Baseball

I'm getting sucked into the emotion of little league baseball.

I'm going to have to watch myself carefully so I don't become one of "those" parents.  Yelling at the teenage umpires and making a stupid spectacle of myself.

I see them.  And I don't want to be them.

But I think I can see how they got there.

I find there's much more invested into little league than I assumed.  Especially for Jonzy's team.

Another parent recently described our team as the "Little Giants."  Remember that movie?  It's a perfect fit (except odds of us becoming division champs are stacked against us; and that's okay).

When we started this season we were headed up by a coach who had neither the time nor commitment to coach little league.  He wasn't at the try-outs, so he wasn't there to ask for specific players in the "draft."  And thus, our team is comprised wholly of the youngest and most inexperienced players instead of the balance that the other teams have.  All good kids who want to play, but didn't have anyone to teach them.  The parents seethed from the sidelines for two games, wondering what we could do to change things.  And then the assistant coach stepped in and took the reins.  Slowly but surely, our team is learning how to play baseball.

Hours and hours devoted to practices and games.  Parking forever far away in the who-designed-this? park.  Trying to keep two four year olds close and content during all those hours.  These kids and we parents have invested a LOT.

We started the season with a 7 game losing streak.  Dedicated coach and  parents cheering on the small progresses made.

We have won our last three games.

And I am getting waaaaaay too excited for the successes of each player. 

I mean, jumping-up-and-down-in-the-stands-cheering-and-yelling-like-a-maniac excited.

I get upset when bad calls are made on the one perfect play our players managed to make.  I get upset at the other parents, too.  It's a slippery slope and I've got to stay away from it before I truly embarrass myself.

I have a small fear that parents of the other teams are going to start hating our team because it is so easy to see our celebrations being loud and annoying mocking of their kids' failure.

But we're just so darn excited at our kids' progress!  I can't keep it in for fear of offending because others are probably misjudging our intent.

So for now I keep cheering and trying to keep myself from getting to emotionally involved.  I mean, it is only little league baseball. 

But I am so thankful this season is turning out to be this much fun when it looked so bleak at the beginning.

And what are you thankful for today?