A new found love

Johnny has always liked playing baseball but I will admit sometimes we have to drag him to the ballpark kicking and screaming. I get it, there isn’t much action on the field unless you play circle or first base which are usually the positions taken by the coaches kid. Plus it is a sport that involves dirt at the kids feet so making a big dust cloud can be much more entertaining than waiting for the ball to come your way. So Johnny was very wishy washy about playing ball this fall, he wanted to do soccer (which was pure torture our last attempt) or gymnastics but I bribed encouraged him to play baseball. It was a good decision.

To get him excited about the season I pulled out my old baseball cards (which is a pretty impressive collection), we have had a lot of fun going through them, seeing who the players are and looking up how much they are worth. Johnny has selected a handful of cards and claimed them as his own so he can also start a collection. I told him every good game he has we will go buy a pack of cards. When I was cleaning I came across an old baseball card of Johnny that was made from the first season he played. I stuck it down in the box of my baseball cards for him to find. After a few days had gone by I heard a gasp from the playroom and he ran to me holding a card up in the air. "Mom, mom, mom look it’s my baseball card, I am adorable" he then ripped one of his other cards out of the protective case and very carefully replaced it with his own. He then handed it to me and said "let’s see how much its worth". So cute, of course I told him to me it was priceless but I also took the opportunity to give him some motivation and explained the amount it is worth depends on how well he does in the season. Goal accomplished, Johnny was excited and ready to play baseball.

So then we met the team, the Reds. Now let me tell you fall is a great time to start the sport there are less kids because of football and it is when the players transition to the next level the season is much more laid back. Last season Johnny's team was amazing these kids were playing real baseball hitting homeruns, and making double plays. It was pretty awesome, and Johnny really learned a lot by playing with these kids. Yea well they were all 7 and had to move up to pee wee. The Reds are made up of all new players and a coach who has never coached before. As the first practice was going on I was concerned, it was going to be such a long season I mean I was considering soccer while sitting in the stands. But Johnny saw things differently; he was so excited when he came off the field "I am the best on the team." He was right he was by far the best on the team. This was going to be his season, finally his chance to shine. The next few practices the positions were being figured out and while Johnny really wants to be a pitcher he was very happy with being placed at first base. He has been practicing harder than ever before, the kid eats, sleeps, and breathes baseball right now. He is only watching baseball movies and carries those cards with him everywhere. This is going to be a fun season. I will post the schedule when I get it, I am sure he would love to see a fan club in the audience.

Until then here is him practicing his pitching: