Opening Day

Ever since Slim found out that Hurricane loved Little League as a kid, he has wanted to play. He patiently waited till he was old enough to join a team, however he was never interested in practicing. Hurricane would try to get him to play catch in the yard or practice batting. Slim never wanted to. He would, interestingly enough, love to play with his cousin Eleanor and Uncle Christian. Months ago, in September, came the time to register with the league in Beaverton, and we did, despite the disdain for practice.

Practice started in March. They met twice a week for about three weeks. Of course, since we live in the Pacific Northwest, it rained every practice. Not only every practice, but every day in between too. In fact, February and March were the rainiest and coldest months on record for Oregon. EVER. It rained all the time. Due to the rain, practice was always held on a concrete slab, under a covered roof. They never got field time.

Saturday was the opening day for the Beaverton Little League. The ceremonies started at 1:30 and Slim's first game was at 3. It was a cold and windy day, and the hail that poured down on us for about five minutes during the game, somehow felt appropriate. For April. In Oregon. Do not be fooled by the sunny pictures. They are very deceiving. Instead, listen to the wind in the videos.

Little league at this age is totally non-competitive. Each kid gets about five to seven chances to swing at pitches before they bring out the T. Each kid also can only run to one base. Slim had a blast playing. Peaches, not surprisingly, was not too enthusiastic about watching and cheering.

For the next two months his schedule is pretty tight. Practice on Mondays, games on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Yikes, that is a lot for a six year old!

Enjoy these videos! And sorry for the sideways shots; I always forget that I can't do that in video-mode!