TB: MVP

My son was handed the game ball by the umpire after last night's tee ball game. Dad is quite proud, let me say! It's remarkable since he sat out the first inning and didn't have any spectacular hits, but he did make some really good plays in the field. Still, he played second base one inning and pitcher the next. If you know tee ball, you know that's where the ball goes 90% of the time, so he had the most chances to make plays. Luck of the draw.

Now here's something that is irritating me: this is his second year of tee ball, and most kids, after that, move on to coach pitch. I think he's definitely good enough for coach pitch but because of his June 7 birth date he can't move up next year. So while nearly all of the other second graders will be in coach pitch he is stuck in tee ball for a third year. Seems to me the formula should be a combo of school grade and maximum age, not minimum age. As long as he plays rec league ball, he will be lagging a year behind all his classmates. Doesn't make sense.

In soccer or basketball it's not as big of a deal because the game is what the game is. In baseball, there is a huge difference among tee ball, coach pitch, and kid pitch. Losing a year is like losing a chance to get better at the proper pace.

I'm torn because kids do need reinforcement on base running, fielding, being part of a team and listening to the coach, so I don't think it would be a complete waste. But still, three years of tee ball? Come on! The other point is that with most of his peers, and probably his coach, moving on to the next level, he might get drafted onto a team of first year players. Seems like a step backwards.

Of course next year he moves up in age brackets for swimming so maybe we should just focus on that and skip tee ball. This year, we stopped the indoor swimming early.

You know what? Maybe I'll stop worrying about this. Next year, when the time comes to sign up, I'll just ask him what he wants to do. What a novel thought!