Tee Ball 2009

This year we signed Ethan and Tanner up to play tee ball. They were so excited to play and eagerly anticipated their first games. I think all in all it was a good experience for them.

It was pretty amusing to watch kids this young try to play ball. I know I'm a proud parent, but our boys really did seem to grasp the idea behind the game better than a lot of the other kids. In this league every kid got a turn at bat and there were no outs.

Tanner played in the 3-4 year old league and his games were always amusing. Tanner knew which way to run around the bases, but a lot of the other kids were running all kinds of directions, even fielding the ball that they just hit! They need a little gentle coaching to help them figure out where to go. When they play in the outfield all the kids charge towards the ball and tackle each other to get to it. They have trouble understanding they're all on the same team. Sometimes the kids just prefer to dig in the sand on the field. Towards the end of the season Tanner's coach had them start lining up to take turns fielding the ball and this worked out pretty well. Tanner seemed to love the experience. It didn't take him long to figure out that he liked playing first base because all the kids would throw him the ball. He always gave us the thumbs up sign after a great play. Ethan played in the 5-6 year old league, and through the season they graduated from tee ball to coach pitch. The kids his age have a slightly better handle on the game, although they still don't grasp the concept of working as a team to field the ball.

Ethan really enjoyed sliding into the bases. My parents took him to his first game and were a little confused when he seemed to fall down near home plate, but he asked them if they liked his slide and things were made clear. He and Tanner both tried sliding into the bases periodically throughout the season. Ethan has a great arm on him and can really throw the ball. He is also working hard on his batting skills and is improving a lot.

One day Tanner really wanted a drink from the concession stand during Ethan's game. I was up at the top of the bleachers with Bradon and didn't want to risk my life going up and down the bleachers to get him a drink. I gave Tanner a dollar and told him that he could go buy a drink by himself if he wanted one. He was nervous about the idea and contemplated it for quite awhile, but finally decided to give it a try. He wandered off and came back a short time later with a bottle of Gatorade. His first solo purchase!

Special thanks to Ethan's and Tanner's fans who came and supported them at their games.