Coach Pitch - Take 1

We have begun coach pitch. No more t-ball.

Last night the boys had a scrimmage just to get used to the whole new set of rules before the season begins later this month. Not only do they no longer use a tee, but instead of everybody getting to bat, this is like the big leagues. Three outs, and it's over. They are also using a hard ball, so everybody has to wear a "cup". You know what I'm talking about. Now the boys are typical baseball players, having to touch themselves...or the cup, I guess...every three seconds.

I was a little anxious about the whole thing. I figured it would be one strike, two strikes, three strikes, you're out...times three, and the game would move really quickly, and the boys would be disappointed. Boy, was I pleasantly wrong! Blaine was up to batthree times, and he hit the ball three times. Good hits! The rest of the boys also played so well. I think I may learn to love coach-pitch.

Don't get me wrong, there were some parts to it I wasn't thrilled about. As I passed out cokes to all the boys after the scrimmage, Blaine said, "I'll be right back. I'm going to talk to that catcher." I said, "Woah. Wait. Why?" Nothing. He just stood there. I said, "Are you going to say something nice?" Nothing. I said, "Blaine, you are not going over there to say something ugly. That's not sportsmanlike!" Nothing.

When we got in the car, he said, "That catcher made me so mad!" When I asked why, he said, "EVERY time we got up to bat, he would say, 'Batter, batter, look at me; I will tell you when to swing.' The first time it didn't make me so mad, but the second and third time, he got in my head. One time, I even swung when he said to, and it made me so mad! So I told him, 'You wanna play that way? Ok. I'll play that way.' Then I told Carlo and Noel, and he was doing it to them, too. So when he came up to bat, Noel did it to him. I can't stand that catcher!"

Here we go. Moving into the big leagues!