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If you give a boy a baseball!

satellitemike

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THIS IS SO TRUE.

If you give a boy a baseball, he will want a bat to go with it.

You’ll buy him the best bat you can find, and then he will probably want a bucket of balls and a glove and some cleats too.

Then, he will probably spend hours begging you to go out in the yard to play with him, even though you may want to sit on the couch and watch tv. He will insist. And his insistence will win.

And when a boy gets a jersey, he will need pants and socks and a belt to go with it. And a TEAM…..

And then life as you know it will end.

There will be no more lazy weekends watching tv. You will see more sunrises than you ever thought possible. Every spare minute of your time will be spent hauling buckets and bags and stinky cleats and crazy boys all over tarnation for hours to practice for a game.
THE GAME.

And your house will be a mess. And your car will be dirty. All because you gave a boy a baseball.

Your weekends will be spent freezing or burning to death on a fold up chair. And his weekends will be spent gaining confidence and friends, and learning new skills and having fun and getting dirty. So dirty in fact that you will have to learn how to do laundry in a whole new way, like maybe at a carwash using the pressure washer.

And you will be there the day he hits his first home run, first strikeout, and his first double play. And he will make you SO proud. The other moms will congratulate you. But you feel weird saying thank you because it's not you at bat or on the mound. It's everything him. He did this.

And right before your eyes, your little boy will be transformed from the baby who spun around with his head on the bat, (because he loves attention), into a pitcher. Because he loves attention still.

When you give a boy a baseball , you give him more than just a ball. You give him a sport, and a talent, and hope, and dreams, and friends, a new family, a place to learn about life, room to grow as a person where he can push his limits, and bravery, and courage and LIFE, and memories. And he will have ALL of these things, simply because you gave a boy a baseball.

Because you gave a boy a baseball, you too will develop new/lifelong friendships, developed solely from the same passion for the game and love of your team. You will root together. And spew PG-13 things out of your mouths together. Because you gave a boy a baseball.

All because you gave a boy a baseball.
And played with him.

Written by a super parent with a huge heart who gets it!!!!
 

satellitemike

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and that was my life for 15 straight years.... all the kids (30+ y/o) still call me coach to this day.....
can't wait to start all over with my grandkids...
Me too, cant wait to start w the grandkids!
 

92 cole

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THIS IS SO TRUE.

If you give a boy a baseball, he will want a bat to go with it.

You’ll buy him the best bat you can find, and then he will probably want a bucket of balls and a glove and some cleats too.

Then, he will probably spend hours begging you to go out in the yard to play with him, even though you may want to sit on the couch and watch tv. He will insist. And his insistence will win.

And when a boy gets a jersey, he will need pants and socks and a belt to go with it. And a TEAM…..

And then life as you know it will end.

There will be no more lazy weekends watching tv. You will see more sunrises than you ever thought possible. Every spare minute of your time will be spent hauling buckets and bags and stinky cleats and crazy boys all over tarnation for hours to practice for a game.
THE GAME.

And your house will be a mess. And your car will be dirty. All because you gave a boy a baseball.

Your weekends will be spent freezing or burning to death on a fold up chair. And his weekends will be spent gaining confidence and friends, and learning new skills and having fun and getting dirty. So dirty in fact that you will have to learn how to do laundry in a whole new way, like maybe at a carwash using the pressure washer.

And you will be there the day he hits his first home run, first strikeout, and his first double play. And he will make you SO proud. The other moms will congratulate you. But you feel weird saying thank you because it's not you at bat or on the mound. It's everything him. He did this.

And right before your eyes, your little boy will be transformed from the baby who spun around with his head on the bat, (because he loves attention), into a pitcher. Because he loves attention still.

When you give a boy a baseball , you give him more than just a ball. You give him a sport, and a talent, and hope, and dreams, and friends, a new family, a place to learn about life, room to grow as a person where he can push his limits, and bravery, and courage and LIFE, and memories. And he will have ALL of these things, simply because you gave a boy a baseball.

Because you gave a boy a baseball, you too will develop new/lifelong friendships, developed solely from the same passion for the game and love of your team. You will root together. And spew PG-13 things out of your mouths together. Because you gave a boy a baseball.

All because you gave a boy a baseball.
And played with him.

Written by a super parent with a huge heart who gets it!!!!
It is a whole lot better than giving him a new video game or anything that keeps him stuck to the couch or in his (or her)room from getting out in the sun,grass, or ANYTHING outside. People are raising electronic robots that can't even run for a 100 yrds without their IPOD! I am not a techno-nerd most of my life is in my garage. This post was well written and should be read by every parent/grandparent as I am and considered twice before passing it off! MLAO Mark
 

Sleek-Jet

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Could I get the sugar free version? Youth sports is a racket...
 

Spudsbud

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My life for 10 yrs. 15 yrs ago. Dont forget coaching a d treats nite too.
Absolutely the best days of my entire life.
Then, they grow up graduate college. Get good jobs and move out of state and you're alone...
You got little ones at home? Cherish every minute. Take lots of pix. Trust me.
 

pwerwagn

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2 of my 3 boys started playing baseball this year. They used to play soccer, I hated soccer. I am NOT a sports fan at all, any kind of non-motor sports, dont care to watch it, dont care to hear about it, etc. My boys love riding dirt bikes, boating, rock crawling, desert racing, etc.

Anyhow, at the beginning of the season, I was like FTS...this baseball crap is eating into my winter/spring boating hardcore. With 2 boys playing, we had a practice or game m-th and sat. I got volunteered to coach my 6yr old in rookies, far out of my realm of expertise but whatever.

Our last rookie game was last saturday, and our last minor game is this saturday. I am already kind of sad. My 2 youngest boys (6 and 9) have learned so much from it, and now my oldest (11) is hooked and wants to play too. Were actually contemplating letting our 9yr old play in the allstars this summer since he got selected, even though it will drastically change our summer lifestyle since we spend pretty much every weekend at the lake or mountains. I came to realize that even tho my kids love what we do as far as camping, etc...them being part of a team and having goals and accomplishments really does mean something to them. They are getting so much more out of it than just "playing". They are learning how to work with others towards a goal, they have coaches that expect something out of them and when they accomplish it they love the feeling.

I never thought I would ever in my life justify my kids playing sports, but I guess I am there somehow.
 

Driptruck

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I have never really liked baseball, played some as a kid. But my son took to like a fish in water and I began to love it. He aged out of Little League last year and has new interests now. Hard for me not to push it on him this year because he was great at it, but I let it go. Great memories and it went by to fast.
 

WildHorses24

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Managed my youngest TBall and Asst on my oldest sons Pony this year and loved it. As a kid I never got to play LL because it interfered with my parents “River time” lol As a father now, I get it!!! We’ve missed a lot of trips over the past 4 years but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. We’ve been doing mid-week trips which is much nicer anyways! [emoji6]
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wsuwrhr

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Those were good times for me as a kid. Night games were fun too.

I miss those days.
 

RitcheyRch

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Looking forward to those days with my Grandson. At 20 months old all he wants to do is play with his nerf football, nerf baseball, nerf soccerball and nerf basketball when he is in the house. He has smaller sized real ones for when he is outside. He is pretty good at kicking and throwing all the balls so imagine he will start playing sports once he is a tad older.
 

Wavemaker

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THIS IS SO TRUE.

If you give a boy a baseball, he will want a bat to go with it.

You’ll buy him the best bat you can find, and then he will probably want a bucket of balls and a glove and some cleats too.

Then, he will probably spend hours begging you to go out in the yard to play with him, even though you may want to sit on the couch and watch tv. He will insist. And his insistence will win.

And when a boy gets a jersey, he will need pants and socks and a belt to go with it. And a TEAM…..

And then life as you know it will end.

There will be no more lazy weekends watching tv. You will see more sunrises than you ever thought possible. Every spare minute of your time will be spent hauling buckets and bags and stinky cleats and crazy boys all over tarnation for hours to practice for a game.
THE GAME.

And your house will be a mess. And your car will be dirty. All because you gave a boy a baseball.

Your weekends will be spent freezing or burning to death on a fold up chair. And his weekends will be spent gaining confidence and friends, and learning new skills and having fun and getting dirty. So dirty in fact that you will have to learn how to do laundry in a whole new way, like maybe at a carwash using the pressure washer.

And you will be there the day he hits his first home run, first strikeout, and his first double play. And he will make you SO proud. The other moms will congratulate you. But you feel weird saying thank you because it's not you at bat or on the mound. It's everything him. He did this.

And right before your eyes, your little boy will be transformed from the baby who spun around with his head on the bat, (because he loves attention), into a pitcher. Because he loves attention still.

When you give a boy a baseball , you give him more than just a ball. You give him a sport, and a talent, and hope, and dreams, and friends, a new family, a place to learn about life, room to grow as a person where he can push his limits, and bravery, and courage and LIFE, and memories. And he will have ALL of these things, simply because you gave a boy a baseball.

Because you gave a boy a baseball, you too will develop new/lifelong friendships, developed solely from the same passion for the game and love of your team. You will root together. And spew PG-13 things out of your mouths together. Because you gave a boy a baseball.

All because you gave a boy a baseball.
And played with him.

Written by a super parent with a huge heart who gets it!!!!

I have now started down this course with my six year old grandson. I live in Southern CA and my son, daughter in law and two grandkids live in northern CA. My son helps my grandson’s team by couching batting and fielding. I receive videos of my grandson batting and fielding. These league rules have the kids rotating fielding positions as them the boys are six and seven years old. Too young to be position specialists at this point. It’s about trying different positions so they learn the game, and try all positions too. My son’s video this week showed my grandson playing first base, and showed he has learned the correct positioning and foot placement on the bag during base hits, etc. At bat he shows a very good level swing and keeps his eye on the ball well. Base hits mostly, and he hates striking out. We keep telling him, he’s learning the game, he is getting better every game and at practices too.
 

Duffster

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My son played Little League & Pony ball starting at age-11 and a ton of travel ball years leading into high school ball. He just graduated from HS and I still have baseball field dirt in the seats of my cars. Lot’s of great memories and friendships from those days to look back on.

Hot-tip if your kid shows good talent and drive get them on a 11 or 12u travel-ball team that has plans to play in Cooperstown, NY at All Star Village or the Dreams Park. It will be an experience of a life time trust me.
 

steak&lobster

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My son is 11. We have been playing for Vegas teams and now just committed to playing for a team in LA starting next season (should be a fun drive) that will be going to Cooperstown next summer. I can't wait!
 

HBCraig

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My son is 11. We have been playing for Vegas teams and now just committed to playing for a team in LA starting next season (should be a fun drive) that will be going to Cooperstown next summer. I can't wait!


What team in SoCal are you with now?

I have coached teams for years down here. Once he is a freshman or so look to get him into Peerfect Game showcases along with the NTIS (National Team Identification Series).
 

HBCraig

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They have lots of teams, play all different levels. My kid plays majors.


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One last thing. If you plan on being down here in the late summer season, there is a league called the USA Premier league. Only 16s and 18s. But, its a good league and wood bat. Play lots of other HS players and they play on super nice fields. The best thing is the league consists of one game on Saturday afternoons only.
 

steak&lobster

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One last thing. If you plan on being down here in the late summer season, there is a league called the USA Premier league. Only 16s and 18s. But, its a good league and wood bat. Play lots of other HS players and they play on super nice fields. The best thing is the league consists of one game on Saturday afternoons only.

He plays 12’s


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WildHorses24

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One last thing. If you plan on being down here in the late summer season, there is a league called the USA Premier league. Only 16s and 18s. But, its a good league and wood bat. Play lots of other HS players and they play on super nice fields. The best thing is the league consists of one game on Saturday afternoons only.

What’s your opinion for a soon to be 8u? We’re at FV Pony now but he’s regressed this year due to the 1st timers in the league. Once he got to all-stars he’s been a completely different player almost over night. HB LL’s are a joke but I’m not sure I want him going year round in Travel Ball at this age?


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HBCraig

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What’s your opinion for a soon to be 8u? We’re at FV Pony now but he’s regressed this year due to the 1st timers in the league. Once he got to all-stars he’s been a completely different player almost over night. HB LL’s are a joke but I’m not sure I want him going year round in Travel Ball at this age?


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I managed in Ocean View LL for a while. Only reason I didnt leave is because we were so good and won a lot so I was spoiled. 8U travel is a bit watered down now as there are a ton of teams. The main issue I see is that your boy ( I assume he is legit) will pitch a lot because of the amount of tournaments.

I would not go travel that early. I did with my son (he is 14 now) I should not have.
 

steak&lobster

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What’s your opinion for a soon to be 8u? We’re at FV Pony now but he’s regressed this year due to the 1st timers in the league. Once he got to all-stars he’s been a completely different player almost over night. HB LL’s are a joke but I’m not sure I want him going year round in Travel Ball at this age?


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8-10 just let him be a kid and play whatever, real talent starts to show itself around puberty in my mind.
p.s. I didn't follow this thinking LoL
 

WildHorses24

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I would not go travel that early. I did with my son (he is 14 now) I should not have.

That's what I keep coming back to also, I just need to keep hearing it I guess!

The best thing we did for him was leave HVLL... he plays Fallball there for fun with a buddy and the difference in talent is HUGE! Our neighbors play at OVLL and always lose to HVLL in the TOC because they make the kids play down... BS like that is why we left.

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HBCraig

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That's what I keep coming back to also, I just need to keep hearing it I guess!

The best thing we did for him was leave HVLL... he plays Fallball there for fun with a buddy and the difference in talent is HUGE! Our neighbors play at OVLL and always lose to HVLL in the TOC because they make the kids play down... BS like that is why we left.

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Play down? That's weak. Dont do that. Always play up if you have the chance.
 
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