Batter Up!

Karl has been pretty baseball obsessed since spring. We’ve been practicing throwing, hitting, and pitching since the ground thawed. He met Twins Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven. He follows the Twins closely, catching games with Opa or Grandpa. We’re even watching Baseball, Ken Burns’s 20-hour documentary on the history of the game (not exactly the kind of summer movie I figured we’d be seeing together, but we both like it). So last week when Karl’s T-Ball coaches asked if he’d rather move up to Pee-Wees, Karl was thrilled.



His first practice was rained out last Thursday, so today was an extra-big day: first practice and first game. Deborah took him to practice and reported that he did just fine with the older boys, but I think he was still a little apprehensive about the game tonight. Laura had piano and swimming lessons tonight, so they couldn’t attend but I had a blast watching the game.

Defensively, Karl played first base in two innings and outfield in two others. He made some great plays at first, and had a monster throw from deep right field into the shortstop to hold a runner at third.



He had a great night at bat too going four for four and making a big impression with his speedy base running.



Though the coaches and parents insist that we don’t keep score at these games, the players have other ideas. Karl reported that Rush City beat North Branch 26-19!



Nice work, Karl, you’ve given me an excellent reason to enjoy baseball.