Buy Me Some Peanuts And Cracker Jacks

I am getting ready to write a post about our latest trip to National Park and going through pictures I saw these:



I took these at Inigo's first fully played baseball game last week. (I say 'fully played' because his first 'official game' was rained out after the first inning.) This is Inigo's first season in the Babe Ruth League.

• It's the first season where someone (usually the coach) pitches the ball to the batter.
• It's the first season where you can actually strike out.
• It's the first season where they will call you out if the baseman catches the ball before you get there.
• They're still not keeping score (to my knowledge).

It's a challenge for these 'newbies' to change their style of playing from the laid back/relaxed mode of City League T-ball where:

• Everyone gets a chance to bat every inning.
• Everyone gets a base hit.
• No one gets out on base.

As a result of these changes, the games move a little faster and the players shouldn't get quite so bored. (As the T-ball coach last year, when my team was in the field, I spent the majority of my time trying to keep the kids on their feet and not sitting down drawing pictures in the dirt, or even wandering off chasing butterflies. YES!! It happened!!!)

If you look closely at the largest picture (where Inigo is bent over with hands on knees) you can see that these kids are still trying to get used to the 'Big Leagues.'

• The player in the red shirt in the background is still playing in the dirt. He had dirt in his hands and watching it drop down to the ground. Possibly a future physicist?
• Inigo is staring off in the distance... probably at a squirrel or a bird or an airplane...

Then if you look at the picture to the left of the big one....

• Inigo is chewing on his mitt.... Hmmm.... and looking at me..... Hmmmm.... Where's the ball?

So the action in these games isn't as fast as it will be in the coming years, but it's definitely more exciting.

Inigo is having a MARVELOUS time!!! He's only had two practices but already I can see his game is improving and he is running better and faster.