Competition gets fierce on T-ball field

When I signed my daughter up for her first T-ball team this summer, visions of adorable children catching balls and running straight to second base filled my head. She’s a little on the young side (she just turned 4 this spring), but I thought it would be a fun activity to get us all out enjoying the weather and fulfilling my idealistic view of Americana in the summertime.

Not so fast, Mom. This is T-ball. This is serious. There’s no time for adorable here. We’ve only got so many seasons until these little sluggers will be trying out for the major leagues.

That is the attitude I get each week from what I like to call the “Diamond Daddies.” These dads show up on Saturday with their preschool-age children and old baseball mitts that I’m sure they dug out of storage to relive their glory days.

There are 10 kids on the T-ball team this year; eight are boys. My daughter often shows up in a pink hat, but the other girl is always decked out in a baseball jersey and cap. Another demographic anomaly is that there are six lefties on the team. It’s hard to tell if this is naturally occurring or if the Diamond Daddies have somehow taught their children to be the next left-handed baseball superstar.

Once we are on the field, the Daddies really get into their element.

“Charge it, P-Dog. Charge it!” one dad yells to his son Peter, who is desperately trying to field the hit that stopped two inches in front of home plate. I later overhear this same father saying, “Yes, they wouldn’t let Peter on a real league this season. It’s a shame. He’s amazing.”

Amazing? Really? Are you talking about the same P-Dog that I just saw pick his nose for 20 minutes in left field? This is also the boy that wrestled a ball out of my daughter’s hands because his father was screaming, “be aggressive” in the background. But P-Dog and his proud papa are not alone. Another dad barks at his son to get “baseball ready” while another coaches his son to watch how the batter shifts his weight to determine where the ball will go.

Seriously? It’s T-ball. If the batter is shifting his weight it’s probably because he has a wedgie. Let the kids hit the ball off the tee, run around the bases and score a home run off a bunt. It’s the American way.

Sadly, my daughter doesn’t have a Diamond Daddy or a mother that is going to make her do 10 fielding drills before dinner. She doesn’t get the ball much and she usually hits the tee rather than the ball.

But you should see the grin on her face when she does. Now that’s amazing.

Erin Stewart is a regular blogger for Deseret News. From stretch marks to the latest news for moms, Stewart discusses it all while her 4-year-old daughter crams Mr. Potato Head pieces in her little sister's nose.