Creative name, huh? Despite his love of baseball, Smunch is new to playing in the Fall. This is the first year he's tried it and, at least from my perspective, it's been a lot of fun. It's much, MUCH more laid back than PONY baseball in the spring. He has some of the same rather intense coaches, but even they seem more relaxed. More than anything, it's about developing skills. It's not about winning. They don't even keep score.
And that's a good thing because Smunch's team is full of boys who are the youngest in the division. Given that Smunch is a little guy himself, that means he barely reaches the shoulder of some of the boys out there. He's still nine. Some of them are 12. And some of them are BIG 12-year-olds! Of course, that doesn't make him less serious about the whole thing.
He's still no power hitter, but he's impressive in other ways. He knows how to back up a play better than a lot of the kids out there. And even when he flubs a play, he's likely to recover. His head is in the game, even if his body isn't necessarily big enough to cooperate. His strike zone is so small that he gets a lot of walks. And at this level, there's a lot of stealing, so as long as he's on base, he's got a good chance to score. Here he is, safe at second. He just wants to make sure you know.
These games are kinda fun, even though it's obvious the Blue Sox are usually getting obliterated by their opponents. But they're still long. It gives me pause to know I really encouraged Smunch's passion in baseball. I encouraged it and now he loves it...and now we spend hours and hours a the baseball field...in the sun, the cold, the wind...whatever. I think even Smunch, who has thoroughly enjoyed the game, is relieved when it's time to go home.
Creative name, huh? Despite his love of baseball, Smunch is new to playing in the Fall. This is the first year he's tried it and, at least from my perspective, it's been a lot of fun. It's much, MUCH more laid back than PONY baseball in the spring. He has some of the same rather intense coaches, but even they seem more relaxed. More than anything, it's about developing skills. It's not about winning. They don't even keep score.
And that's a good thing because Smunch's team is full of boys who are the youngest in the division. Given that Smunch is a little guy himself, that means he barely reaches the shoulder of some of the boys out there. He's still nine. Some of them are 12. And some of them are BIG 12-year-olds! Of course, that doesn't make him less serious about the whole thing.
He's still no power hitter, but he's impressive in other ways. He knows how to back up a play better than a lot of the kids out there. And even when he flubs a play, he's likely to recover. His head is in the game, even if his body isn't necessarily big enough to cooperate. His strike zone is so small that he gets a lot of walks. And at this level, there's a lot of stealing, so as long as he's on base, he's got a good chance to score. Here he is, safe at second. He just wants to make sure you know.
These games are kinda fun, even though it's obvious the Blue Sox are usually getting obliterated by their opponents. But they're still long. It gives me pause to know I really encouraged Smunch's passion in baseball. I encouraged it and now he loves it...and now we spend hours and hours a the baseball field...in the sun, the cold, the wind...whatever. I think even Smunch, who has thoroughly enjoyed the game, is relieved when it's time to go home.
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