Life Lessons thru T-Ball

So here's the story. Wes and I knew we wanted Jay to be involved in sports for several reasons (learning teamwork, exercise, authority, rules, etc) and we have been thinking next spring would be a good time to start. I was debating between soccer and t-ball because those were the two I thought he'd enjoy most. And let's be honest....Jay does not need any more encouragement in being rough, throwing football out of the picture. Basketball has never been a sport Wes or I enjoyed.  So, soccer or t-ball? We decided on t-ball because we thought a bunch of preschoolers running around on a soccer field chasing after a ball would just be too chaotic for Jay to maintain any composure whatsoever. And with baseball you learn patience, taking turns, and how to focus...all things Jay needs much improvement in. And maybe the most real reason, Dad would have chosen this sport, so I, of course, like the idea that Jay is doing something his Papa Rich loved. Not to mention we have Uncle Kurt's expert advice anytime we need it. So, that is how we came to this decision. And you say, "gosh, its just a little t-ball...it's not that big of a deal." And, yes, you are probably right. 

Anyway, I happened to come across a fall ball form last month and, on a whim, signed him up thinking, "well, it says they can start at 3 years old, I guess he will do ok." So here we are, ready or not. We took Jay to buy a glove and pants, which he loved and slept with for two nights. Which leads me to my first dilemma. Is he right or left handed? He does a lot with his left but seems to write easier with the right. But, I know how valuable a lefty is in baseball so I call Kurt to see what he thinks. Kurt is deeply concerned about this as well and debates back and forth, wondering if we really should be starting this early, for this very reason. As he said, "I mean what if he is meant to be a really awesome lefty but you screw him up by forcing him to play right-handed?"  Thanks, as if I need more reason to worry that I am going to screw him up. But once we got to the store, all they had were gloves for right-handed players so problem was solved. I wonder if all parents get this concerned about t-ball gloves?

So he and Wes play catch out in the yard and within the first 10min Jay had switched his glove to the other hand. Great. Here is the text I sent Kurt to report Jay's progress. "1)Jay can only catch it if Wes throws it directly into the glove 2) Jay just changed the glove to his rt hand 3) he isn't really watching the ball at all 4) he's currently rolling around in the grass asking for the basketball bat 5) there's much work to be done...wes says you need to come on over to Columbia and help us out with this one."

Kurt assures me that he will get him straightened out.

And now for the practice. The first thing Jay did was run up to his coach asking where the baseball hats are....because that is his priority, apparently. I could tell Coach was a little shocked at the boldness of his player...he has no idea what he's in for. Then, Jay walked around and met all the players, paying no attention to the coach, the ball, or what was happening on the field. Obviously, you need to make everyone feel welcome and get to know each other before you get to the baseball part. He was asking the assistant coach if he was a fireman as the ball rolled right past his feet. And turned to watch a helicopter fly overhead as he missed the next ball.

Jay's favorite part of this game is definitely sliding. He slid from the moment he stepped on the field until the end. Running to get in position, slide. Running for the ball, slide. Running to the dugout, slide. Standing around waiting for the ball, slide. This is the only way to stop if on a baseball field.

He is a great hitter. He loved it, since he was the center of attention, and screamed out, "I won!" after every hit.

He is not good at running bases. He knows how to run them but is just slow. Like the slowest on the team, every time. :(  As Wes said, he's not really that slow, he just doesn't 'turn in on' when it's time. 

And the biggie. He has a temper. Yep, a Richard Lamon type of temper. Granny Curry always talks about how many spankings Daddy got from loosing his temper out on the ball field. Well Jay is right there with him. Basically, Jay was under the impression that he would be able to catch every ball that was hit. (And why not since that's the way it works at home, right?) He realized very quickly that he was competing with 9 other boys (all faster than him, remember) to catch the ball. As in every t-ball league in the country, I'm sure, they all pile on top of each other, screaming, and grabbing for the ball, exactly the situation I was avoiding by not choosing football. And while the other boys just shrugged it off and moved on, Jay got madder and madder every time he didn't get it. And he did get a few, but this little boy wanted ALL the balls! As I watched him turn more red by the second and saw that little foot kick the ground harder and harder, I said, "oh no, Wes, he's about to loose it." Sure enough, the next hit and no caught ball, Jay turns, looks at us, and begins to bawl. He ran off the field, crying as if he just watched his puppy be killed, screaming, "I didn't catch any balls! I don't want to play anymore!"  Now, I am from a baseball family, so that is not cool. I was immediately annoyed and said, more harshly than I meant, "Jay we do not cry out here, you did to shake it off and get back out there, I mean it."  And, as you can imagine, that was all Jay needed to completely fall apart. Thankfully, Wes had more compassion and pulled him to the side, hugged him, talked to him, and convinced him to go back out there and have fun. All the while I'm thinking, "oh, no we made a big mistake starting this now. This is not what my point was. What if he hates the game now because of me?"  

After practice he was still traumatized (as he told us he just wants to play at home with mommy so he can catch all the balls) and we had a few heart-to-heart talks. We have our next practice Thursday and he says that when his teammates catch the ball, from now on he will say, "Good job!" instead of get mad. 

So, many lessons were learned (or maybe not learned) just in our first practice. All I can hope now is that my "spirited" little boy learns some serious self-control over the next few weeks.

Here are pictures of the practice. They were really cute out there and that poor coach must have a lot of patience to volunteer for this job.

learning the baseball stance. Jay is to the far left.

notice how dirty his pants are from all the sliding? This was at the very beginning too.

slid to join the team huddle

playing in the dirt while his teammates wonder what in the world he's thinking

waiting for a ball

hitting time!

I put my camera on "sport-shot" and told Wes about half way through, "that may have been a stretch."

one of the balls he got....this is not football, jay!

so proud of himself, "there is no I in team...unless you are Jay Ross"

Baseball stance

After practice, rolling around in the football field

dirty all over!

Practicing after we bought the glove

And taking a nap with it for good luck