For years, Connor has been talking about playing baseball. The last year or so that talk has gotten really intense. He wants to play with the foam bat and ball in the back yard all the time, and he wears Grandpa out at the lake wanting to play in the hottest part of the day.
Baseball is kind of a tradition on my side of the family. Grandpa played when he was growing up. Uncle Brian played from the time he was five years old until he went away to college. Cousin Austin is following in his footsteps, playing spring and fall leagues, with Uncle Brian coaching most of the time (just as Grandpa used to coach Uncle Brian in little league).
Connor has actually had a really nice baseball glove since birth, a welcome gift from our good friends Haley & David who are fans of the game (David played in college on a baseball scholarship and has even coached at the collegiate level). We might have to pick up a few other items along the way, but the glove will get him started!
Daddy was a soccer player growing up, so he's not super excited about spending hours in the hot summer sun at the dusty diamond, but so it goes. Connor is young enough to still change his mind, but we thought it was time to start letting him experiment a little. And since baseball is what we hear the most about, that's where we're going to let him start.
We decided to sign him up for the fall league. It's a little more laid-back (instructional rather than competitive), and we thought it would be a better entry level place than spring league. We also put him in the local neighborhood league instead of the league where Cousin Austin plays (which just happens to be the best, most competitive league in the city). Connor is a year or so behind a few kids when it comes to getting started, as he's almost six now, but he will still be in the t-ball league.
Today we got the call from his new coach. He's going to be BlueJay this season. Practice starts next weekend, and games will follow in late August. So it looks like our Sunday afternoons and our Wednesday nights are going to be taken up for the next few months as we let him try his hand at baseball.
So, take me out to the ball game, buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks ...
