Friday, January 7, 2011

B is for Baseball

Last year, during my Alphabet Soup, I had other things I wanted to tell y'all about but when I'm stuck in Alphabet Soup, I dedicate myself to it and try not to cheat.

One of the things that I didn't get to write about was the boys' baseball adventures!


T was on a "beginning" team for his age group and he did really well! He improved his catching and hitting and just look at that stance...

On the team, he usually played either 1st base or catcher.


He was growing his hair out until the first game on a hot day when he spent most of his on-field time in the catcher's outfit. He asked us to cut it that very night! (We usually clipper-cut their hair at home, really short. This past year, both of them have been growing it out and it looks quite good on them!)



The coach for T's team was about 6'7" and a very big guy. His son was the main pitcher and was also quite a bit taller then anyone else on the team. He was very mellow and laid back and the kids seemed to really like him. Dave assistant coached as many practices as he could make and all the games as well. I think he really enjoyed it! It got him to thinking of joining a softball team of his own because he really loved playing back in the day. Of course, with his schedule, he found it to be nearly impossible and didn't do it. Anyway....


The last time Trev played baseball, he was about 5 years old, playing T-ball and the smallest baseball pants were so loose on him that he had to hold them up when he ran around the bases.


D2 played, too. He played on an "advanced" team in his age group, despite never having played before. The other kids on this team were mostly from his class at school and the coach said not to worry about the "advanced" label and that he would work with D2. He did work quite a lot with Davis and the 3 other boys that weren't as skilled as the rest. He is a very patient, high-energy guy and a great coach. There were three other dads who also helped with the coaching and they were all very kind and patient with the boys.


Of course, every team (or classroom) has a horrible child, and the one on D2's team.... every time I saw that kid I wanted to smack his dad. The kid's name was... we'll say J and he was such a shit. During practice one day, he was being rotten and his dad said, "If you do that again, I'm going to make you run to the fence and back." 20 seconds later, he does "it" again and Dad says, "OK, go run to the fence and back" and J says "NO" and Dad says, "ok, well... don't do it again" and 10 seconds later... J does it again. Aaaaand There You Have It, no consequences, and J is quite the little shit. I've seen that kid KICK his dad and throw his glove at his dad and the dad never did ANYthing about it!

Before each game, the dads would pair up the kids to play catch and warm up. At the last game, J got paired up with D2 and he flat out refused to play with D2 saying how "crappy" a player D2 was and how much he sucked. D2 just stood there, not really paying attention (but I know he heard that hateful child) and J's dad also just stood there saying things like, "Now J, that's not nice. You have to play with him. Be nice. Stop saying that." blah, blah, blah. J wouldn't "be nice" and he refused to play w/D2 (again, throwing his glove at his dad) and I was getting out of my chair to handle it when one of the other assistant-coach-dads (the really uber-competitive one of all people!), walked out there, took J by the arm and said, "You do NOT treat your teammates like that. AND, you do what the coaches tell you. Now shut your mouth and practice with D2 or you don't get to play today." J shut his mouth and did as he was told. Amazing what a tiny bit of discipline can do, right?

Here's D2 at bat, wearing his ball cap under the batting helmet (told y'all he was new at this!).


Here's D2 after the season with his first ever tiny trophy...

He was more interested in the trophy then he ever was in the game. Next time, we'll put him in a beginner team and maybe he'll like it better!


One of the coolest things that happened during that time was a different ball game...
One of Dave's half-brothers got tickets for all the boys to go to a pro-game on Mother's Day. (And, as an aside, can I just say what a joy it was having the house all to myself to knit and watch whatever I wanted all day!! Best Mother's Day present ever!)

So both half-brothers (Jerry and John), Dave, their dad (grandpa) and both the little guys (T and D2) went to see the Rockies play the Brewers at Coors Field in Denver. After the game, Dave and the little guys were in the stands at one end of the bull pen watching the relief pitcher throw baseballs to the crowd on the other side of the bull pen. Dave told T to shout out and ask the pitcher to throw one their way so T did.

Dave told me that the pitcher threw hard and Dave was making a move to get down to the edge of the balcony to get it. He slowed down though since he saw that the ball wasn't going to make it. He said, "T reached over the railing with his glove and 'boop' CAUGHT that ball!" He said it was such a great catch that the crowd on the other side of the bull pen all cheered!


I loved having my day to myself but I'd've given almost anything to've seen the look on T's face when he caught that ball! He slept with that ball for over a week!


Maybe this year they'll try Basketball, Ruth!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Awww.

k said...

If parents are jerks, maybe the village will help even things out.

And HOW COOL to have made that catch! I would have slept with it, too.

Yarnhog said...

That's a catch I would love to have seen, too. :)

My sons are...not athletic. They've tried lots of sports, but their attitude was really put into words by Older Son when he was seven. He was playing baseball and when he came in from the field, looking very bored, I asked him how he liked it. His answer: "Sports just aren't my thing, Mom. I'm a science guy."