6-Year-Old Baseball

I banned Eric from sports three years ago because we signed him up to play soccer, but he never wanted to play.  He was always complaining that it was too cold, or his leg hurt, or whatever.  This last spring we figured he is old enough to play. 

Anyway, Now Eric is playing baseball with kids that started at age three playing t-ball.   

So he is the best player on his team and he was invited to try out for the all-star team.  We thought it would be good practice for him. There were 70 kids invited to try out.   His league has 16 teams.  So we get to the try out on a Saturday morning a couple of weeks ago and Eric is totally uninterested.  It took two hours and with all the kids there was a lot of standing around.  He did ok batting.  His fielding was terrible.  He was not catching anything, and as the ball went by him every time, he would do his little walk in slow motion to get the ball.  While he was waiting in line, Wendy gave him a talk about his attitude and he hustled after that.  Eric needs to learn how to work.  I’m hoping baseball instills a work ethic in him.

Anyway, Wendy overheard the coaches talk about Eric.  They had scouted his games.  One coach “One  play Eric was playing third base and the ball was hit to him and he almost took the pitcher’s head off throwing to first base.”  “He hit the ball really hard when I saw him play….”   I was shocked that these four coaches knew Eric.

Since the coaches knew him, he made the team despite hsi abysmal tryout performance.

At a game last week Wendy overheard one of the wives make a comment that they thought the coaches were mean. (I’m one of the coaches)  I was complaining to Wendy how some of these Mom’s coddle their kids and how I thought the Moms are crippling their kids for life.  Then I would complain how some of the coaches (not on our team) are taking things too seriously.  Isn’t there a middle ground?