Probably the best thing that happened in the past year, to me, and probably to the rest of my family, is my son Mikey playing Little League baseball. I played as a kid and was a big baseball fan for many years. (Go A’s!) But his decision to play baseball took us be surprise. We didn’t push this on him. Somehow, he decided on his own that he wanted to play.

So, last December, I went and signed him up for our local little league (Rancho San Diego Little League, Go Dawgs!). As a first–time player at 7 years old, he was “drafted” into a Minor “C” team where the coaches pitch to the kids. There are no “outs” officially, and no score is kept. Also, there are only 3 innings and the whole team gets to bat. Also, no negativity by players, parents, or fans is allowed, only positive comments.

And I was AMAZED at how much fun everyone had! The kids had FUN! They ran hard, they couldn’t wait to get up to bat, and baseballs were flung about everywhere but to the right base! And kids applauded their competitors, too. EVERYONE had a great time: kids, parents, and coaches. What an awesome example to set for young kids playing sports!

I also had an absolute BLAST photographing every game! I got to see my son’s first home run (and 2nd, 3rd, and 4th!). And I could see the kids getting better with almost every “at bat”! It was really inspirational to watch. My hat is off to the coaches! They really gave my son, and every other boy on the team, an awesome introduction to the game. And more importantly, they showed the kids the way to conduct themselves on the field. I’ll always remember this team (Go Padres!) and Mikey’s start in baseball.

And, as a bonus to all this, the experience rekindled my love of the game! I now happily watch MLB.tv on our trusty Roku 3. (Wow, what a way to watch! I can now watch A’s games, in San Diego, anytime I want!) And I really look forward to next year to see what Mikey will do at bat! Go get ’em Mikey!