First T-Ball of the season

Yesterday was the first t-ball practice of the season. This is my 5 year old's first time playing t-ball and my first time watching in a very long time. I remember watching my younger brother play baseball but have clearly forgotten what t-ball looked like.

T was not very excited to head to his first practice. He was having a wonderful time playing with his brother and lacked the enthusiasm to get a workout in today. I bundled him up in multiple layers, figuring that I could remove layers as he warmed up. I tossed a coat on myself and headed out the door. Baseball equipment was loaded into the car, and we were off. T wanted to be one of the first player to arrive since they were getting their jerseys today. T had his heart on getting number 1.

Mud covered cleats were securely fastened on to his feet, stubborn coat was zipped, and semi-worn in glove was on hand. We jogged to the field and gathered materials from the team mom. Then practice began. The children ran around the bases, squealing and giggling the whole time. Coach gathered the little bodies up and began to give instructions. Children turned in circles, talked to new teammates, and a few listened intently to the coach's words.

It was time to bat...each child stepped up to the plate, got directions on where to stand, gave it a swing, and then ran through first plate. They continued to work through the bases and then tried a practice game. This is when the real fun began.

The wind quickly blew threw my few layers of clothes and I began to shiver. "I sure hope this practice doesn't last longer then an hour. I will definitely need to layer up for the next one.", I joked with the parent next to me whose teeth were chattering. The children were carefully placed around the diamond like chess pieces. The first child hit the ball and ALL of the children left their assigned spots and shuffled to the ball. The batter stayed at home plate and the child who captured the ball stood there in confusion. I let out a chuckle as the coach stood in amazement. Time to start from scratch. He gathered everyone at the pitcher's mound and began talking about the basics...run to first base after hitting the ball, after catching the ball-throw it to first base or the person on the mound, listen to the coaches who are helping. More giggles escaped my lips as I watched the scene unravel in front of me.

This is going to be fun to watch. I guess we need to watch more baseball at home and do some commentary. Let the fun begin!