Special moments of your son

Well like everyone else I have several to share

1. First HS school win from the mound against his team's biggest arch rival, one of his best friends that he really looked up to got the win the previous year and had gone on to college ball, he couldn't wait to call and tell him all about it.

2. His 1st homerun in a HS game - 15 years old. Hokieone and son number two were walking through the parking lot to come watch the game (They had driven a long way to come watch the game) and he cranked it about 360 ft in their direction.

3. The time he got his tooth knocked out in a Legion Game - First words out of his mouth was he was going to a showcase he was to attend in about a week - "tooth or no tooth" Well the the doc put the tooth back in and made him a special mouth piece (which I doubt he used) for the showcase. Knock on wood he still has the tooth in and it's doing ok.

4. The night he committed that he was going to play college baseball, overhearing his conversation with his now College Coach, I knew it was positive, and to see the gleam in his eyes was priceless. It was the night of the last game of the 2004 World Series the call came about 15 minutes prior to the start of the game (my son is a big Red Sox fan), well you know the rest of the story. Our house was rocking that night. I guess the neighbors thought we had flipped.

CV

Polemecist....just copied both your postings and sent to my son at college. The first so eloquently states how I think a lot of players feel about the game....the second post reflects part of my son's decision process to go to the school he is attending. It's been a rough semester....and I'm thinking your postings will help him....thank you.....you said it all and said it so well.....

Pole

I agree. It is the journey through and not the destination that builds and strengthens character.

Special moments?

* 18 K no-hitter win at 11 against the "stacked" local LL team.

* 16 K's in 6 innings to shutout the cross town rival as a high school senior.

* Getting over those freshman jitters going 8 innings without an ER for his first college win...on the other side of the world in Hawaii.

Dad04:

quote:

It is the journey through and not the destination that builds and strengthens character.

Well stated.

Pole you are correct about the odds. My son has been told the odds since he was 10.
I think most posters love thier kids way beyond thier baseball accomplishments.
DaDo4 the journey is everything and we get to tag along for a while. Is your son at Helo ? one of my son's teammate goes there.

Polemecist,

IMO - It is human nature to want your kid to do well. And when he/she does - it is OK to be proud.

I also think people - as in anything else - experience baseball from many different perspectives. In my family - it was the means through which we were able to communicate. It was much more than a game.

I have tried to do the same thing with my kids.

I think of all the baseball experiences I have had in my life - and I honestly am most proud of when my boys bounce back from a bad day - or adversity - and "keep on comin' on".

I think it is a very valuable life lesson - and in my family's case - baseball is the mechanism by which we understand what "bouncing back" really means.

Again - thanks for a couple of really interesting posts - and good luck to you and your son.

Son was pitching the regional tournament game (to go to state), 7th or 8th inning, second game of best of three games (pitcher #1 won the first game), two outs, two strikes and one more strike and we are off to state. Game thru 7 innings 1-0 in our favor. Home run by opposing team and now we have to play the 3rd game. Son feels he lost the chance for state. For the 1st time in the playoffs, third pitcher gets to start (all other games two game series wins). Third pitcher is a senior who hadn’t really pitched much for along time, or even much in districts, comes in, pitches lights out and wins the third game. Son tells me that he realizes that sometimes things happen for a reason and is no longer upset about his loss. He expounds by saying that the 3rd pitcher had been working hard all year along with the starting pitchers so he could come in if ever needed. Third pitcher never complained, grumped, or anything during the season when not getting to pitch. Instead, 3rd pitcher always warmed up our son before he threw. I looked out from the stands and saw my son warming up the 3rd pitcher for this last regional game. The team became unbeatable with this win and won state. All because our son lost game 2.

quote:

Is your son at Helo ? one of my son's teammate goes there.

Bobblehead

He is at U of Louisiana in Lafayette. He has a teammate from Alberta, Canada. What is Helo?

EDIT: Oh, UH Hilo? No they were playing at UH Honolulu in a tournament.

There is a topic on the 'Ask the Umpire' forum entitled 'Baserunner Clapping'. It reminded me of a moment that I had with our second oldest son when he was 10 yr. old.

Our son, who is a darn good player, was pitching for his LL team during a regular season game. I was the manager of the team and we must have been thin on pitching that day since our son is not really a pitcher.

He was cruising along just fine...giving up a few hits here and there...one of the hits was to one of his classmates. This particular kid was on the 'portly' side...actually he was big enough to include the 'starboard' side as well.

He must have hit a double because all I can remember is him out at second base doing that obnoxious clapping trying to distract my fledgling young pitcher of a son on the mound.

This went on for quite a long time and it was one of the very few times that I became irritated at a any of my kid's games. It was really getting under my skin and I assumed that it was getting under my son's skin also.

If I remember correctly our team went on to win the game and while my son and I were driving home I asked him if all of that clapping out at second base disturbed him while he was pitching?

He said "No, I just pictured him out at second with his jersey pulled up and him slapping his fat belly!".

Maybe this son does have what it takes to be a pitcher after all!

DaDo4 you had mentioned Hawaii. hilo is in Hawaii.

I don't know anyone at the school your son. He pitched against 3 guys at LSU who played for Jesuite HS New Orleans ( Refit Oil Summer Team)

My special moments. "Triple play"

1. Age 8 first tryout in a gymnasium. Son Gets five swings hits first pitch to the opposite wall in the gym. Then smokes a line drive where all the coaches were congregated in the far stands taking notes. Hits one in the head (tball soft). Upon first meeting with new team coach says "man I'm excited" looks like your boy has played some ball. Reply nope only knows how to hit and catch -- never played. First game first at bat the coaches son is on 2nd, my son on first, 3rd hitter up lines a shot to the pitcher, who actually catches it. As soon as it's hit, the coaches son on 2nd takes off without tagging gets almost to third where his dad sends him back to second. the other coach holds my son at first then sends him to second. They collide head first at 2nd and the coaches son loses half his front tooth. The pitcher that has been watching runs over and tags them both as they lay on the ground -- TRIPLE Play.

Another story:

Same son is having a great season as a 12 year old LLguer and is a shoe in for all star team. team is gonna be great. With about 3 or 4 games to go is catching and has running collision with one of the biggest kids in the league on a tag play. Breaks thumb Doc says cast it 6-8 weeks. Son starts crying then says no way I'm missing all-stars. Doctor aggrees to let him play if he puts on temporary cast when not playing. Makes team goes to state I'm proud no one ever knew his thumb was broke except me and him.

Irony, I have Wally Joiner on my fantasy team MLB team. Next day I read, Joiner breaks thumb out 6-8 weeks. Kid plays through the pain never misses an AB or game. MLB guy takes the time off.

Just one more...expensive way to find out your son has a good arm

Son two is just 3 years old but follows alder brother and can already throw hit and catch well for a 3 year old. We get into the van after a game. the three year old has just been placed in his car seat and his mom says. Your son has a rock in his hand and won't let me have it. I said Nick get rid of the rock. He throws it out the sliding door thats his mom has open fiddling with him. It hits the next car over and shatters their windshield. Ouchy in the wallet!!! but what an arm and a lefty too!

I guess I should put a story in this thread. My son is an LHP who people shudder when he picks up a bat fearing he might hurt himself.
We were in a game withy bases loaded and my son had to take 1st base. Both 1st basemen hurt thier backs. Bases load batter hits a dribbler 3 feet in front of the plate. Catcher gets the ball and tags plate for force,throws to 1st hits runner in the back. Sonheads for the fence knowing the ball would hit the runner,guns the guy coming home from 2nd. Catcher guns the guy going to 2nd who was hit in the back going to 1st. The guys walk off and the parents are stunned wondering what had just happened. A triple play so well executed in seconds. If only my kid could hit.

well i am only 12 and i just wanted to say that two days ago i hit two home runs.

blair:

well i am only more than four times 12 and i just wanted to say that i am very proud of you for hitting two home runs two days ago...two days ago all i hit was a curb and a mailbox.


Keep up the good work and check in here frequently...you'll learn alot!

blair - that is awesome and certainly is something to be proud of! Keep working hard!

Wow Blair....way to go! Congratulations!

How could I have forgotten? My son just finished a live chat on a Blue Jay internet scouting site where this exact question was asked. Got some of it right with my first post..but missed a huge one.
Getting to hit off Randy Johnson in Spring training is something he will remember for the rest of his life, especially swinging at that slider that looked just like a 94 mph fastball.

My son is only 15 but there have been moments but this one stands out.

He was around 4 and he had his big red plastic bat with a giant plastic ball on the tee. I was trying to teach him how to hit. I set him up next to the tee and said, "Now keep your eye on the ball." So he bent over and literally put his eye on the ball.

I think there will always be gave winning moments, the big saves, the big loses and the proud moments. But this was a father-son moment that involved baseball and I will never forget it.

Being a father is forever but baseball is temporary.

What an incredible array of stories! Lots of heartfelt responses...I started reading them at work and had to stop because I was getting too involved to actually work!

A special moment was last years season ending game against a very good team in the WCAL. My son's JV team hadn't done terribly well and they'd never won a game against this team..neither had the varsity for that matter. My son was the starting pitcher. My husband was filming (never remembered the camera before) and before we know it, my son's well into a no-hitter. Later, other parents commented on my husband's calm demeanor. Luckily, our team got a few hits and several players made some great plays..and in the end, my son got his first no-hitter in league play. The team was ecstatic and crowded around him. He's a very low profile guy...perfect pitcher--no emotion at all. But I saw him smile up at my husband in the stands. A very meaningful smile.

Newcomer:

Welcome aboard...you've wandered across a great site.

Thanks for sharing your story...your son has a very nice platform to build from after that game!

quote:

What an incredible array of stories! Lots of heartfelt responses...I started reading them at work and had to stop because I was getting too involved to actually work!

This happens to many of us...some alot more than others...I know this from personal experience. You'll be hooked but you'll find ways to cope!

Keep us posted on your son's baseball progress and your husband's fledgling career as a videographer!

Much success to all of you.