Baseball is NOT Hockey

My hockey player decided to try a new sport...Baseball. I have nothing against the great American past time but it's kind of a slow game. For me, Major league games are slow. When I go to the Rockies games, I try really hard to concentrate for the first inning...or two...but then I get really distracted. My binocs are usually scanning the crowd for people I know or I'm looking for the guy dancing like a lunatic on the Jumbo-tron. Before I know it, we are standing up for the 7th inning stretch singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and I have to make a mad dash to the beer stand for last call. That's the Major league...Rec league is a whole 'nother ball of wax.

First off, teams in the rec league are usually (not always) made up of kids who have A) never played baseball or B) never played a sport. My son falls under Category A. Second, the teams are usually coached by a volunteer father. Our coach was my son's father. Third, because of the teams talent pool, not only are the basic baseball fundamentals taught but so are the ones you just don't think about: Swinging the bat in the dugout (a no-no) scaling the top of the dug out chain link fence is not acceptable, the importance of listening when the batting order or positions are being called out and of course the appropriate way to spit sunflower seeds...I could go on. Fourth, they do not keep score. Huh? Of course they keep, score. Those kids know exactly what the score is and who made the runs...on BOTH teams.

Needless to say, the games were a little slow...and long. Again, I really tried hard to concentrate but my mind wondered. I love my son dearly but I will be the first to admit that I missed him at bat a few times because I was playing games on my iPhone, checking out Facebook or watching the dogs that were at the park.

This is not to say that I didn't watch the games because I did and there were some very exciting times. There is nothing better than a team of 10 an 11-year olds making a double play. The look of accomplishment, satisfaction and JOY after a well thought out play is over and successful is truly priceless. The player who continually strikes out at bat hits a homer with bases loaded...we still lost but he'll never remember that and he shouldn't. The catcher (my son) who caught the pop fly for an out and stands there with a look of awe and disbelief...he won't remember that someone ran home while he showed the ball to his coach. It all makes me smile and laugh to think back on.

The season is over and, for my son, in more ways than one. He has decided to retire his glove and go back to playing Lacrosse next spring. No, baseball is not hockey but I do believe that every boy should play at least one season of the great American sport. It's a rite of passage, in a way.

PLAY BALL!