Little Guy on the Field

This past spring was Jacob's first time playing baseball. He'd played soccer the year before. He liked it, got into it, and had a pretty good time. Then he started baseball, and from the very first practice, you could see that he LOVES it. He is passionate about it and he loves every second of each practice and each game. 

In the spring, he played on a team with 4- to 6-year-olds. He was one of the tallest kids on his team, and no one had been playing for very long. While he wasn't the strongest on the team at batting, throwing, or catching, he wasn't the worst, and... he really stood out for his running. He is fast (it doesn't come from me!) and his head is in the game. He knows where to throw the ball, even if his arm doesn't get the ball where he's aiming. When covering first, he once got three batters out in a row by running past the kid running to first, grabbing the ball, and then beating the kid back to base. Fast.

This fall, he's playing on a team with what we're guessing to be 6- to 8-year-olds. He's one of the babies. The kids on his team are impressive. They are tall and some of them look like 10-year-olds to me. They can throw, they can catch, and they know what they're doing. They have weight behind them to actually hit home runs. And they don't have the patience to indulge a sweet little boy who's still trying to get the hang of things. 

At today's game, Jacob struck out each time he was at bat. As a great improvement from his first few games in the spring, he no longer makes a dramatic exit with a very slow, drawn out walk off the field, but you can definitely see a slight slump of the shoulders and the disappointment on his face. Shame, even though I wish he wouldn't feel that way. 

When they first came out onto the field, the older kids on his team were throwing the ball back and forth as players do. Jacob kept putting up his glove and saying, "Here! Throw to me!" and they ignored him. Again, a slight slump of the shoulders, but he didn't whine or complain, which is a big accomplishment for him on some days. This is what is hard for me. I wanted to go out on to the field and tell those boys to be nice. I wanted to tell them they have to take turns and they have to include everyone. I wanted to see my baby happy and smiling on the field. But that isn't how it works in sports (from what I hear, not that I've ever actually participated). He has to take it, deal with it, and get over it. 

I worry that playing with kids who are so much better will crush his excitement. I have never enjoyed doing things when I'm not one of the best. That's usually my signal to quit. I see those traits in Jacob at times, and I hope his love of baseball will overcome them. We talked on the way home about how the other kids are older and have been playing longer, and how they weren't as good as they are now when they were his age. We talked about how he'll be able to do a lot more in a couple of years when he's bigger. He seems to accept this for now. Fingers crossed that it will keep him going until his body catches up to his brain!