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I experienced my first t-ball game this week. I am in my late thirties and I have never attended or played in a t-ball game. Now, I have and still do play organized softball, but when I was growing up girls in my neighborhood did not participate in organized sports. We learned to play softball in school and on the streets. I have coached girls softball. This was in organized leagues, but the girls did not play off a tee. Also, I coached girls that were ages ten and above. Actually, I don’t remember the boys playing t-ball when I was young either. Now, my daughter is playing t-ball with a bunch of other Kindergartners through 2nd graders.
So, I go to the game and expect it to be very similar to an adult softball game. It’s not. It has a ball, bat and fielders. The objective is to score runs,
but after that it’s all a different ball game. My first shock was the length of the game. Since college all softball games I have been in have lasted one hour. Every league I have played in as an adult has the batter coming to the plate with a one ball and one strike count. The game is limited to one hour, so the next game can be played. Having played like this for many years, I completely forgot that softball really doesn’t have a time limit, and a batter gets four balls or three strikes. T-ball doesn’t have a time limit. They have five innings. They don’t have strikes or balls. Girls swing and hit the ball.
Now, usually once the ball is hit, a play is made. The batter is either out or gets on base. Most times the batter is thrown out. In t-ball, outs appear to happen accidentally. Most plays go like this: the batter hits a slow moving grounder towards third base, the third base person goes and gets the ball, she throws toward first base, and the ball either doesn’t quite make it to first base or it is just a little too late. The batter gets on first base, and if the ball happens to get overthrown or players start throwing it around the field to make other players, the runner advances. Actually, throwing the ball all over the place to try to make plays, is something that seems quite common for adults, also.
If no one gets thrown out, how does an inning end? Fortunately, once five runs equal half an inning. Once the hitters get five runs, the fielders come into bat. I’m not quite sure why every game does not end in a 25 to 25 tie. I am sure there are some teams who actually throw out batters and not every team ends up scoring 25 runs.
There’s a lot more activity during a t-ball game. Adults stand in the field prepared for the next play. They are poised to move if the play comes their way. T-ballers all bend over and have their mitts touch the ground. They do this once the pitcher (who doesn’t pitch a real ball) yells Team Set. This position lasts for about three seconds. Otherwise, the left fielder is twirling around in the field. The right fielder is picking at the grass. The second base person is talking to the runner. Kids are twitching and jumping. Runners not only run to the base, but sometimes they stop because they can’t remember wherethe base is. They get to a base and join a cheer from the sideline. It is a symphony of movement.
The sidelines are very different. Adults cheer on their players respectfully. Any yelling is the result of adults losing their tempers and yelling at umps or the other teams. Girls t-ball has a different loudness level. They cheer. They sign little songs and clap their hands when their team is up to bat. They shriek. I thought this didn’t happen until girls where about 10, but now I know it happens much earlier.
They score runs. They dance. They cheer, shriek and laugh. Above all, they have fun. That is what it is all about at any level. Softball should be fun.
April 19, 2002 |
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