how smart my wife is. I don't think I'm giving her too much credit, I think she really is this smart.
We signed our son up for T-Ball and today I took him to his first practice session. We got there a little early because we went straight there from school. Actually we went to the local second-hand book store first where I was unable to find Books 2 & 3 of the Icewind Dale Trilogy, but we did pick up a couple of books for JE. Then we went to T-Ball, but we were still early, like close to an hour early.
We threw the ball back & forth for a bit then JE needed to use the restroom, which was a good 1/4 mile away, on the other side of the tennis courts. We took the long way back past the big baseball diamond and discovered that while there were closer restrooms to our baseball diamond, those closer restrooms were sealed shut. Not just locked, but they had plywood nailed across the doorways.
We arrived back at the smaller baseball diamond with a few minutes to go to Practice Start Time and discovered the Coach had arrived, so JE put his glove back on and took the field. One by one the rest of the kids and parents arrived and finally we had a full T-Ball team. While the Assistant Coach kept the kids busy the Coach came and spoke to the parents about how T-Ball isn't just for the kids, but that if we all get involved it makes the season a lot more fun for everyone, kids and parents alike. So when the Coach resumed practice with the kids, several fathers, led by yours truly, took the field with him...and despite knowing very little about America's National Pastime I somehow became 1st base Coach, which means when the kids run from home plate to 1st base I'm there to shout encouragement to them, or make sure they run from 1st to 2nd base when it comes time to do just that.
Despite already being a Tiger Cub Scout leader, out of the last eight years of being in America this one hour of T-ball practice somehow made me feel more like I belonged than anything else. Not even playing Aussie Rules for the L.A. Crows gave me this feeling. While I did make a Very Good Friend playing Aussie Rules, playing the game here in the States seemed more like trying to regain something I left behind; Taking part in T-ball somehow just felt "right".
Maybe I'm giving my wife too much credit, but I doubt it. Somehow I think she signed JE up for T-ball knowing that it wasn't just going to be good for him, but good for me as well.
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6 comments:
only took you 9 years to figure it out? *grin*
haha nice one, Liz :)
I think it's *awesome* that you're a Cub Scout leader and now a 1st base coach. I LOVED that my dad was involved with my childhood the way he was, coaching or just taking me to every practice I had. You form a bond that way--a bond that JE will ALWAYS remember.
Glad to hear you had fun John. My wife occasionally signs me up for events that -although we don't have children yet- are designed to mold me into a more "well-rounded" husband. Most recently, the internet cooking class that we are enjoying is designed -I believe- to turn me into a world class chef rather than the Hungry Man dinner champion I am now.
I have to agree with luminati. JE will remember that you were there to provide encouragement during his trying times, just like I remember my dad never getting up to do anything. :)
Amen to all the above ~ :)
(hugs)
sue
Lucky you have a boy too, John. Taking Alex to the ballet doesn't quite have the same effect
Mate that's brilliant and I know EXACTLY how you feel! I don't think your typical American could even begin to understand. We Aussies are a passionate bunch regarding all things Australian. Sport is a big deal for us, and it's not easy to even want to adopt the sports here in the States.
The biggest reason I held back at first is that I was clinging onto my roots; I didn't want to feel like I was abandoning my cricket and rugby. I realized after a few years that I could passionately follow them yet still pick up interests in baseball and football. No basketball for me thanks.
I'm now an avid supporter of the Colts and don't really care who I watch in baseball as long as it is a good game. I ended up seeing that I could follow both and settled with the Colts and Peyton Manning because to me he is the closest to a rugby player in the NFL. In rugby we don't have coaches and analysts calling the plays. We don't have offense and defense. You get coached during the week and it's your job as a single team, both offense and defense, to execute what you were coached to do. Peyton calls his own plays and audibles almost every play. Staying true to my sport loving nature I made sure that I learned how both baseball and football are played. I know what an I Formation is, how effective a Shotgun can be in a pass or draw play, etc etc. I pride myself on knowing these things because I believe that you ought to to follow a sport. I meet a lot of "know-it-all" people who claim they love rugby and the like yet can't tell me a rule about the game. I hate band wagons... I hate it when people rave about or believe in something they know little about.
After all that is said, welcome to the really big little league mate! I know you'll have a fantastic year!
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