T-Ball

After the first few T-Ball practices I determined that I was going to have to take some decisive action to help counteract the boys natural genetic inclination to be "That Kid," on his team. So we headed down to the local Walmart to get some supplies. 

     #1 on the list was a helmet. When we first got the information sheet for T-Ball they suggested that every child have their own helmet. I thought it was ridiculous to have a helmet for T-Ball, since there is no pitcher, but after the first day of practice I realized the real reason for the helmet - 10 four to seven year old children with bats! 

     #2 Item was his own bat. The team has a few bats, but they are a little too big for the boy, so we got him his own. Then when we got home I built him a tee so that he could practice hitting in the yard. We practiced a lot at home and now Owen is a pretty good hitter!

At their last practice before their first game they had a simulated game so that they could get an idea of what to expect.

 The Boy sure knows how to look like he knows what he is doing , and if the ball is hit right to him he is really good at fielding it. (If he has to move to get it he just watches it go by...)

And we have a hit! Unfortunately, while he is pretty good at hitting the ball, my son has been blessed with "Renberg Speed," so he sure tries to move fast, but genetics are working against him.

Lucky for him no one can actually throw the ball all the way to first base, and even if they do, no one will actually catch it.

Time for the first game and the boy is ready to go at third base...sadly the ball rarely makes it past the pitcher...oh well.

Our turn to bat, all the children sit in their batting order - some of the rules are different for T-ball. First thing, everyone gets to bat once per inning, the inning ends when the last person hits. Second, for the first inning everyone gets to run all of the bases. For the second and third innings if by some strange event the other team actually manages to get you out (You know, because you have Renberg speed and they can run the ball over to first base) then you come back to the bench like normal baseball.

Getting some last minute pointers from coach before taking his first at bat.

You thought I was kidding about the Renberg Speed...

Coach tries to move the kids around when they are in the field so hopefully everyone will have a chance to get the ball.

At bat #2 was another successful - albeit slow - trip to first base.

This was a pretty good action shot of him coming home, and we have noticed something, he actually runs faster from third base to home than he does from home to first base.

After running the bases the boy needs some Gatorade - blue as you can see.

Not only did he field the ball, but he is throwing it to first base, just like he is supposed to...Such a proud moment for a Papa!

This is Maren...she is 4 years old like Owen, and they are the youngest on the team. They were both playing pitcher and it was adorable!

So why is Beki holding the boy? Well, let me tell you a story...

          By the nature of my occupation, I have a strong desire to correct wrong behavior, and the team that we were playing against was full of it. They had never actually had a practice, and their coaches seemed more intent on having conversations then actually coaching. If children are left to their own devises they will inevitably morph any activity into a game of mob-ball. Mob-ball is when every player tries to get the ball, which results in a mass of children running around without control. Our coaches have worked very hard at getting the children to stay in their general area, but every time our team was trying to run the bases the children were almost getting run over.

          On Owen's third trip around the bases he found himself on second, waiting to go to third. The ball was hit pretty hard between second and third, and so all of the other team's players began running toward the ball, while Owen was trying to avoid them to get to third base. (He was really funny about it, he kept saying "Excuse me!" while dodging people.) He made it safely through 8 of the players, but the first baseman was desperately trying to get to the ball - yes, you read that right, the first baseman was trying to get to a ball hit between second and third - and he ran over Owen like a linebacker hitting a receiver over the middle. So Owen is crying, and everyone is trying to calm him down - he is pretty tough, he doesn't cry for long - but I was pretty pissed off that not a single coach took the offending youth and explained to him that he had done something wrong. Don't go thinking I'm one of those crazy parents who is going to start fighting in the stands, I know that the kid did not intend to run over my son, but wrong behavior is wrong behavior and it needs to be fixed!

Good job Mommy and Owen!!

One of my favorite parts about youth sports is the handshake...this goes away in the pro's, unless you play hockey - those guys are tough but they end every playoff series with a handshake line-up.

For his second game our team was short a couple of coaches and somehow Beki ended up being the person who helped get the kids ready to bat. It was a total role reversal moment - her being coach and me holding the camera - but that is pretty much how our marriage has been.

It was pretty windy this game, and I was trying to hold the camera with one hand because I had papers on my lap, so it is a little bumpy. Owen was the last batter this inning, so he got to hit a homerun!

And just when we think that our son is normal...

He at least straightened his helmet before running home.

He has a very good ready position...he just gets frustrated that the ball isn't hit to him every time.

Sportsmanship is important.

Game three and the boy is in his now famous ready position...

And the ball was hit to him!! (Pretty hard too, but we have practiced a lot in the backyard getting in front of the ball and getting our glove down, so he is pretty good at this.)

Poor coach has to be light on his feet because Owen starts swinging as soon as that ball is on the Tee.

This should show you how legendary the speed is...the kid who was on third is almost home by the time my son has taken three steps...awesome genetics!!

Overall it has been a good experience - the boy is having fun, he looks forward to going to his games, and he is sad when they are rained out. And I like playing catch in the backyard!