Conference moira::parenting

    Hi Debby,
    
    Be prepared for the T-ball kids to stay pretty bored....my first son
    used to sit down in the outfield and gaze at the sky.  My middle one
    used to practice his cartwheels!  As this is a "learning league" the
    games can be quite dragged out at times.  Like I mentioned in my other
    note, I know that they DID call outs with my other two kids (never
    strikes though) but rules change...
    
    Personally, I think the games should be no longer that an hour.  That
    gives all the kids time to bat a couple of times but its not so long
    that they get bored.  From what I've seen at the games, those last 45
    mins. are when the kids really start to lose their interest.
    
    The next league up (in Merrimack) is Instructional.  Still no score is
    kept but the ball is pitched by the coaches.  Same thing with the Fram
    league but a score is kept.
    
    You're right that some coaches (and parents) take the whole thing WAY
    to seriously.  I feel so bad for the kids whose Dad is screaming at
    them when they mess up.  (I'm sure Mom's may do this too, I've just
    never seen it).  We've been fortunate to get good coaches for my middle
    son (he's in the Minors now).
    
    Linda
    

    My son was in T-Ball last year and in the beginning he was bored
    but after a few weeks, when the boys figured out how to throw
    the runner out or chase him down, the kids started getting 
    interested.  We did not keep score but did call outs.  I think the
    most boring part was letting every child swing until they hit the
    ball, but if they didn't do that I'm sure there would be a lot of
    discouraged little souls.
    
    This year, he is in midgets (coach pitch).  They are calling 
    strikes and outs.  The kids are pretty into it but Coach is
    stressing fun, sportsmanship and teamwork.  The only problem
    is a screaming mom.  She is pretty rough on the kids..
    especially other peoples...which really irritates me...and
    we haven't even had a game yet.  But, if she keeps it up, I will
    be talking to her about it.
    
    I hope you all have a wonderful season!
    Pam
    

Yeah, T-ball's a trip.  :-)  The kids miss far more than they catch, and 
the T gets hit almost as much as the balls.  :-)

My son's T-ball doesn't call strikes or keep score, but some of the kids
occasionally do.  It seems to be getting less, though, which I appreciate.
They do call out, but they don't call it harshly.  Still, it's hard for the
kid who's out.  I heard our coach complimenting a kid on her hit to first
base after she was called out.  The hit was good, and has it's place as a 
sacrifice hit to get someone else to home, but she didn't know that, and
wouldn't have understood it.  I think the coach's praise helped her a little.

One other thing that I noticed that was good that came from our last game
was a sense that the other team is not "the bad guy".  When Evan was called
out at first, the first base player was a good friend of his.  Evan seemed
satisfied that his friend had done a good job, and was pleased for him.  :-)

     Carol

    One thing I can't figure out is why the batter has to wear a helmet and
    the outfielders don't.  Since they are not being pitched to, the batter
    isn't likely to get hit.  But the way these kids field, the fielder may
    get bopped.  :-)  :-)

    
    This so the kids on the bases do not get hit with the ball.  Later on
    in the season the coach will start pitching the ball so the batters
    will get used to batting while the ball is being pitched.
    
    carol

    Yes, that's pretty much what another parent at the game told me.
    
    But it still strikes me funny that (at least at this point in the
    season) the one player who is least likely to get bopped is the one
    player with a hel

    Actually, I *think* that the helmuts are required by all batters due to
    the Tony Conigliaro (sp?) injury many years ago.  He was a Red Sox
    player who was hit in the head by a pitched ball and never completely
    recovered.  The helmuts were modified probably about 10 years ago or so
    to include "ear flaps" when a batter was hit in the ear underneath the
    helmut (is that how you spell helmut?  It doens't LOOK right to me!). 
    I believe this happened in a World Series game.  While I agree that
    they probably DON'T need them in T-ball, they will need them in every
    other league the kids play in so they start them out that way.  The
    speed some of the balls are pitched in the Minor league is scary!  (And
    those pitches are often a bit on the wild side!)
    
    My sons biggest problem is the helmets (there - is that how it's
    spelled!) are too big for him and they flop around while he runs!
    
    Each town has different leagues....in Merrimack, T-Ball stays T-ball
    (batting off a tee) for the whole season.  Coach pitch starts in
    Instructional and Farm league.
    
    I also notice that parents who have already been through T-ball have a
    much better sense of humor about the game than the first-timers. 
    Probably because they know that the kids REALLY DO learn how to play
    within the next few years!  (Or figure out that baseball is not for
    them, like my oldest son!)
    
    Linda

    Jason's on t-ball in Nashua ... it's absolutely HYSTERICAL!!!  He had
    his first game on Monday night against the White Sox.  At one point,
    when the sox were batting, the kid who had been playing 1st base when
    the sox were in the field, was ON base, waiting for his teammate to
    hit, so he could go to 2nd.  The teammate hit the ball straight down
    the first base line.  The other Sox player (who should've been running
    to 2nd), bent down to pick up the ball.  Of course it went RIGHT
    between his hands/legs, and THEN he realized that was the other team's
    job.  Stood up, and safely made it to 2nd.
    
    I think 1/2 the reason it's so funny is because they don't seem able to
    concentrate that long.
    
    Rules go .... 3 innings or 1.5 hours, or until the kids get too
    cold/hot, whichever comes first.  We got 2 innings in in ~1.25 hours,
    and had little munckin' popsicles, so called it a game.
    
    An inning is one run through the batting lineup.  They don't count
    runs, but keep score by outs.  After ~the 3rd game or so, they start
    with coach-pitch.
    
    The kids are having a **BLAST**!!
    
    

    How old do they have to be to start with T-ball?  

    In my town (Townsend), the child has to be 5 by July 31st.
    The rules for this league seem even less strict than others
    mentioned here. 
    Sue

    I think it's 6 by July 31st, in Nashua.  
    
    Patty

Talk about funny!  My almost 6 year old son is on the T-ball league and never
once did they use the T.  Only one child uses the T and the others hit with
Coach pitching.  At that age they get tired regardless as to whether or not
they're batters or fielding. Most of the kids in the out field do practice their
cartwheels/karate as well as chasing butterflies and swatting at black flies! 
It is very boring to both the parents and the kids, but I *think* they are
trying to teach the basics of the game and allow each child to experience
batting and fielding.  The most important lessons learned are team effort/play,
honoring a comittment and having fun.

My daughter played on the instructional team last year and tried out for the
Majors this year.  She didn't make the Majors (I am happy about that!) and was
recruited for the Mites.  The Mites is where the kids are pitching and boy am I
glad they have helmets with face guards!!!!!  Some parents are b*tchhing about
the face guards because they impair their child's vision...well, without the
face guards there is more than just a good chance of the kids ending up with NO
vision/teeth/etc! 

Guess the point I would like to make is that the calling of
outs/fouls/strikes/etc. comes in time.  Each child is to experience each thing
over time.  Team play, learning the game and having fun FOR THE CHILD is what it
is all about.  We parents get a few minutes to sit (for a change), have a cup
o'coffee and observe our kids without interacting.  We get the chance to watch
them on their own terms.  I LOVE it!

Just my $0.02 worth...

Sandra 

    Sandra,
    
    I agree...I think the whole experience is a blast!  My son's team
    had their first game on Saturday and unfortunately I had to miss
    most of it but made it back just in time to see him hit a triple!
    Someone told me that they were supposed to start child pitch this
    year but coaches were told it is coach pitch.  The kids are only
    8.  I don't think they have the control to pitch yet and the 
    helmets do not have face masks.  If they start having the kids
    pitch I'm going to have to complain about that.  It's just too
    risky.
    
    Pam