KNLL Rookie 7 Astros @ Giants 04/08/2008
April 8, 2008 | Kid Brag
On the way to the ballpark, Ethan said On the way to the ballpark, Ethan said “oh, I hope they don’t make me be catcher! I hate playing catcher, ’cause the glove is too big!”
And so of course:
END OF FIRST INNING:
Astros 0 2 0
Giants 0 2 0
(I have to speak to our coach/Ward First Counselor about this. I know the coach’s prerogative is that “coaches kids bat high in the order,” but that’s not actually fair since over the course of the season, if you have kids batting consistently higher in the order vs. lower, those higher will get more total at-bats. And [SMUG WARNING*SMUG WARNING*SMUG WARNING] Ethan is just TOO GOOD a hitter to be “robbed” of those at-bats!)
END OF SECOND INNING:
Astros 0 2 1
Giant 1 4 0
Ethan struck out.
END OF THIRD INNING:
Astros 0 3 2
Giants 3 7 0
(Ethan’s getting to where he catches about every other ball fair and square, and stops almost all the othes. Great throwing arm, too – Oh, he just grabbed a little dribbler in front of the plate and almost threw out the runner on First!)
FOURTH INNING (FINAL):
Astros 5 11 2 (Inning Ended w/Max. 5 runs)
Giants 3 8 0 (Ethan Struck Out)
(Ethan got clipped on the shoulder by a pitch – the machine’s mostly “throwing” inside to Righties – but he’s toughin’ it out!)
8 Responses to “KNLL Rookie 7 Astros @ Giants 04/08/2008”
Bill your a soccer Mom!
By lainie on Apr 8, 2008
Bill, just try not to find yourself getting unduly angry about anything. I let the “ball field years” finally get the best of me, and I wasn’t very nice. I got myself a bad reputation. The last year that Maria played was almost more than I could endure, I became so steamed by some of the stuff that went on. And Those feelings were not Christlike at all. I wish I had behaved differently, because I bumped heads and locked horns too many times. I was always RIGHT in what I was yelling about, but it still made for such bad feelings all the way around.
Believe me, a lot of “politickin’” goes on on those ballfields. You just have to suck it up, and be pleasant around your kids, and let them enjoy it, because the children don’t know when things are being unfair.
I remember in Carmen’s Junior year, I think it was, of volleyball with Ramsay, she played an outstanding game at one of the (I forget what they call them now). Anyway, it was obvious that she should have been named the MVP. There was no two ways about it. But it was given to her friend, Elita. Coach Fiorella just kept her eye on Elita all the time, because she expected Elita to be the big guy, and she wasn’t even watching the girl that was actually WINNING the game.
Carmen was crushed, and so was I, and those things happened a number of times over the years. I went through a lot of it. You and Buddy played football, but I was too busy with bottles and diapers to go to those games. Tony played little league baseball, too, and I rarely made it to one of his games, but I should have gone more often, because the two games I went to, I saw where he was being mistreated. Then, Ben played baseball, the girls softball, the girls volleyball, Maria played that one year of baseball on the boys baseball team at Ramsay, Marai played Soccer her senior year.
UAB offered carmen a full scholership to come and play for them.
By mother on Apr 8, 2008
Mom: In this case it’s not “mistreatment,” I just think the coaches aren’t thinking about the implications of the batting order. Actually, it’s probably not more than maybe four or five at-bats all told that would be the difference, I just think they should mix up the order so that all the kids get roughly equal numbers of at-bats.
At this level, they’re just learning, there’s not a whole lot of “stardom” to be seen yet, but they do need a chance to play equally for that reason.
Interestingly, the kids just one year removed from here, at Isaiah’s level, you can actually begin to see a bit of separation between those who “get it,” and those who are still stuck on “what is this small round white thing I’m holding and what exactly am I supposed to do with it?”
By bill on Apr 9, 2008
Bill, at the time that Tony was playing which would have been 1972-1973, the rules were different. Boys who didn’t play on the field DIDN’T GET TO BAT AT ALL!!! THAT didn’t change until a lot of irate mothers like myself raised a lot of dust about the unfairness of it, so that it was changed by the time that Carmen and Maria, and Ben came along, and then EVERYBODY got a bat, whether they played on the field or not. That was only fair. After all, those kids were not major leaguers, and that was the point that the perturbed mothers (and fathers) of the kids left sitting on the bench game and game. It was awful. I would take Tony over to the game, only to find out that he had maybe had one turn at bat, or none at all, because he didn’t get to play that much. WHY!? Because he didn’t have a MOTHER or a FATHER over there keeping an eye on things. So, keep an eye on things, but don’t let it cause you to get nasty. I got nasty. I called up one coach before the rule for letting kids have a turn at bat whether they played on the field or not finally got written into the books. I told him that I wanted my son off that bench and in that field, and I wanted to see him having turns at bat. I told him that I paid my money up front for my child to play ball, and I wanted to see him playing ball!
Okay!! He yelled. “Why don’t we just let Ben pitch!”
I had to laugh out loud at that one.
“No”. You don’t have to go that far. Just let him play.
He let him play.
And then pretty soon after, that rule was on the books
By mother on Apr 9, 2008
You know. It wouldn’t hurt to make those suggestions. About mixing up the order, I mean. Point out what you see that maybe the others haven’t noticed.
By mother on Apr 9, 2008
Mom: I think the Little League here is much better set up than in the time and place you’re describing. For one thing, the teams are small, only nine players, maybe ten at most. Often when a player can’t make a game they have to play with eight, in fact. But it makes sure that everyone gets a turn at bat AND in the field. If they have ten, they send all ten into the field.
Now, that may change at the level above where Isaiah’s playing now. But at that level, they actually have a tryout for players to demonstrate their abilities, and a “draft” afterward. It does get VERY serious, but by that time the kids who’re still playing typically have some proven skill.
Also, nowadays there is also soccer as well as football, basketball, and even lacrosse, all of which jostle for players. It’s hard for a kid to do more than one sport from age ten and up. In one way, it’s good, but in another way, everything becomes “too serious” way too early.
By the time the kids are in Junior High/Middle School, they are pressured to actually focus on just ONE sport and they are expected to devote a LOT of time to it, on- or off-season. It has become such a huge business, with coaches always looking to “move up” based on their performance. Many a high-school coach with a “big program” (yep, they actually refer to them as “programs” now, like in college) started at the middle school level.
So, they’ll have fun for now, and then we’ll see where it takes them. Right now, though, they sure are lovin’ it.
By bill on Apr 10, 2008
Just tell him that all the chicks dig the catchers the most. maybe then he’ll like catching.
By maria on Apr 10, 2008
Actually, I think he warmed up to it after Bro. Adelman and I made a big deal every time he made a good stop, or made a great throw back to the mound (which he’s actually pretty good at, anyway).
BTW, I can’t lie to him. Everyone knows Chicks Dig The Long Ball.
By bill on Apr 10, 2008