Little Man had baseball evaluations yesterday. Now, I will let you know that I try my best to restrain from being 'that' parent. You know the one that screams at her kid to hit the ball right, look sharp, keep your eye on the ball, bend the knees, get the bat off your shoulder, etc. I want him to have fun and enjoy the game. So, I am keeping the lip shut. If you know how competitive I am, you know this is hard.
Little Man was excited about evaluations. He was ready to play ball. He had been hitting the ball training aid all morning. He begged me to come out and practice with him. I did. We threw the ball and he practiced hitting. He was riding high!
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| Dressed in his baseball gear and ready to hit. |
Once we got to the field, he wanted to warm up again. We threw the ball and practiced fielding the ball. Still have to work on glove positioning, but he will get it. He liked standing in the batter's box and having me throw the ball.
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| Headed to evals |
His friend showed up and the boys played catch, as we waited. There were 'those' parents correcting their kid. For heaven's sake they are seven and eight year-old boys. Let them have fun.
Most of the boys looked like they were on the same skill level. Little Man fielded his two balls and threw well. His friend did the same. I was proud of the boys! Neither boy had played baseball before, but you couldn't tell.
They had to hit the ball last. This year they use a mechanical ball pitching machine. The ball travels about 40 mph. A few boys fouled the ball, but most couldn't touch it. I was surprised that the boys who had played before couldn't hit the ball. Little Man and his friend couldn't hit the ball. Oh, well. I suspect after they practice a few times, they will get the hang of the machine.
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| Waiting to field the ball. |
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| He got it! |
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| Throwing from 1st base. |
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| Little Man and his friend waiting to bat. |
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| Pitching machine |
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| Trying to hit the ball. |
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| Running bases |
Now, we must wait and see what team he will be on. It doesn't matter, except he wants to be with his friend. Hopefully, that will happen. Until then, we will continue to practice in the backyard.
