T-Ball Dad

The sounds of kids screaming can be heard throughout town. The smell of cigarette smoke is heavy in the air. Skin gives way to a rocky infield.
Folks, it is once again T-ball season.
For years, T-ball has served a select set of purposes. For those in the crowd, it is a comedy act with a high entertainment value. For the kids, it is an opportunity to stay in contact with their friends after school lets out for the summer. For the coaches in charge of corralling 15-20 preschool and kindergarten age kids, it’s a chance to reflect on dodgy life decisions that landed them in this precarious position.
The summer of 2021 marks the first career season of any athletic sport for one Cash Herrold, making me, for the first time, a T-ball dad. Fun fact about being a T-ball dad: when you show up with your kid to the first day of practice, you immediately get asked to help, which I politely declined — point Herrold.
See, when I first started preparing myself to be a T-ball dad, there were two things I didn’t want to become. One is the over-involved parent, the other is the under-involved parent. There is a middle ground there that I am striving for.
The signs of the over-involved parent are easy to spot. It’s the one who didn’t sign up to be a coach, but is out on the field trying to coach over the coach. They’re the ones who are mad their kid is drawing circles in the dirt instead of charging a slow-rolling ground ball. Cash loves dirt. He’s four, after all. There are holes and roads he has carved into our yard with his backhoes and front loaders, much to his mother’s dismay. He actually walked off the field during one practice and asked me if I would run home and get his diggers for him so he could dig on the infield.
Kids at this age are going to have short attention spans and the game of baseball doesn’t really play well to that. It’s why soccer is such a popular youth sport. The kids are just basically running and chasing the whole time. That’s their natural element. One thing I think all T-ball parents need to keep in mind is that Mike Trout didn’t become Mike Trout on a T-ball field. I’m all for saying “Cash, get ready” or “Cash, pay attention,” but I’m not going to raise my blood pressure if he wants to do a little excavation work at second base.
But, I will be there as much as I can. I know it isn’t very realistic for both parents to be at every event, but the important part is that you go to the events you can. We already have one road trip to Cainsville that is going to be tough for us to make. The grandparents are going to take care of getting him there, though, and, hopefully, we can make it before the Gilman City Blue Team closes out another victory.
Like I said, I’m striving for that middle ground. Be there to support my kid, but don’t be there to go crazy. I think I’m doing good so far, but games start this week so we will see how that goes.
Wish me luck, but more importantly, wish Coach Ryan and all the other T-ball coaches in the area luck. They’re the ones who will really have their patience tested this summer.
Thanks for reading and if you have a youth player this summer I hope you enjoy the ride, it’s going to be fun. Here are some recommendations…
EAT – The eating recommendation, or drinking in this case, is the coconut mocha latte at Washington Street. I’ve dubbed it “The Cocomo.”
READ – “Blood and Treasure: Daniel Boone and the Fight for America’s First Frontier” by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin. While waiting for my wife and kid at a bathroom stop in Walmart I stumbled upon this book. It is fantastic and, humble brag, I’m actually related to Daniel Boone. My grandma has our family tree traced back a long way and there’s Boone, hanging out on one of the branches.
WATCH – The PGA Championship. Golf is one of my favorite sports to watch, which could make me either cool or weird to you. Either way, championship coverage on Sunday begins at noon on ESPN. Don’t sleep on a Jordan Spieth renaissance, either.