In the winter, out of the blue, JP mentioned to us that he'd rather play baseball this spring than soccer. Music to my ears, of course, given that baseball is my favorite sport and I really don't know much, if anything, about soccer. Within hours, I signed him up for the "Wookie" League (5-6 year olds) in the West Nashville Sports League. I also agreed to help coach.
In short, it was awesome (for me as well as JP, I hope). One of my bucket list items - before I even had children - was to coach them in baseball. This was t-ball/coach pitch, which means each child gets 5 pitches from the coach and if he doesn't get a hit, the tee comes out. Our team was the Indians.
Sadly, we only got to practice a time or two due to rainout games being rescheduled, but the games on Saturdays were a blast.
The boys were all so young and innocent. Most of them hadn't started school yet, so it was probably the last time they'd play a sport without, at least in the back of their minds, having to deal with the social pressures of school. They all ran around the field, chasing the ball every time a player on the other time hit it, ending up piled up on top of each other in the dirt. Some boys sat down and played in the dirt, some boys put their gloves on their head and some boys stayed in the "baseball ready position" (bent at the waist, glove and free hand on knees, eyes staring intently at the batter). They all begged Coach Sean to let them play first base or pitcher. One or two boys cried about something every game. Just 5 and 6 year old boys doing what 5 and 6 year old boys do.
My sense is that by next year, a lot of the boys will understand more about winning and losing, succeeding and failing, keeping score, etc. And that makes me a little sad, too. Sad for the loss of innocence and the joy of playing a game - baseball - just for the fun of playing it.
JP did great. He hit pretty well, rarely having to use the tee. He didn't hit the ball particularly hard, but he almost always made good contact. He throws the ball surprisingly well. Catching, at this point, is a challenge, but that's true of almost all of the boys on his team. It's strange, but I have no independent recollection of learning how to catch a baseball. It seems like it's something I always knew how to do (which obviously isn't the case). That makes it harder for me, I think, to teach JP how to catch.
If I had to guess, right now, I'd predict JP will be an average athlete with good hand-eye coordination (just like his old man). He'll be intense, competitive and really, really want to win (just like his old man). He'll probably be able to play a lot of sports reasonably well but won't stand out at any one sport (just like his old man). And that's just fine with me. What I want him to get out of playing sports is to learn what it's like to be part of a team. I want him to learn the value of hard work and practice. And, yes, I want him to learn how to handle winning and losing without falling to pieces. There's real value in that, as a life experience.
My enduring memory of JP's first baseball season will be standing on the field with him at Harpeth Hills Church of Christ during games, smiling as he stood in the "baseball ready" position with a look of concentration on his face as he watched the batter and waited for him to hit the ball. As soon as the ball was hit - anywhere on the field - off JP went to try and get it.
Baseball.
