Matthew Taylor: Fulfilling a Father's Day promise through baseball

I promised my dad, as he laid on what could have been his death bed some 18 months ago, that we would do the Father's Day Catch on the Field if he survived his cardiac arrest. I wrote about it back then. This Sunday, I'll make good on that promise as my dad and I will join several other fathers and sons with stories of their own to have a catch at Camden Yards.

Dad got a second chance at life. Now I have a chance to make it right with what would have been a missed opportunity. I've celebrated a lot of life events at the ballpark; this one will be particularly special.

I can't say that playing catch at Camden Yards is a bucket list item for me. After all, the bucket list details things you want to do before you die. I need a separate list for things you do with a loved one who has cheated death. This list would be much simpler. Rather than detailing travels to exotic locations, it would include routine experiences - more phone calls, more dinners together, more morning walks - after your life became anything but routine for a time. Hopefully, the list would help preserve the perspective that difficult experiences provide and serve as a reminder of your good fortune.

I know I'm lucky to have my dad back. I've experienced loss first-hand, and I've watched all too many people I care for go through it as well. Five of my close friends have lost their fathers in recent years. Some of the deaths were sudden and unexpected, while others came following painful battles with disease. The circumstances were unique, the end results all too familiar. I'll be thinking about those friends on Sunday.

I know I'm lucky to have a strong relationship with my father. We have many shared interests, including, of course, our love for the Orioles. I know some men can only relate to their fathers through sport, and maybe not even that much. Others have never known their fathers. I'll be thinking about those men on Sunday.

I know I'm lucky to be a dad myself. I told my wife while my dad was in the hospital that I wanted to spend so much time with our kids that they'd be sick of me and I'd be sick of them. After having left my job to become a full-time dad, I can state pretty confidently that I'm making good on both counts. I'll be thinking about my own kids on Sunday.

Life seems to hand out more regrets than second chances. I find that it's easier to dwell on the missed opportunities than it is to embrace the do-overs. Things return to normal more quickly than you imagined they would, and the promise of change goes unrealized.

This week, I revisited a list I made for myself during the long hours in the hospital waiting room while my dad recovered. It wasn't a bucket list, a mulligan list or even a to-do list. Rather, it was something of a do-better list. It detailed ways to deliver more kindness, more purpose, more enjoyment to life. On some counts, I am doing better; however, there's still plenty of room for improvement in other regards. Luckily, I still have a chance.

Matthew Taylor blogs about the Orioles at Roar from 34. Follow him on Twitter: @RoarFrom34. His ruminations about the Birds appear as part of MASNsports.com's season-long initiative of welcoming guest bloggers to our site. All opinions expressed are those of the guest bloggers, who are not employed by MASNsports.com but are just as passionate about their baseball as our roster of writers.