As I came home from my run this morning around 6:45, you came bombing down the stairs yelling, "Daddy, Daddy"! Today is the first day of t-ball, I'll go grab my cleats!!" I had to tell you that you were about 12 hours too early.
After work I pulled in and was greeted by you with your glove in hand. You were wearing jeans, a spiderman shirt and your glove. As much as I tried to encourage you to wear "Athletic Pants", you were determined to sport your jeans for your first practice. When we arrived at the field, we found that you were not alone in wearing your jeans!
We got there and met coach Don in the parking lot. Three other Dads and I are also coaching but Don is kind of running the show. I was immediately impressed by Don and his way with the kids and decent knowledge of the sport. You and I went up into the club house where all the gear is kept and got the "T", balls, and helmets.
You are one of 11 kids on the team. When we arrived, the coaches broke the kids up into two groups and began practicing fielding the ball. You did a great job of keeping your head down and moving your glove to the ball. Then you guys played catch with each other. Right away three coaches complimented you on your arm. Most kids were working on stepping with their opposite foot and throwing the ball, you already had this down.
JD, you were the most polite little guy there. You were playing catch with a boy who was kind of tough to play with. He was pretty good, but he kept picking up another ball when it was your turn to throw. Every time you dropped your ball to accommodate him. I was so proud of the way you handled him. Not to mention the times that you did throw, you almost took off his head. I actually went over to tell you to throw a bit easier!
After "Catch" it was time for everyone to hit. Coach Don was talking to everyone about the hitting order and one of the boys shouted, "I'm hitting first!" Coach Don told us that his rule was that anyone who asked to hit first, would hit last. He then asked the group, "How many people get to hit first?" Everyone was silent for a minute and then someone spoke up and said, "Only one person can hit first." That was you that said that. Coach Don said, "JD, since you got it right, you get to hit first.
As soon as you got up to bat, Coach Andy set you up to hit. He had your body positioned different than we do here at home and you kind of just looked at him. He said, "Go ahead." You swung and hit the tee. Then you moved your body to be more comfortable, and honestly, it was right way to stand. Jade, you crushed three balls to center field, OVER the infield. You were the only kid to hit the ball into the outfield all night. You did it three times in a row.The thing that hit me the hardest tonight was that the smile was stuck on your face all night. You had an absolute blast!! When we were walking back to the car, you said, "Daddy, are we playing t-ball every night?"
You chatted the whole way home about practice. You were proud of yourself for doing well, and I could tell you were gaining confidence. You had so much fun out there.
On the way home, you and I picked up a pizza. You didn't last too long at the table though. We watched the Sox while we ate, and you said, "I guess I'm a little tired." I carried you up to bed and you were out like a light.
What a great introduction to baseball.
