Take me out to the ball games

Ok, let's see...water bottle, check. Sunscreen, check. Chair-in-a-bag, check. Looks like I'm ready, play ball!!!! It's summer again, and that means it's baseball and softball season. One thing is obvious - I've got game. Well, I've got a game. Sometimes two, and on those really fun nights, three. We have all four children playing baseball or softball this season, each on a different team. We got lucky and don't have four games at a time this season, but this weekend we did have three scheduled simultaneously. Good times.

Since I am a good dad, I am there to watch as much as possible. (Tell me again why I should oppose cloning?) Even though the games are scheduled to finish after two hours, at times it can feel much longer. The games in Drew's league are invariably locked into what the pros would call a "pitcher's duel". Unfortunately, these pitchers are dueling with blanks. Most of them toss too many Australian pitches. (Australian pitch - an offering that misses the strike zone causing the parents of the batting team to chant in unison, "G'dye, G'dye!!") The typical at-bat usually ends in either a walk or a strikeout. The poor boys seem to be unable to throw the ball into the strike zone, and if it happens to get there, the batters are just as inept at hitting it. Except Drew, of course. While he is currently in the middle of a mini slump, it's clear that he has some power. When he gets ahold of the ball, it travels pretty far. Everyone usually tries pretty hard, which is fun to watch at least. It's also important to note that his team is sponsored by Sam Leman, which makes him one of the few players to have his name on the back of his jersey.

David's games are more competitive. These guys can play. The ball is hit into play regularly. Outs are actually recorded by fielding the ball and throwing to the proper base. David himself is quite the pitcher. At Tuesday's game he saw more pitches in his three times at bat than he threw in his one inning on the mound. (He got them out in order with only 9 pitches). His problem area is making contact when he's batting. I've seen him connect on a couple of pretty good drives, but as I mentioned before, the fielders can make the plays. It doesn't matter, though. Greg Maddux doesn't hit all that well either, and look at him. Incidentally, that's the Major League player that I think David most resembles out there.

It seems like these teams always have the Star. The one kid who will obviously play well beyond this league. The one that keeps you in the game. Then there is the other boy. The Right Fielder. The cruel irony is that these genetic traits are generational within families. The (former) Star is always the father of the Right Fielder, and vice versa. The ex-jock dad needs athletic success for his son, in order to prove how great a dad he is. Dad always wants his son to play well, and play hard. Unfortunately, that doesn't happen. Instead of playing like the second coming of Babe Ruth, Dad discovers that his son is the daughter he never had. Ha! He should be so lucky.

The girls in Rachel's league play with a lot more passion than the boys. They have a great time out there. If they put as much effort into their game as they do their "look", we would be wearing out the scoreboards. Our team has not only the provided teams shirts, but we have matching visors and, like most other teams in the league, matching socks. Really spiffy knee-high black and white camouflage pattern socks. The visors were really nice on picture day when the photographer had to pull every girl's visor up jut to see her face. Rachel is getting better all the time at her batting, and she plays the field just as well as most of her teammates. Most importantly, she has not drawn a single picture in the infield dirt all season. It's so rewarding to see your children make progress from year to year.

Becca's games are much more mellow. Every girl bats, every girl hits (eventually), and every girl scores. The last hitter always gets a home run. They track outs, but they don't track balls and strikes. Of course, it's hard to tell because every ball is a strike. These girls take a pitch about as often as Haley's comet comes around. Obviously, the rules are relaxed. The only thing more relaxed than the rules are the players. If it weren't for that pesky ritual of switching sides every half inning, some of the fielders could fall asleep. Infielders turn cartwheels, outfielders pick clovers, and baserunners chase butterflies. Becca's team is obviously fabulously talented, as none of the batters had to use the tee at their first game this weekend. She is clearly a natural at the game, which she must get from her father's side of the family. (see above.)

I strongly recommend that everyone comes out to see a game or two. It's a good time out in the nice weather, and it's fun to watch. Let me also encourage you to choose a day when we have more than one game at a time to come see them play.