Post
by hedge » Fri May 27, 2011 1:28 pm
Here's a heartwarming tale: My brother signed up my nephew (his son) for baseball and lacrosse this spring. My bro was never a baseball guy and was obviously clueless about how seriously many parents and kids take it. Unlike the other kids who would show up an hour before the games to practice and throw the ball around, my brother, who has always been notoriously late to everything, shows up with his kid right when the game is starting or even late (to say nothing of the games and practices he missed due to lacrosse or any other thing that came up). So on top of not really practicing with my nephew to get him up to speed on his skills, he engendered disgruntlement amongst the other players and coaches by the nonchalant attitude. To make matters worse, at my nephew's first at bat of the season, he got beaned in the head, which made him gun shy in the batter's box the whole season. So gun shy, in fact, that he hadn't gotten a hit the entire season.
One of the coaches is an old friend of my brother's, and about 2 weeks ago, he read him the riot act. Told him he had fucked up my nephew's confidence, it was all his fault (true), etc., etc. My bro felt bad and called in the expert: Our cousin, who played ball at NCState and then in a semi-pro league after that, until he blew out his rotator cuff (he was a pitcher). Our cousin worked with my nephew, got him up to snuff on the basics and even beaned him on purpose (not in the head, of course) to show him that it's really not so bad and he needn't be fearful in the batter's box.
So the last game of the season was last night. My bro had to work late so my cousin took my nephew to the game. They got there 90 minutes early and worked on his hitting. According to my cousin, at his first at bat my nephew smacked the ball right to the pitcher and got thrown out, but he did make good contact (after weeks of just barely swinging at all). He also made a good play in the outfield. So his confidence, for the first time ever, was running high.
By this time my bro had gotten there and when told about his son just making contact with the ball, my bro was basically marking the whole season down as a huge success. Well, here it comes: Bottom of the last inning, one out, guy on first, score tied, my nephew comes up to bat. Second pitch he rockets a hit down the first base line that the first baseman has no chance at and even goes by the outfielder. My cousin said my nephew almost caught up with his teammate who was on first by the time they both got to home plate. Of course, my nephew's run didn't count, but he did have the walk-off RBI. Got mobbed by the team, given the game ball, etc, etc.
I hardly ever call my bro early in the morning, but I called my this morning (hadn't heard any of this yet) around 8 to see if he was going to the beach this weekend, my nephew answers the phone and I can tell something's up. He asked me "Did you talk to granddaddy (my dad) yet?" I'm thinking something bad has happened down at the beach, but of course, my nephew is referring to the whole aforementioned story, which he joyously relates to me in full detail. I doubt he even slept last night. He called my parents last night and told them the whole thing, told my mom that he knew what it felt like to congratulate the other players when they did something good but now he knew what it felt like to be the one being congratulated. He's probably done with baseball after this season, but that's a pretty good way to go out...
I want someone's ass blistered in the middle of Thanksgiving Square.
