Yep. Title sort of says it all. Growing up, KevinCW and I had some epic whiffle ball home run derbies (and ensuing arguments). Our dad could really throw (he's in his 70s, now, but can still make the seams whistle), so we played a lot of backyard catch. Wish I had played more of it. From time to time, I'll still throw a ball around with my dad. Or Kevin. Or both.

I played little league growing up. It was just rec-league, and I was no all-star, but I wish I had played more and put more into it then. I didn't realize what I was missing until I grew up.

Here and there I've played on some old-guy, slow-pitch softball teams, and I always loved it. I just got too busy to keep it going or the group folded up.

Now, my daughter is starting to play a little ball! She's learning to throw and catch, and already had a good little swing. We throw a ball around in the backyard, she'll hit some balls off a tee, and then I'll give her some easy lobs to swing at and work on contact.

We started her in an informal, learn to play league. I'm helping out the main coach, so, now, on Saturdays, I've got 8-9 kids that I'm trying to teach to catch, throw, and hit. Sadly, I don't think anyone tried to teach them anything about baseball before our first practice.

Sigh... I wish I'd played more catch with my dad when I was a kid, now that I know what it feels like.

Next sunny weekend we get, my daughter and I will pay grandpa a visit and bring our gloves.


Now, because I'm just silly sometimes, I got into trouble on Rawlings's website. You can design a custom-glove and order it. I knew I never should have clicked that link, but I'm weak. The end results looked so dang good I just couldn't resist. The only thing that beats the smell of old leather is new leather! The new glove should arrive in about 6 weeks or so. I'll post a range report.


In any event, I miss playing baseball, but I'll take my fix where I can get it.

quote:

I miss baseball. Not MLB I miss backyard baseball

No doubt!

As a kid ... we played Baseball or another sport .... everyday of the year .... outside.
Today, I never see any kids outside playing, baseball or anything else, no kids riding bikes, running around, causing good old ordinary mischief.
Nothing.
Where are the kids? Inside glued to a game console?
I feel sorry for them.

Didn't seem that too many kids were that interested in baseball when I was young. Very few other kids wanted to play outside of the rec-league games that their parents probably made them go to.

Growing up, I can think of one other school yard friend who would even bring a glove to school so we could play catch at recess.

Baseball was a mainstay in Iowa when I was a kid in the 60-70's but mostly the 60's.
Pretty much everyday in the summer.

Back yard baseball was fun no doubt but I miss backyard football even more.

My favorite Baseball movie:
The Sandlot.

And my almost favorite scene, July 4th baseball.

Sorry, youtube wont let me embed this one.

Played backyard ball all summer and backyard football all fall. All part of being a male kid in the 60s.

I'll bet we played a thousand games of Wiffle ball in the back yards in the 70's
The big orange bats were easy, the skinny yellow bats were a lot harder.

Played many years sandlot, LHP I'll bet I threw 3or 4 million pitches, was a wonderful time.

Yessir!

Hey, FWIW, the first time I put a bat in my son’s hands, I turned him around and had him bat from the left side. Was it a game changer in his baseball years? No, but as the saying goes, he started out one step closer to first base, and confounded some young pitchers, not used to someone on that side of the plate. I coached for several,years, but other baseball coaches always called him a “switch hitter.” Truth is, I can’t recall him facing a left handed pitcher that would make him think about moving back to the other side.

quote:

Originally posted by redstone:
My favorite Baseball movie:
The Sandlot.

And my almost favorite scene, July 4th baseball.

Sorry, youtube wont let me embed this one.

This scene, with Ray's soundtrack, is one of my favorite things in all of moviedom.

I was crazy about baseball after the Braves went worst to first in 1991. I was 9. Ate, drank, and slept it for the next 8-9 years. And even now, I still love it. I love watching it and I still love playing it, in the form of 40 y.o. man softball. We used to play great games of HR derby in my neighbor's square back yard. Felt like Ebbets or the Polo Grounds or something with strange dimensions and a few different fence types in the outfield.

quote:

Originally posted by Schmelby:
I'll bet we played a thousand games of Wiffle ball in the back yards in the 70's
The big orange bats were easy, the skinny yellow bats were a lot harder.

Yeah, lots of wiffleball too but it was in the 60's.
It was a lot easier for a skinny little kid like me to throw a curve ball too than the real thing (which I couldn't )

My son has passed the point where I can do anything but watch. I can’t throw long toss with him. He throws harder than I want to have a hard ball coming at me. Last summer I was throwing BP and had a line drive come back at me, I tried to turn and duck and take it in the back, it hit me in the back of the head and I went to the ER for a CAT scan. On the mound his velo is mid 70s and you need gear to catch that.

I miss going to the field with him. The only thing I can do is hit fungos.

Baseball was my favorite game to play, I wish I had stuck with it longer also. My Dad taught me to bat lefty at 5 years old and I could switch hit. I batted lefty most of the time. It was fun to go to the plate as a lefty and the coaches would call out to get everyone shifted in the outfield. I loved playing shortstop and 3rd.

In elementary school about 20 of us would ride our bikes to the local park on Saturdays and play a pickup game. Afterward we would ride to the diner and get a hotdog and cherry coke. Life was simple then and that was all I needed to have a fantastic day.