Tee Ball!
Yesterday it rained lightly off and on throughout the day. But in the evening the skies opened up and didn't stop until well after I was fast asleep. Everyone assumed that James' first tee ball game would have to wait another week. But this morning broke warm and sunny and the fields were juuuuuust dry enough to play on. So the game was on!Only 4 of our 7 players showed up and none of them really knew the first thing about what was happening. James and I have played catch a lot and, while he throws the ball pretty well, he can't catch worth beans. He also often forgets to pay attention to where he is throwing the ball so the act pretty much consists of just launching it as far as possible. We have also worked on hitting off a tee a little and when he watches the ball he does just fine. But he forgets from at bat to at bat what he is doing and rarely faces the right direction. His Uncle Richard and I have spent a lot more time actually pitching whiffle balls to him so the tee is relatively unfamiliar. Neither James nor any of the other players on his teams have the first idea about what to do after hitting the ball, so most of the morning was spent shouting, "RUNNNN!!!!!" I have to say though, I think I know now why Barry Bonds spends so much time staring at the Home Runs he has just hit. His steroid-addled brain forgets that he is supposed to actually do something after making contact. Eventually, synapses fire and legs start to move but I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt here and assume that, like James, he just doesn't know what happens next.
The other team, by comparison, was comprised of 35 twelve-year-olds, all with former Major League experience. They formed an impenetrable wall from first to third, fielded everything cleanly, and got each of our kids out at first. Every time. Their first baseman often rolled his eyes and commented loudly, "He doesn't know what he's doing!" Well, no, Mr. All-Star, he doesn't. He's fiiiiiiive. At one point, James was trying to stand on third base and the kid over there wouldn't let him, occupying the entire bag and bopping James in the head with the bill of his cap. Mom? Dad? Anybody? I'm gonna dwarf-toss your boy here if he doesn't knock...it...off!
In fairness, the other team just had more kids, some of whom were a little older and had played before. I shouldn't wreck on them too much, as my big VP's son was on the team and some other friends had their great-granddaughter there too. Both of those youngsters behaved admirably.
James wasn't crazy about it at first. The batting helmet was not a favorite, as it made his head operate like one of those little toy doggies you see in the back of a car. He wasn't happy about having to keep his glove on in the field and he never could figure out that he was supposed to run over to first and try to catch the ball if another fielder got to it before him. He spent the entire second inning asking me for a hug (which he got, of course) and alternated between smiles and tears like a manic-depressive watching Terms of Endearment. But the ultimate verdict was positive and he is already talking about playing again next week.
The coach of the team is a very nice guy named Josh. He is the college pastor of a local church and will actually miss next week's game due to a mission trip to China. The first thing he said to me this morning was, "Hi I'm Josh the co-coach backed out on me yesterday do you know anything about baseball?" I figured I'd get to know the sport a bit before taking over but it looks like I'll be coaching next week in his absence. That's cool. Apparently coaching tee ball is pretty much synonymous with crowd control.
And now, my favorite moment.
As mentioned, running the bases is not a strong part of our game. None of our kids know when to run or where to run or when to stop running. James had no interest in third base at all since he knows, being the son of a mathematician, that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. So it was that he found himself standing on second base when one of his teammates hit a little squibber out to the middle of the diamond. James raced off the bag, made his best play of the day by grabbing the ball up and throwing his teammate out at first, then continued on to home to score a (contested) run.
Okay. So. We've got some work to do. What can I say? The morning started with a prayer, ended with a devotional, and had plenty of smiles in between. In anybody's book, that's a success.
posted by Thurman8er @ 1:01 PM
5 Comments:
I have some cute pictures for you. The "baseball" part of it was fairly unrecognizable, but the self-esteem building was evident. So sweet.
Since Steve won't actually BE at the game next week, it's Coach Lisa time! To make matters worse, I wasn't even there today for my son's first t-ball game. I'm a bad mom, I know. Anyone available to co-coach? Anyone? PLEASE??!!!
How COULD it get any better than THAT. Great story.
Ohh!! Sweet Amens for sweet innocence!! Marsha R.
I believe James recorded the first "put - out / RBI sacrifice" play in baseball history.
Props to Coach Steve and prayers for Coach Lisa at the next game.
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