Grandson’s Tee Ball game evokes memories

By John Toth

The Bulletin

It’s been a few decades since I’ve been to a Little League Tee Ball game, but a long Easter family visit allowed me to attend my grandson’s games.

That doesn’t happen all that often, since we live three and a half hours apart. But this time, the Little League schedule and ours crossed paths. I was looking forward to seeing five-year- olds hit off the tee and run to the base, or wherever else they decided to run.

A very long time ago, my three children ran those bases in baseball and softball. I coached them and was even crazy enough to serve on some youth sports boards. I was lucky to have a job that allowed me to attend most of their games. After we started our own businesses, including The Bulletin, I could work easier around the youth-sports schedules.

Grandson was looking forward to showing us how much he had learned since the last time we saw him.

The rule at that age was to watch the ball roll by, and then everyone nearby pounced on it to see who had the privilege to throw it. Where to throw it was another big question.

There was no official score kept, but many parents kept it anyway. I tried a few times, but the numbers ran up too high. The main goal was to teach skills on this level.

For some parents, though, the purpose was to get their four-year-old an MLB contract. They acted like the little tykes were playing in the World Series and were trying to bat in the winning run.

A year or so later, it was a beautiful day for tee ball - not too warm, not too windy. The high-pitched sounds of excited tee ball players filled the air. I settled in my fold-up lawn chair and watched the warm-ups, then the game.

One player on the other team by third base got busy picking up some infield dirt and placing it on his baseball cap. Another player picked grass in the outfield. Others ran to their positions in circles to make it more interesting. I was watching the innocence of Little League.

Each team maxed out in the first inning. After five runs, the umpire calls the inning. Then things started to happen, as some runners were thrown out. The trick to getting outs at this age is to be lucky enough to be where the ball lands, pick it up and run to the base. That’s what happened most of the time.

Another way is to find a first baseman who can catch the ball. That’s the harder way. There aren’t that many. But if one exists, pitcher to first is a sure out. Most of the plays, however, took place as the kids picked the ball up and ran to wherever the coach told them.

Throwing the ball seemed to open the door to more scoring, because there was a high chance that the ball would land nowhere near the intended target, or it would roll past it.

Grandson hit one to center field and scored without the fielders doing anything unusual like fighting for the ball to see who gets to throw it. It was a clean homer, the first one he hit this season. That was worth the price of admission.

While grandson was playing, I was reminiscing about all the good times from my youth-sports coaching days. It was a great game for my grandson and also a nice trip down memory lane for me.

Those were the days. They get better with age. It was fun to see the kids grow up, but it’s even better now to remember how they grew up, whether it be youth sports, school, first job or many other things that helped make them into adults.

My job is done. All I have to do now is just sit back and enjoy the game.