Christmas in April

(I'm watching the Met game as I write this entry. The AFLAC trivia question just came up. The question is, "who was the last Met to hit for the cycle?". Hmmm. I don't know, but I'll let you know when the answer comes up.)

Anyway. I'm not quite sure why we always have trouble meeting up with them for Christmas. This is the latest in the year by far, but our average date for Christmas is usually mid-February.

(Answer: John Olerud, Sept 11, 1997 v/s Montreal Expos)

Again, anyway. I got a $50 Borders gift certificate. Which, of course, I immediately redeemed on Monday afternoon. I didn't even have it for 24 hours, before I had to use it. I also got some PEZ dispenser cars, some socks, and a golf accessories kit. Jake and Bobby got a kitchen set. You know, one of those big plastic fake kitchen sets that are about three feet tall. You got your fake stove, fake fridge, fake microwave. Plus cupboards full of plastic cups and plates. For some reason, both our kids love the fake kitchen sets.

My brother-in-law has started playing Little League baseball. I have trouble calling him my brother-in-law for a couple of reasons. One is that he is Claudine's half-brother. I mean no disrespect by calling him that by the way, It just seems the most accurate way to describe him. Claudine doesn't see it that way. Claudine doesn't see it that way at all. Of course, she is a better person than I am. Michael is her brother - end of discussion. I've never had to deal with the re-married parents thing, so I just can't relate. The other reason I have trouble calling him "brother-in-law" is that he is only 10. Brother-in-law in my book means someone you could go out for a beer with... legally.

But I digress. I like the kid. He doesn't very much self-confidence right now. Much of this I think is because he's never really been around other kids until he started school. For the first five or six years of his life, most of his social interaction was with adults. I've never really connected with him before. But he's started playing catcher for his team and now all I want to do is take him under my wing.

Ya see, I wasn't the most popular confident kid either. When I first started playing baseball, I was the kid in right field. I was the kid that played for the minimum number of innings. I was a big kid - not fat, just big - but my body was just serving as a liability. I was the big dorky kid, who couldn't hit, couldn't throw very well, and never had to catch a ball, because I was in right field. And I found baseball boring. My father played ball through college and my brother was three years ahead of me - a left-hander who was a good first baseman and turning into a great pitcher. I couldn't understand how they found this game fun at all. Stationed out in the wilds of right field, I had trouble even staying involved in the game.

And then it happened. Our regular manager was late to the game so one the other dads had taken over. Our regular catcher was a snotty little kid named Todd, who used to mouth off all the time. He said one thing too many to this assistant coach and Todd got yanked. This dad turned to the guys on the bench and asked if any of us had ever caught before. I said "yes." I don't know why. I have always been fascinated with all the gear a catcher wears, but I had never put it on or gone behind the plate. Well, Todd never caught again that year. It took me about an inning and a half to get comfortable back there. I remember my coach finally got to the game, saw Todd in the outfield, and I especially remember the look of amazement when he saw it was me behind the plate. It was great. I was in on every play. I could see everything. And it made me such a good hitter. In the course of two or three games, I was clearly seeing the ball coming out of the pitcher's hand. And why not, I had to watch our pitcher's hand every single pitch. Suddenly, my dorky size was an asset. I could seriously turn on a ball and I hit some of the longest home runs that league had seen in years. Plus, defensively, nobody could knock me over in a collision at the plate. It was a turning point in my little six-year-old life. It turned me from a dorky scrub to a confident and capable leader. And that kind of stuff stays with you your whole life.

Now Michael is the kid I was. He's much bigger than the other kids. He's not the most confident kid. He was bored with baseball until he started catching this year. And now he's presented with the opportunity that was presented to me. And all I want to do is teach him everything I know about the game and the position. And let the game teach him about life.