalie never took to team sports. Cross country turned out to be her sport. But she turned down a cross country scholarship at a smaller university, and she’s built her own path from there — one we’ve supported every step of the way.
When Natalie’s home from college, she enjoys going to some of Alex’s tournaments. And I’ve seen her doing something that makes me smile: She’ll take videos of Alex pitching and hitting…and then post her content on Instagram.
She’s also quick to feed him balls while he’s doing tee work in our backyard. No complaints, no eye rolls — just quietly supporting her brother.
That’s Big Sis Natalie.
Baseball impacts the whole family — especially the siblings
Nicky doesn’t go to all of Alex’s tournaments, and we’re okay with that.
To be honest…Elizabeth and I don’t love going to every tournament either. We accept a lot of invites from Alex’s coaches, but we don’t say yes to all of them — and we rarely say yes to showcase invitations.
Nicky does love the out-of-town weekends — especially Vegas and Arizona — and he’s made friends along the way, mostly with the siblings of Alex’s teammates (and sometimes Alex’s teammates too).
So even though baseball isn’t Nicky’s thing, it’s still part of his world.
It’s easy to pour into the kid who plays
I’ll admit it: it’s easy for me to pour myself into Alex.
We play catch.
I throw him BP.
I hit him ground balls.
We even created a bullpen on the side of the house with a mound and a radar gun so he can get his work in as a pitcher. He throws so hard nowadays that I gear up when I catch him.
I enjoy it…but sometimes I see Nicky watching us from our big dining room window — and then I feel guilty too.
I don’t know much about art. And while Nicky plays soccer, he doesn’t love it — so he doesn’t kick the ball around much at home.
We shoot hoops in the driveway sometimes, but that’s not really his sweet spot either.
He loves to swim — and since we have a pool, I try to get in the water with him as much as I can, especially when it’s just the two of us.
He’s also a good chess player, so we play together. He almost always wins.
And we both love a great movie or TV show. We watched the Stranger Things finale at the theatre over the holidays — just the two of us — and we both walked out of there so happy for the experience.
Quality time matters — and it takes intention
The thing I think Nicky craves most is attention — quality one-on-one time.
Most kids want that. But it’s not easy to pull off with twins, busy schedules, and baseball always humming in the background.
It would crush me if Nicky thought I favored Alex because of baseball.
He’s made that point to me a handful of times, and it stings. But most of the time, it’s quickly replaced with laughter…and some time together.
With Natalie, we want the same thing: for her to always know she’s not an afterthought just because she’s older and in college.
So we cook with her.
We go on walks.
We take trips to Dog Beach.
We figure out what shows or movies she likes so we can watch them too — and talk about them after.
When Natalie ran cross country and track in high school, Elizabeth attended nearly all of her meets, and I was there for a lot of them. One or both boys were usually there too.
Nowadays, we’re genuinely invested in Natalie’s studies, her next steps, and her job search…and we help where we can.
The point isn’t guilt — it’s balance
None of us want baseball to crowd out the rest of our lives — especially the kids who aren’t on the field.
But the truth is, baseball doesn’t stop. It’s a sport that always asks for more — more weekends, more practices, more lessons, more tournaments. And in sunny San Diego, it can turn into a year-round grind.
Elizabeth said something recently that stopped me:
“Nicky gets a raw deal because baseball just takes up so much time,” she said.
She’s not wrong.
Balance doesn’t just happen.
You have to choose it. Protect it. Fight for it.
Because the kids in our house who don’t play the game deserve the same attention, joy, and energy as the one who does. They take up the same amount of space in our hearts — we just have to make sure they feel it.
And long after the tournaments and rings are forgotten, what lasts is how our kids felt growing up in our home. The scoreboard that matters most isn’t the one at the field — it’s the one your kids carry with them for the rest of their lives.
About Baseball Dad & PR Guy
I started Baseball Dad & PR Guy to share what I’ve learned from two worlds that have more in common than you’d think — youth baseball and public relations. Both teach preparation, communication, leadership, patience, and how to handle life’s curveballs.
Through my 12-year-old son Alex, his teammates, and his coaches, I’ve come to love baseball — all its beauty and all its challenges. My goal is to help baseball parents avoid common mistakes and support the journey their son or daughter is pursuing. On the PR side, my goal is to help young public relations professionals reach their potential.
Baseball and public relations both teach lessons that transcend the ball field and the PR world — so there’s really no reason not to subscribe.😎
⚾️ Join our growing community of parents helping parents: Travel Baseball Moms & Dads and Baseball Parents Podcast on Facebook and Instagram. Please also check out my website, tonymanolatos.com, and my linkapalooza. 🔗