In my head, I know it's what is best for him. The learning for Joe is in the struggle to be noticed. To be seen. To find where he fits and to assert himself. To become confident, again, and comfortable in his own skin.
The easy thing for Joe would have been to stay at USN. He was established there. A leader. Someone to whom the other students, boys and girls, looked to for approval and friendship. He was popular among the other students and faculty. He set the tone in his classes every day. Mind you, this is not supposition on my part. It's what I heard from his teachers, twice a year, in parent-teacher conferences, for the seven years he was there.
At MBA, we knew it would be different. Almost all of the boys are highly intelligent, driven, and motivated to succeed. As my friend, John Rowland, said to me at Don Smith's memorial service, "MBA challenges students academically, athletically, and socially every single day." Truer words have never been spoken.
Joe has adjusted well, by and large. His grades are very good. He's succeeded, thus far, in soccer and basketball. Still, he's finding his way, which is to be expected. Baseball, his favorite sport, has been a bit of a challenge this spring. It's been harder for him to get noticed. Being one of the smartest, most instinctive players on the field is not enough any more because many of the other boys - at least at this point - are bigger and stronger. That likely will change but it's the case for now.
Thus far, Joe has been relegated to playing right field, batting low in the order, and only getting one, maybe two, at bats per game. He's had trouble getting noticed. Obviously.
It's a new experience for me, as a parent, when it comes to baseball. My boys have always been team leaders, middle infielders, and pitchers. Leadership positions. With the exception of JP's seventh grade year, when he made the "A" team of 8th graders because he could play catcher, that's always been the case. It's different this year for Joe, so far, and that's been an adjustment. For him and for me.
I've told him to keep working hard. To be a good teammate. Vocal and supportive. The first one out of the dugout to congratulate other teammates. To have a good attitude. And, most importantly, to be ready to capitalize on any opportunities that come his way.
Yesterday, in an intersquad scrimmage that was set up like a real game with an umpire, he pitched in relief of a starter who gave up 7 runs in the first inning. When Joe came in, the bases were loaded with two outs. After getting ahead of the first batter, 0-2, he aimed his pitches rather than just throwing. As a result, he lost him and walked in a run. He got the next batter out and got out of the inning, however.
The next inning, Joe still struggled a bit with his control but managed to get through the top of the order without allowing any runs. He finished the game, an 8 - 4 loss, pitching 2 1/3 innings and allowing no runs (the runner he walked in would not have been charged to him). One, maybe two, strikeouts and four walks. Overall, he pitched well, although his control needs to improve. He was rusty, which is to be expected. I hope he gets another chance to pitch.
My bigger hope, though, is that Joe got noticed yesterday. He was much more upbeat, more himself, after the game, which made me happy. He had contributed, which is what he wanted to do. I wish he would have started the game because the outcome might have been different. Still, progress.
Getting noticed.
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