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Reply to "When Does One See The Writing On The Wall?"

2022NYC posted:

My 13U son's middle school team was short players for the past weekend game. I sent in my 10U son to fill in as he goes to the same school and plays on the 5th grade team. He was already half-way to leaving baseball before entering this game and he complained he was afraid and really did not want to play. I managed to convince him and he half-heartily agreed probably just to shut me up as I emptied the archives of  using opportunities like this over come fear, playing with big bro, helping others out, even stroked his ego about he could "brag" to his 5th grade team he is playing big field baseball with teenagers etc..  Now, the middle school baseball is around rec level so I figure it should be fine and of course the opposing starting pitcher that day happens to be a kid that plays on the local travel circuit and had above average velo. My youngest from the dugout is carefully examining his warm up like a scout that briefly excited me until he turned around and scanned the outfield to look for me and worded "heck no!"  I could have had a great parenting moment and gave him a expression of confidence, but instead I took advantage of my myopia and pretended not to see him. He batted 9th in the line up (his big brother bats first) and I think that really helped him step to the plate. In his first at bat he manage to foul off 2 balls and eventually whiffed on a half attempt to swing, a huge victory. On his second plate appearance, another K off 4 pitches,  had 1 foul off and I did not see fear so I am beaming at that point. As fate would have it at the 3rd and his final at bat, the pitcher loses control, he tries to step back but he ends up wearing one right above the evoshield elbow guard.  Now his reaction was more fear than pain, but the scene was if his arm was amputated, hysterical tears, drooling and flopping on the batter's box like a trout on a line.  Luckily the ump permitted him to be taken out of the game so he could ice his arm (and calm down).  To my surprise, he did muster up the courage and played the field (LF).  I was pretty sure this was his baseball swan song season. The next day at his 5th grade game he hits 2 ITP HRs (very large outfield). After the game he told me he bragged to his team how he hit like that at the 8th grade game and the pitcher plunked him. I hope this will keep baseball around another year. Thanks all for the Monday morning vent.

 

 

 

2022NYC:

Your story made me think of my sons. My older one was really into baseball, playing as early as 3 yrs old at a YMCA. He currently plays MI for a D1 school. My younger son "retired" from baseball when kids started pitching and were more "wild then coach-pitch" (though a coach hit him once by mistake). His current interests are chess, theatre, theology and gaming. Despite their differences and three year age gap they are quite close, which is all a dad could ask for. 

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