Baseball Why?

I know. You were probably thinking you'd seen the last of my baseball posts for the year, what with Smunch's baseball camp and a visit to the Tampa Bay Rays. But much like a baseball game, Smunch's love of the sport is kinda endless and his enthusiasm is boundless...as evidenced in this video.I got interested in baseball back in high school. If you give a little thought to why a teenage girl would suddenly develop an interest in baseball, the answer will come to you...quickly, probably. It starts with, there was this guy who liked baseball... And then there were a couple of other guys who liked baseball later in high school and in college. Although I'd largely stopped paying attention to The Game by the time I went to grad school, I still managed to impress one of my Boston University classmates on a school-sponsored trip to Fenway with my general baseball knowledge. But after grad school, I met and married a man who was decidedly NOT a sports fan. No problem. I'd mostly forgotten about baseball anyhow.

But a few years later, a new guy came into my life. And now that he's seven, every one of my blog readers knows that this boy lives and breathes baseball. (Oddly, he's currently out in the backyard spraying plants with water instead of in here watching video replays, but I digress.) And I admit that his unbridled enthusiasm has reignited my own. Funny thing is, Daddy? He's become something of a baseball fan too. Maybe it's just a defensive mechanism. A version of "If you can't beat them..."

We've gradually become a "baseball family". That's something I never thought I'd say in a million years. It never even crossed my mind.But no sooner had we returned from Florida than we were buying tickets to see the Giants play the Reds at AT&T park on Sunday afternoon.

It was Mam's first experience of AT&T Park...which I can say with a little authority, is a beautiful place, as ballparks go...although I have it on good authority that PETCO park, home of the Padres, is also very nice.

We thought it would be nice to have Smunch present her with a little inaugural Giants ballpark gift. And so he did. And it was adorable.On the whole, it's been a bear to have Smunch home this summer. He and Mam fought constantly when they were together. There were enough interesting things to keep them otherwise engaged while we were traveling, but being at home with no camp during the week was really painful. So, it was great to see Smunch being nice to his sister and to see his sister being appreciative and excited about her gift. Yes. It's pink. Of course it is.These days, I look at the sports page first when I pick up the paper in the morning...that is if Smunch hasn't beaten me to it. I'm obsessed with statistics and standings and game scores. I realize, of course, that I have a problem. I don't care. It's not interfering with my duties as a mother. (Yeah, I dropped a note in Smunch's lunchbox today when I picked Mam up at school and yeah, it contained the score of a game being played this morning. What's your point?)

My point is this. If you ever find something that consistently makes your child look like this:Something that makes them want to be nice to their sibling(s), something that not only makes bad behavior evaporate instantly, but can successfully be used as a bribe, or a threat, depending on the situation.

Then run. Run with that as fast and far as you can. Because there is nothing in the world like watching my son watch baseball. He's thrilled, he's riveted,he's cooperative and he doesn't even want to go to the bathroom (oh, wait, that's a minus). But this kid is never happier than when he's at a ballpark. If this enthusiasm for The Game doesn't last, I sure hope it's replaced by something just as awesome.Yeah. Gotta go check some box scores now. Catch you later!