April 14, 2013

36 of 65

Call Me “Coach”

Sports for children begin at such an early age!  Our son Michael began playing organized baseball while still in kindergarten.  We enrolled him in Jefferson County’s tee ball league – a form of the game in which the ball is placed on a stationary tee in front of the batter, who is permitted to swing until he hits the ball.  Meanwhile, members of the opposing team move around the field chasing butterflies, playing soccer with their mitts, some even waiting for a ball to be hit their way.

Once the ball is hit, the batter runs to first, then second, then third – or perhaps to third, then second, then home – or perhaps to the pitcher’s mound.  It doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things.  It was Michael’s kind of game and he enjoyed it.

As his 1^st Grade year came to a close, another season of tee ball began.  A few of the kids, and especially some parents, were more serious than the previous year.  Still, most of us were happy we could sit out in the sun watching fielders throw their gloves into the air to try to catch them and batters stick a tongue out the side of their mouth as they swung from their heels, perhaps missing the ball but at least hitting the tee.

The next year, games became more intense.  Tees were no longer used – it was “coach pitch” baseball.  The coach of each team was required to pitch to his own players while the other team was in the field for defense.  We enrolled Michael and he anxiously awaited the start of the season.  One evening, though, we received a telephone call from the baseball association telling us there were not enough coaches for the number of players who had registered.  There would be no team for Michael unless additional coaches could be recruited. Continue reading →