Our little slugger just finished up his first season of tee-ball (or is it T-ball?). The changes over the season were apparent, as Ryan progressed from being more interested in kicking the dirt to actually wanting to field the ball. He was even disappointed at times when he had to play outfield, and not one of the "cool" positions. Of course the only 2 places on the field that ever had much action were pitcher, where virtually all of the balls were hit, and first base, where almost every play went no matter who was on base.
America's pastime - chewing on your mitt strings in center fieldThankfully there were no real innings. Everybody got a chance to bat, as they simply went through the entire roster every time up. Traditional rules were not much enforced, but it definitely made it more enjoyable for the kids, who at least got a chance every time up. And it was nice for the parents as there were only 3 "innings" of each team getting up to bat, so you knew how much time was left in the game.
The last few games even featured hitting pitched balls, so the kids got to swing away, pretty much until they connected or the coach decided they had enough attempts and then the tee was brought out. Ryan had a couple of successful turns at bat, and was a real trooper after he fouled one off his face. He cried ("only a little") but was right back at it the next inning and not at all afraid to get back in there and take some good swings.
Look ma - no tee!!
In the end his sacrifice was well worth it, as he got his very first trophy. Since nobody actually ever kept score, everyone of course got a trophy. But that didn't in any way diminish his excitement of picking up his first real trophy. He even had a place to put it all picked out - two in fact, since he wasn't sure how big it was going to be.
A fitting end to a fine season
