Baseball Boy

Ryan is absolutely loving baseball this year. He has a great coach that is kind and yet knows his stuff. He has a lot of parental support (including his own dad) that helps with practices and the games. His team is young and inexperienced. We don't have a very good record so far this year, in fact we have struggled. But Ryan is in his element.

He has been playing the positions of third baseman, catcher and pitcher. Being catcher this year is a new experience and he has enjoyed the challenge of it. There is a lot of action there, and Ryan loves that. Plus he has an excellent arm which allows him to throw those long balls to second.

But ultimately he is a pitcher at heart. I feared when he signed up for the 3rd/4th grade team that he would not have the opportunity to pursue his love. But I was wrong. Only him and one other boy come close to having the talent to throw that ball across the plate. Ryan can throw hard for his age and is pretty accurate. He wants to practice everyday and Roger and I take turns being the catcher for him.

He has done pretty well in the games so far. Last game was his best yet. The first inning he pitched he had two strike outs and three hits. He caught a pop fly so in essence he made all the outs. The next inning he struck out three batters in a row. He had no walks the whole game. It was terrific to watch.

I am very torn about his new found passion. On one hand, it makes it a lot more fun to for me to watch the games. Baseball moves a little slow for me but when he is in the center of it all there is always action. On the other hand, that is a lot of pressure. That is not to say that Ryan feels the pressure. He gets up there like he doesn't have a care in the world. But I can't even sit in the bleachers. I pace back and forth and cheer and even cover my eyes at times. It is tough being the parent of the child everyone is watching. I worry that he will mess up and people will get angry at him. So far, our team has been so supportive but I still worry. I just wonder if it gets easier with time or even more stressful.

Anyway about it, baseball is here to stay in our lives for awhile.