Take Me Out to the Ballgame.

Michaela took the plunge this spring and decided to give softball a try. And she loved it. And we loved it.
Actually, I'm fairly certain we loved watching her play even more than she actually enjoyed playing.
We apparently joined at just the right moment: before the other girls got so good that a newbie would really stand out, and after the girls who play progressed far enough in their skills to actually finishing a game in two hours. We've heard stories of younger girls taking two hours to play two innings. I'm a baseball fan, but that's just painful.
The Softball Gods smiled on us and Michaela was randomly placed on a team with fantastic coaches who actually won the League Championship last season. The team this season was very good as well, and Michaela's team only lost two games the whole season.

Michaela played a lot of third base and outfield. And only had to be reminded a few times to not talk to the shortstop during the inning. At least she didn't do cartwheels in the outfield like I did when we played wiffle ball at home with my brother, dad, and cousins. That really drove them crazy.

Offensively, she held her own: most games she made contact with the ball, and had a handful of RBIs for the season. Not bad for her first time out. In the last game, she hit a towering shot that would have been a triple but, alas, she was sent home and tagged out by a catcher who easily had 25 pounds on her. But she did bring home one of the two runs that game. I was hoarse by the end of the game from screaming, "RUN!!!", Jenny-style from Forrest Gump. She is pretty fast and with some additional seasons and practice under her belt, can become a small-but-mighty force.

This past Sunday was the final game, awards ceremony and celebratory picnic. Here's her team accepting their first-place trophies for the Junior Division. They were very excited. I was really proud of them.

The whole experience brought back many awesome memories of watching my brother play Little League, Babe Ruth and school baseball. He was a tremendous player, always making things happen on the field, and so fun to watch and cheer for. I had forgotten the thrill of being down in runs in the last inning with two outs, and watching a player (even better if it's a player you are related to) hit a blast over the infield and cheering the runner on. So exhilarating.

But now the season is over and we are back to our normal routine. Michaela says she's going to adopt a Fall-soccer, Spring-softball sports schedule, but we are desperately trying to convince her to also play fall ball, which is four weekends of Sunday doubleheaders. Does it get any better than THAT??

So congrats to Michaela, her coaches and her team, all who did a magnificent job. You have a lot to be proud of.