A Dad's "Brag Moment": Watching Son's First Out of Park HR

[exmediahack]

A couple months back, I asked - with true curiosity - on here about an 8-year-old's readiness to join a feeder baseball team.

After weeks of talks with my wife and our son, we agreed to "go for it", largely because of his attitude, his grades and his maturity level for that age. We (and he) wanted to see if he could hang with the top level in our city.

Tonight, after 3 weeks of games, he turned on one, Thome-style, opposite field to LCF, over the wall. Probably 160-170 feet, I guess, I dunno. Seeing his own "shock" over hitting it that far was something I'll never forget.

Each team was short one player so I volunteered to catch for both teams. After it cleared the fence, I'm even somewhat pleased with myself for stepping off the field so he (and his overjoyed and ready-to-pounce-on-him at home plate) teammates could soak it in.

Of course, between third and home, he realized it was too late to try and orchestrate the "Prince Fielder" as the bowling ball/Brewer teammates as the bowling pins celebration he prefers.

"Maybe next time," I suggested in the car before amending that, "just kidding."

I had $2.50 in my pocket so I drove him to Wendy's for a pair of First Home Run Frostys - chocolate for him, vanilla for his long-suffering little sister.

My son just went to sleep in his uniform because he doesn't "want to lose the feeling".

An evening I hope he never forgets and a day I hope all of us parents get to experience if we have little kids playing sports.

Alright.

Done bragging.

Promise.

 

[slappy4428]

cool.....

 

[kingcreole]

Awesome ex! I'm sure there will plenty more of these moments for you. Enjoy them!

 

[YankeeFan]

Very cool.

 

[LongTimeListener]

That's good stuff. Wendy's was a nice touch. There are a few dads who would have been so stoked that they would have chosen the batting cage to perfect the muscle memory.

 

[dooley_womack1]

How much did you pay Peter King for the ball?

 

[MacDaddy]

How much did you pay Peter King for the ball?

That was quality.

I absolutely love the look of shock kids get when they do things like that. It's priceless.

 

[RedSmithClone]

That's awesome!

One question, if he "turned on one" wouldn't he have pulled it down the right field line not went opposite field? Sorry, just the idiot editor in me.

 

[cjericho]

Great story.
have to agree with Red Smith though. when you do the writethru change that to drove Billy's two-seamer over the left-center field wall. turning on it implies pulling the ball.

also i am jealous that there is fall ball now for kids. hope you get to see many more hits.

 

[proudpittsburgher]

That's awesome, brother. And the frosty addition was icing on the cake for a true dad/som moment. Well done to the both of you.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

A cool moment that you and him will always remember. Congrats to him!

 

[exmediahack]

Yeah, my sportswriting brethren, the "turned on one" would NOT be ideal description for an opposite field HR.

What may have been most intriguing to me, looking back, was the look of confusion on the field. This was the league's first 'out of park' HR for the season. Confusion as someone had to run to get the ball. Confusion as his teammates started bouncing around. High humor.

No, didn't do a "muscle memory" exercise afterwards but this is one of the few "Dad knows of what he speaks" moments:
- The glory of bat speed. My son has always been a good contact/line drive hitter. He wanted more power so we did some scientific experiments on bat speed and how far the ball goes. Now he swings with more speed but balanced with control.

I'm like Phil Dunphy in Modern Family. A smart-aleck who can't fix anything and can't build anything. For one stretch, at least, I have the trust of my son on something...before he needs cars, college and cash.

 

[Dick Whitman]

Every kid should get to experience this feeling once. And every dad, too.

I hit one when I was 12 and one when I was 15 (Babe Ruth league with actual 90-feet, 60'6'' dimensions, etc., etc.).

My dad had to work the night I hit the one as a 12-year-old, so I called him at work right after the game. I remember it was an opposite field home run that was about the highest ball I'd ever hit. Night game. My dad and I had spent hour after hour after hour at that field trying to learn the power stroke to get one out of there.

Absolutely one of THE defining moments of my childhood. Perhaps THE moment.

 

[mustangj17]

How much did you pay Peter King for the ball?

That was quality.

I absolutely love the look of shock kids get when they do things like that. It's priceless.

I'm 25 and I still get that look of shock when I take one to the fence in softball. A man my size has no business hitting a softball to the warning track where it doesn't belong.

And very cool story.

 

[shockey]

a beautiful moment, a true lifetime memory to be treasured, ex. my dad, now 81, still talks about my top little league moments; i've experienced at least one of those with all three of my boys. nothing like iit for fathers and sons.

enjoy. and keep on bragging.

 

[Double J]

I never got one out of the park, but I did, on two occasions, reach the centre field fence on the fly. Two different fields, many years apart. Thought, hoped, prayed it was gone both times. Settled for an inside-the-parker on the first one, a double on the second one.

But my best ball memory was at age 11. It was the top of the top of the seventh inning and my team was down two runs. With two outs and two strikes, I hit a bases-loaded triple down the right field line. It was my first "hero" moment and it's still a favourite memory today.

My first moment like this as a dad was when my oldest son was five. It was his first year of organized hockey. He had gone the first few games without scoring and he was getting a bit antsy because his friends had all managed at least one goal. Before he went out on the ice that day, I gave him a couple of pointers, the most important of which was that he should spend as much time as possible in front of the other team's net. He scored four goals that day, his team won big and we both floated home.

 

[Armchair_QB]

Have you called the paper to complain about coverage yet? They're cost your son a scholarship...

Seriously though, that's really cool.

 

[exmediahack]

No, haven't called the paper. By the time he gets to high school age, I'll probably be assigned to cover high school baseball for print/online -- on top of anchoring the news for TV.