Are You Ready for Some T-Ball?

The spring 2016 season began this weekend.

Nathan did really well at practice, most of the time at third base, staying inside a little circle drawn in the dirt until a ball came his way. His fielding wasn’t super quick, but he managed it, so Mr. Andi and I chatted between ourselves about how much he has matured since the fall and whatnot. This season was going to be better than the fall, for sure.

LOL!

The Pirates were the home team in their season opener, so they batted second. In the top of the first inning, Nathan was placed in center-ish field near Coach-Saint Brian (yes, he has the same coach – bless that man!) From my perch in the bleachers, I noticed that after each batter, Nathan got closer to the infield – following one particularly exciting play, he worked his way up into the area between the pitcher and second base. When the next kid hit and the pitcher went left toward first, Nathan walked right up and stood on the rubber in the pitcher’s circle.

Center-ish field was not where the action was. 😉

Coach-Saint Brian retrieved him and thankfully the bottom of the inning arrived pretty soon after. To my amazement, the lead off batter appeared with his bat and it was Nathan. I’m not sure if that’s because he has jersey #1 or not – in the fall that would have been the case, so I’m assuming so.

Base hit!

As you can see, his propensity for smiling at the crowds and grabbing his helmet while running have not abated since the fall season. BUT! He made it safely to first base – no gimme, either, it was a real base hit.

He also made it from first base to second base, leading to his next test. With no coach to tell him when to run, would he know what to do? He did! When the next batter hit the ball, he took off toward third with a delay of only a second or two, and he made it.

Then came the final test: the run toward home. Devotees know that in the fall he ran in an arc along the spectator portion of the fence and would also stop a few inches short of home plate so he could set his feet before jumping on home plate (Side note: I have not heard any coaches tell the kids to “jump on home plate” this season…I wonder why…)

Although you wouldn’t call his dash toward home a straight shot, it was pretty dang good and he ran onto home plate to score – the first run of the season for the Pirates!

We were proud; we laughed; Sarah Kate loved it (she didn’t get to see any of his fall games due to show choir and swim meet conflicts).

The top of the second inning was different yet equal to the top of the first. Nathan stayed in center-ish field (an improvement), but decided it would be great fun to play catch using his ball cap with Coach-Saint Brian. It was sorta-kinda funny-ish but much less so if it was your kid doing it. So not that amusing to Mr. Andi and me.

Then came Nathan’s Wacky Move of the Day.

When they reached the middle of the second inning, Nathan opted to run the bases rather than head for the dugout. The visitor crowd was amused and laughed and smiled at him as he ran down the third base line toward home, while the home crowd did the same thing as he strode down the first base line. It was such a hit with the crowds that, rather than turn right into the dugout, he kept going back around to second and third. By that time, Mr. Andi was jogging across the field, caught him as he headed toward home, and jogged off the field holding Nathan under his arm like a sack of potatoes.

Y’all. It was SO awful. And So. Dang. Funny.

When Mr. Andi grabbed him, Nathan froze completely still, staring straight toward those of us in the home side bleachers. I know Mr. Andi was mortifed and Nathan’s look screamed I AM IN SO MUCH TROUBLE, but it was hilarious. Part of me wishes I had video or photos, but another part of me is glad I was just watching and laughing.

When it came time for him to bat again, he did great once again.

Base hit. Run to second. Run to third. Score.

In some ways, this season is just like the last one – his skills have improved, but he still stands out because he is different. His t-ball skills are better than some of the newer, younger players, but he’s wired differently, so he plays differently. If I hadn’t spent so much time with his class this year, going on field trips and such, I probably would still be struggling with that difference, because it can be a little jarring if you don’t have an opportunity to see him with other children.

The truth is that I surprised myself this weekend, because I loved it.

Nathan enjoyed himself (not a given for all children, FYI…) and he brought joy to others. I’m sure there are some grumps in the world who might have hated it, but I didn’t see any at the game and if they were there, well…they need to relax. It’s t-ball. They’re five and six years old.

Eventually, the day will come when Nathan will be left behind. I know this, and it makes me a little sad to think about it, so I try not to think about it. Right now, we’re enjoying t-ball, and I’m glad I’ve embraced it before it slips away.

Go Pirates.