HSBBWEB Do-overs

This is so awesome! LOVE it!!

Keep us updated CLEVELANDDAD!!!

CD, I can't wait for that day. I have one son still playing college ball but I have a bit of different scenario about coming back to you in 2 ways.

1. older son who played ball thru HS is now coaching 3 different adult softball teams. I get the pleasure of keeping the book, coaching 3B, and getting looked up to as over half of them former coach in some way or other. I get to do all the things an experienced coach does such as suggesting defensive movement, etc.

2. College son summer job is to coach as 16U team with a teammate. In that instance, I get to keep book and answer questions about player playing time / managing strategy after games when I take them to eat.

Can't wait for the day when I get to be a grandpa helping the little guy by playing catch or pitching to him. But that is quite a few years away since I have no grandchildren on the horizon.

ChefMike7777 - great point that I did not consider in my original post.  Baseball can come back to you (I was right about that) but in many different ways as you suggest.  Not everybody will be lucky enough to be grandparents but people can stay connected to the game and can be equally rewarded.  Good stuff!

My father in law threw batting practice to my son when he was in high school. He was 78 at the time. My son figured he was still throwing about 70. He pitched in college.

When he was 60 we went to Cooperstown. He hit 75 on the gun at the field. This was after about twenty barehanded warm up tosses with me.

This was my first season with my kids done with sports. I went to more BC games (ACC baseball). I started watching high school games. There won't be any grand kids for several years.

RJM posted:

My father in law threw batting practice to my son when he was in high school. He was 78 at the time. My son figured he was still throwing about 70. He pitched in college.

When he was 60 we went to Cooperstown. He hit 75 on the gun at the field. This was after about twenty barehanded warm up tosses with me.

This was my first season with my kids done with sports. I went to more BC games (ACC baseball). I started watching his school games. There won't be any grand kids for several years.

Do you just enjoy tempting fate?  You can't throw a statement out there like that...watch out for the lightning strike!

ClevelandDad posted:

ChefMike7777 - great point that I did not consider in my original post.  Baseball can come back to you (I was right about that) but in many different ways as you suggest.  Not everybody will be lucky enough to be grandparents but people can stay connected to the game and can be equally rewarded.  Good stuff!

True that.  Probably the most diehard fan of my son's HS team is the dad of one of the assistant coaches.  He's been going to games ever since his kid was on the team, and he never misses one now.  BTW the coach is an absolute stud in a 25+ league.

OH My god, I am not ready for Grand kids and Do overs. I have one a year out of college and another who has been done with school for some time. I still have a college rising sophomore. God please No grad kids yet. Allthough if they come I will be bringing them a baseball in the hospital. 

My first is just three months old. I just bought him the cutest bib shaped like a baseball. 

I dnt think he will play baseball. Just my gut feeling. 

I have a grandson .  

Then, I have a da&#$@m  daughter-in-law that is far more likely to put him in ballet than baseball .

cabbagedad posted:

I have a grandson .  

Then, I have a da&#$@m  daughter-in-law that is far more likely to put him in ballet than baseball .

 

As I sit here debating with my 13 year old son which is a more effective full count pitch I have to say, sucks to be you!

BishopLeftiesDad posted:

OH My god, I am not ready for Grand kids and Do overs. I have one a year out of college and another who has been done with school for some time. I still have a college rising sophomore. God please No grad kids yet. Allthough if they come I will be bringing them a baseball in the hospital. 

Put the baseball in his left hand!!

fanofgame posted:

My first is just three months old. I just bought him the cutest bib shaped like a baseball. 

I dnt think he will play baseball. Just my gut feeling. 

I just may have to revoke your grand-parenting privileges for that comment.  

My son just finished his college career. No grand kids, but I've already started to frequent my nephew's games.   Gotta say, I'm a bit more laid back than the parents that are all there watching their 8 year olds play.

cabbagedad posted:

I have a grandson .  

Then, I have a da&#$@m  daughter-in-law that is far more likely to put him in ballet than baseball .

 

My son in law is athletic. But he's never been interested in team sports. It's funny to think my daughter goes to sporting events with the girls. She said their kids will play baseball/softball and basketball even if she has to coach.

CD,

I get it, but I'm not there yet with grandkids.  Maybe in a few years.  I'm still following players I coached years ago, players my sons played against and people I know from HSBBWeb....so I still get my baseball fix.    

My wife and I are empty nesters for 9 months out of the year and we've enjoyed our freedom to travel anywhere we want when we want.  We just got back from hiking in Portugal which was amazing.  Oldest son will start engineering grad school in a couple months so I'm sure marriage or kids have not entered his psyche.  He tends to do things slow and methodically at his own pace...typical engineer.

However, when he or his brothers make "the grandkid announcement", I'll be the first one at their house with equipment and supplies to build a backyard batting cage for baseball or softball.  After the cage is built, we'll be sending out recruiting  letters and video.  I promise.  ;-)

Of course you are not ready at this time Fenway - your kids really are not at that stage yet.  My one grandchild was born when I was 46 years old and now I am 55.  I know how it feels when the baseball dreams end for a son because I've been though that with one son and eventually with my other son. 

My post is a hopeful thing for the future with people getting a new chance at baseball (or softball) when their time comes.  You'll see the experience is much more satisfying (or at least as satisfying) the second time around when you can be more laid-back about things.

I have 2 grandsons.  I tried tying their right hand behind their back and putting a baseball in their left hand from the start.  Didn't work.

Older one will start youth sports next year.  Younger one (2 years old) has on numerous occasions come to me and said, "Grandpa, I wanna watch some baseball." 

Thinking of setting up a cage and mound for that boy, complete with TrackMan!! 

Awww, this thread brought tears to my eyes. Fun to see the grandkids pics and hear the stories. And CD, what a touching story of your grandson playing in the same tourney as your son, how cool!  I'm not a grandma yet, but I do look forward to someday watching a grandson or granddaughter on the diamond.

I dont have any grandkids but we are reliving it all over again with son becoming a coach.

I like it soooo much better this way and we have really enjoyed this year, and son did too!

ClevelandDad posted:

Some may wonder why I (and others) still hang around here even though our sons have long since graduated from high school and college.  I would like to challenge old-timers here and others who it seems their baseball time is over.  Specifically what I am talking about is grandkids.  I have one (from my other son than my baseball son) who is allowing me to experience everything all over again.  He is on the same tournament team and doing similar things that I saw my both of my sons do all those years ago.  This past weekend, they won a tournament that my son won many years ago.  He is a 9 year old pitcher and the 3 hole hitter on a 9/10 u tournament team.  The following picture shows him from this past weekend wearing my son's Coastal Carolina helmet.  It's all happening again for me and I cannot tell you how blessed we feel.  We are the laid-back one's now simply enjoying the moment.  For any old-timers out there who may be lurking, please share your do-over memories if any.  For those of you who it seems your baseball dreams may be over, I ask you to reconsider.  You'll never, ever believe how fast time flies.  You'll never, ever believe how wonderful it is to be a grandparent.  Baseball is the greatest game and it can come back to you.

 

Did your son play at Coastal? I have two cousins that go there, and I really want to play for them when I go to college next year. I am going into my senior year.

Yes Wesley he did.  Send me a PM and we can talk about things offline.

No grandkids yet, but I really look forward to that day.  Ryno's summer job is as an Asst. Coach on his high school's Legion Team, so that is pretty cool.  Unfortunately, I haven't been out to watch him yet.  When Ryan went off to college, I became bored, and my wife suggested I go back to school to earn that MBA I've often spoke about.  Now I am in the fight of my life, Corporate Finance, and I just don't have a lot of time.  Another week and a half, and I'll have a little more time to watch him coach. I am really looking forward to watching him on the other side of the spectrum.

I bike a lot. I'll stop and watch baseball at any level. The parents are as much fun to watch as the kids playing. Recently a dad of a high school shortstop running a 7.2 told me his son wants to play for LSU or ASU.

I always coached. I never had time to be the intense parent. Maybe coaching travel kept me from being intense at high school and college games. I watched games analytically like a coach.

My niece is a little over a year old. I bought her a sports set for Christmas and they just got it out recently. It has a basketball hoop and a soccer net on it. They sent me a video and she just wasn't so sure about it.. She can squat down and she can move around. And the basketball rim is actually at a perfect height for her. My sister told me in the video that she was going to be a cheerleader! haha

The next day they posted a picture of her and dad... he's setting her up to swing that bat left-handed! haha 

Back in March, I was going to say something to my 2 1/2 year-old grandson as he was preparing this swing off the tee. He interrupted me saying, "Hey, I'm trying to focus here."  My daughter works with him a lot and he loves baseball nearly as much as his uncle and grandpappy.

He is a product of two lefties and I didn't hesitate to send the left-handed version of one of these last year. It is available at Dick's for $9.99. It was a little big for him, but what the heck?