The Great T-Ball Game

Hi, everyone!

Oh, my gosh. I am in such a flutter this morning. Yesterday, the twins played their 3rd t-ball game in a season that should already be half over. But with all the rain we've had in the last 6 weeks, our team is a little behind.

My mom, brother, and sister-in-law came over to watch, and the boys were wiggling with excitement.

So, anyway. We get to the field and I see the team we're playing against.

The Peaches.

An all girl team of some of the cutest little darlings I've ever seen! SO CUTE!!

But I also got a sinking sensation when I saw them. Girls listen better at this age. They have much better attention spans, and follow instructions more closely.

So my immediate thought was, "Well, here comes our first loss."

And the game begins. We take the field first, but the twins are benched for the first inning, which they still don't get. Only ten positions on the field, and thirteen kids on the team . . . someone isn't going to get to play.

But they got over it, went out in the second inning, and did well. We have a couple of coaches who take advantage of some of the rules, and our team was sending kids around the bases, headed for home.

So then the other team starts doing the same thing.

We're getting outs . . . they're getting outs.

We take advantage of getting an out at home plate . . . so do they. (And a little disclaimer here: most of the time, the kids only know "Throw the ball to first to get an out." They don't understand the concept of an out on the lead runner at any base. So the out at home plate was a new skill for them.)

The game is down to the wire. Peaches ahead 14-10. We're last at bat.

It's t-ball, and I'm sitting on the edge of my seat, chewing my fingernails off, hoping we'll be able to pull off the win.

We get a couple of runs.

Twin B comes up to bat.

He hits the ball and gets on base.

I'm relieved. Mom and I are talking about how she never liked watching us play in tense circumstances because it was just too much pressure. I agreed. I tell her I hope that doesn't happen here.

There's an out somewhere in here and a couple more runs. The score is tied at 14-14.

Bases are loaded.

Another out.

So there's two outs with Twin B on second, and Twin A is up to bat.

I'm about to have a massive coronary right there in the dirt.

Twin A hits the ball and runs for first. Twin B makes it to third.

There's confusion on the field with the other team as to what to do with the ball. They throw it for home plate.

The coach is telling Twin B to run for home, but then says come back when he sees the ball headed that way.

Twin B doesn't hear him and keeps running.

I'm gripping the fence like a mad woman, screaming for my kid to, "Run, baby! Run! Run! RUN!!!"

He scores!!!!

We win the game 15-14, and I collapse from an aneurysm into my chair.

And I never want to go through another close game like that again! However, as long as my kids are involved in sports, that's the way it works.

I may just have to invest in Valium to keep myself calm.

And we have another game tonight. I may get liquored-up before we go. I don't think I can handle the stress.

The boys were very happy, then promptly forgot that anything special happened.

Oh, to have that kind of attention span.

Later.