Our Baseball Team

If you know me, you know I don’t need an excuse to talk about baseball. And, seeing as we’re right in the middle of the World Series there’s no better time for a baseball themed Daddy Days. 

Now that we have a total of nine members in the family, I can finally field a full team. So let’s introduce the defensive starting nine. 

Pitcher - That would be yours truly. Dad leads the team and is responsible for every pitch. I try to be consistent and not throw too many curveballs. I have a lot of experience (important for a pitcher and a father) but that hasn’t kept me from making the wrong call more times than once. 

Catcher - My wife. If you know baseball, you know the pitcher and the catcher have a special relationship. Basically, the catcher does all the hard work and the pitcher gets most of the attention. The best catchers are the anchor of the team and the most loved teammate. At the risk of comparing my wife to an anchor, this is her. 

First Base - The 7-year-old. First base is a position that keeps you close to the action and involved in the game. The 7-year-old is good at a lot of things -- IF he stays focused on what he’s doing. So playing first makes sense for him. In the outfield, he’d be distracted by airplanes, birds, or crickets in the grass. You’ll often find a power hitter playing first base and the 7-year-old definitely looks like he’ll be a power hitter.

Second Base - The 5-year-old. Second basemen tend to be one of the shorter players on the team and are often very scrappy so this fits. They also have to cover for the first baseman (if he’s charging a grounder or distracted by a cricket or something) and the 5-year-old does step up on these sorts of occasions. 

Third Base - The 12-year-old. If you’re going to play the hot corner, you need two things: the ability to field hard hit balls, and the ability to throw across the diamond to first. As the oldest, the 12-year-old has demonstrated he can handle the hard grounders of kid-life and that he’s got the arm to make the play. 

Shortstop - 10-year-old. This position will often go to one of the best players on the team. As one of the oldest boys, and with his special power of being the baby ninja with the new baby, the 10-year-old has earned the starting shortstop position. 

Left Field - The 3-year-old. You have to cover a lot of ground in the outfield, and that boy loves to run. He also loves to chase after his brothers so he can’t play the infield or he’d probably end up tackling the runner. 

Center Field - The 8-year-old. To cover the large outfield you need speed. But you also need the drive to want to catch every pop fly that’s hit. Enter the 8-year-old. He is the most competitive player on our team and the most eager to prove he’ll give his all to be the best. 

Right Field - The 3-month old. While it’s true that, until you’re in the Big Leagues, if you want to find the least-best player on the team just look in right field. However, that’s not the case here. Ok, fine, it is. But she’s a baby so what did you expect?