Looking at the Game of Baseball from all ends of the Spectrum
Man, this 5-year old kid can really hit the ball. Apparently, he can field, too.
I almost feel for him. He’s doomed to a life of pressure, over-bearing adults, hype and over-expectations and he’s not even in first grade yet.
Deadspin pretty much sums it up:
You’ll have to watch the video to see Ortiz salivating at the idea and the dollar signs in his eye.
Go have a life, kid.
Youth Sports Parents describes a dramatic comeback at the Tee Ball World Series.
T.J. McCants, 7, slugged a home run. This capped a nine-run rally. And in the championship game, Cantonment upended Northeast Pensacola Blue, 31-29. That’s right – 31-29.
My thoughts:
They have a Tee Ball World Series? They have winners and losers? They actually keep score?
That’s a different Tee Ball than the one my kids played.
Either case, congrats to Master McCants and his team. That homerun must have been a sight to see.
No one knows who actually exactly invented the game of T-ball. But many credit Sacharski for popularizing it in his hometown of Albion, Wisconsin where he was teacher and coach. It is said that here in Albion is where it was first played as an organized sport.
US Rep. Nick Smith even offered a tribute to Jerome Sacharski for his contributions:
“After he started teaching, Jerry took it upon himself in 1954 to head up the Albion recreation department’s summer baseball program,” Smith said at the time. “Because of this position, he was able to see the lack of opportunity for younger children that two years later would drive him to develop one of the largest innovations in youth sports.”
T-ball is similar in so many ways to baseball yet made simpler for younger kids by giving them a fighting chance to hit the ball by hitting a ball off a tee rather than a thrown ball. Today, millions of boys and girls play the game which emphasizes fairness and education of the game over competition.
So for all the parents (and for that matter, kids who have grown up) out there going back all those years, I say thanks Mr Sacharski. That tee made it sooo much easier to hit.
I found out today that a graduate student in my building plays on a barnstorming baseball team called the Jitterbugs. From the Jitterbugs web page: The Jitterbugs are a barnstorming baseball team, the brainchild of Murdock native Lucas Stock, composed of players from all across Nebraska. In its whirlwind season, the team is playing more … Continue reading “Jitterbugs barnstormers”
I found out today that a graduate student in my building plays on a barnstorming baseball team called the Jitterbugs.
From the Jitterbugs web page:
The Jitterbugs are a barnstorming baseball team, the brainchild of Murdock native Lucas Stock, composed of players from all across Nebraska. In its whirlwind season, the team is playing more than a dozen games against town and Legion teams in parks as far east as the Missouri and as far west as the Sandhills. Following in the footsteps of Lucas’s uncles, who traveled the state playing baseball over half a century ago, the Jitterbugs are dedicated to reviving the fun and community of small town baseball.
Check out their web page. Yes, it has photos and stats but the blog entries are well written.