It Takes A Little League Game

I love baseball. I love the intricacies and even the sound of a solid hit. I am also a great believer in that oft-ridiculed adage 'It takes a village'.

So is it weird that I actually enjoy going to see my friend's boys play Little League baseball? I don't think so. I actually watch their games. I don't sit and chat with the moms whose kids are actually playing and I don't spend most of the time consulting my smartphone. I'm sure the other parents think it's weird but I don't care. I suspect my friend's husband thinks it's weird too. I actually ran into him at a game recently.

I cheer for every hit and every catch. I root more for the game than the teams. I definitely root for my BFF's friends the most. They're fun to watch and I enjoy seeing them improve each season.

My own kids don't play team sports--period. When Kid 2 was in first grade he said to me very solemnly "Mom, you know I'm never going to play any kind of team sport, right?" Both my kids are fairly athletic but Kid 1 is devoted to her fashion studies and Kid 2 is devoted to driving me crazy. He doesn't need a team for that.

I was obsessed with playing sports when I was a kid, particularly baseball. I spent hours playing catch with my brother, hours practicing hitting. I even had a catcher's mitt.  This was before Title IX, so when I got old enough I was forced to switch to softball. I hate softball to this day. I know it's perfectly legit, but for me it will always be "baseball for sissies."

The nice thing about watching someone else's kids play baseball is that it's okay to give advice after the game. Kid 2 was picked off in a run-down the other day between first and second. It wasn't his fault. Apparently the coach hadn't noticed that the second base kid and the shortstop kid were very adept, so Kid 2 got nailed. Coach's blunder but I was annoyed. Kid 2 should never have been waved for the steal and he was upset that he was caught. Doh!

I can't afford to see the Mets play anymore so this is the next best thing. The sight lines are better and the prices can't be beat.

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