Parent's Corner

   
From: Ken Swarner

Tee Ball 101

   For those parents with children under the age of five, or for those who haven't had children yet, at this time of the year it's likely you are hearing stories that arise from the tee ball fields.  Some of you may be wondering what tee ball is about considering it probably wasn't played when you were a child.
    Here's how it works.  There is a pole sticking out of a base located where home plate usually rests.  The pole extends up to the waist of a typical kindergartner.  At the top of the pole is a rubber tee that if hit with the bat will separate from the pole.  The tee dislodges so that if the batter misses the ball and hits the tee, his or her bat won't knock over the pole and base. 
    On top of the tee is where the ball goes.  In essence, the tee is like training wheels.  Most tee ball players are experiencing America's game for the first time, so the tee takes some of the guess work out of the process.  Instead of trying to hit a ball thrown by a pitcher, all the child has to do is aim and hit a stationary ball.  It's really quite simple.
    When it's a players turn at bat, the coach places the ball on the rubber tee and quickly dodges out of the way before the player accidentally hits him with the flailing bat.  After the child cocks the bat back safely, he or she fires forward in the attempt to send the ball into play. 
    During a typical game, the tee usually flies farther than the ball.  This is often proceeded by the player's parents jumping up and down hollering in excitement that their child finally hit something other than the pole.
    Every kid plays in tee ball.  Often the coach puts his players at each infield position then throws the rest of the six or eight kids into the outfield.  This is helpful because IF the ball (or more likely the tee) actually rolls into the outfield, it's likely that at least half the kids will be paying enough attention to retrieve the ball.  As for the rest of the players in the outfield, they are usually pulling dandelions to see 'who likes butter.'
Most of the regular rules of baseball apply in tee ball.  If a player is tagged running to a base, he or she is out.  Unlike little league or professional ball, however, it's not uncommon for a player when tagged at first to throw his hat at the first baseman and cry.  There are times when this doesn't happen at first base, like, for example, when a confused player skips first and runs to second base, or third, or to see the snake some kid found behind the dugout.
    There are no strikes in tee ball, but after the entire batting rotation makes it home in a single inning, three outs or not, the inning ends and the next teams comes to bat.  This is especially important because most innings end like that.  If they didn't end mercifully before the team in the field got three outs, I could still be watching my son's first tee ball game from May 21, 1996.
    And that ladies and gentlemen is tee ball.  Class dismissed.
 

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