Sons and Daughters, Baseball and Ballet

[BamaYankee]

So, all of a sudden, my daughter Willa (9 in June) has taken an interest in baseball. I'm thrilled! She asked me to play catch with her a couple of weeks ago, and It was like the "Field of Dreams" moment when Kevin Costner asked his ghost dad for a catch. For a week she used her brother's RHT glove on her left hand and threw with her right until I got here a lefty glove. Went to the cages and she got the bat on the ball more often than I thought she would.

She studies ballet. And she is good. Long and lean, several instructors have pulled me aside and told me she has the stuff to be a great dancer. What I have found is how easy it is to give her instruction, especially movement. Never seen a kid learn to crow-hop as fast as she did. "Oh, Dad. It is the same as a pas de chat!" "Uh...yeah! I guess so."

So her goal is to practice through the summer and she will decide if she wants to play fall baseball. I am sure she will be the only girl in our league not playing softball. The wife is a little concerned about her starting at the player pitch level, but I think she will get up to speed soon enough.

Ethan is cool with it. With baseball being "his thing" I was a worried about possible conflict of world's colliding but I think he will be happy to have her play catch with. I tried to talk him into the ballet lessons for the conditioning and coordination, (and hey, tons of chicks-right?), but that isn't on his radar yet.

Anyway, thought I would share. It is going to be a fun season. If any of you Dads out there had a daughter choose baseball, let me know your experience.

[Kings over Queens]

Mine played softball for a season or two and gave it up for Dance. I'm not surprised that your daughter's dance ability has helped her on the diamond. Athletic is athletic, right.

I wish my son would entertain the idea of taking up dance. It would help him in so many ways, but as far as he's concerned, just the mere thought of dance will make him gay.

Thanks for sharing your story Bama. Enjoy!

[Jake Patterson]

So, all of a sudden, my daughter Willa (9 in June) has taken an interest in baseball. I'm thrilled! She asked me to play catch with her a couple of weeks ago, and It was like the "Field of Dreams" moment when Kevin Costner asked his ghost dad for a catch. For a week she used her brother's RHT glove on her left hand and threw with her right until I got here a lefty glove. Went to the cages and she got the bat on the ball more often than I thought she would.

She studies ballet. And she is good. Long and lean, several instructors have pulled me aside and told me she has the stuff to be a great dancer. What I have found is how easy it is to give her instruction, especially movement. Never seen a kid learn to crow-hop as fast as she did. "Oh, Dad. It is the same as a pas de chat!" "Uh...yeah! I guess so."

So her goal is to practice through the summer and she will decide if she wants to play fall baseball. I am sure she will be the only girl in our league not playing softball. The wife is a little concerned about her starting at the player pitch level, but I think she will get up to speed soon enough.

Ethan is cool with it. With baseball being "his thing" I was a worried about possible conflict of world's colliding but I think he will be happy to have her play catch with. I tried to talk him into the ballet lessons for the conditioning and coordination, (and hey, tons of chicks-right?), but that isn't on his radar yet.

Anyway, thought I would share. It is going to be a fun season. If any of you Dads out there had a daughter choose baseball, let me know your experience.

Thanks for sharing... I have two sons, but coached girls basketball for 11+ years...

[leecemark]

--I have 2 granddaughters, ages 7 and 9, playing Little League. Last year at 6 and 8 they played T-ball and coach pitch, rspectively, and both and there were other girls on their teams. This year they are both playing kid pitch (the younger one is actually the more serious about baseball) and will be the only girls on the team. If they continue they will probably move to softball with the other girls next year, but at this age there isn't much difference in the athletic ability of boys and girls. The younger girl was the best player on her tee ball team and the older one about average on the coach pitch team. If your daughter wants to play she should definately have the opportunity.

[tradosaurus]

As a father of 5 girls and 4 boys I find it personally offensive when girls are allowed to play in boy's league. What is being proved by allowing this?

I noticed last year in my son's 12U tournament play that a girl was playing and it was joke.

Fortunately I don't see any girls at the 13U level and hopefully never will.

[Kings over Queens]

Good Lord man, tie a knot in it already. :

There was a girl on one of the teams when we were at Cooperstown last summer. It was strange.

I wouldn't let my daughter play baseball at that age, and if the league put a girl on my team I'd coach her, but it would be difficult.

[tradosaurus]

I was going for 10 kids but I heard every 10th person in the world was Chinese and I didn't want a Chinese kid.

[Roothog66]

As a father of 5 girls and 4 boys I find it personally offensive when girls are allowed to play in boy's league. What is being proved by allowing this?

I noticed last year in my son's 12U tournament play that a girl was playing and it was joke.

Fortunately I don't see any girls at the 13U level and hopefully never will.

I just got back from the USSSA Spring Nationals where one of the best teams in the country (12maj) had a girl playing short and leading off. She was, by a fairly wide margin, the best shortstop I've seen at that age. She turned two dp's on my team and made a fantastic play on a first and third double steal, where she cut the ball off, made a behind the back tag of R1 and threw R3 out at the plate. She also went 3 for 3 at the plate in a 7-0 win. I'm a believer.

[tradosaurus]

I just got back from the USSSA Spring Nationals where one of the best teams in the country (12maj) had a girl playing short and leading off. She was, by a fairly wide margin, the best shortstop I've seen at that age. She turned two dp's on my team and made a fantastic play on a first and third double steal, where she cut the ball off, made a behind the back tag of R1 and threw R3 out at the plate. She also went 3 for 3 at the plate in a 7-0 win. I'm a believer.

Believer in what?

[BamaYankee]

As a father of 5 girls and 4 boys I find it personally offensive when girls are allowed to play in boy's league. What is being proved by allowing this?

I noticed last year in my son's 12U tournament play that a girl was playing and it was joke.

Fortunately I don't see any girls at the 13U level and hopefully never will.

Offensive? Really? How do you feel about the uncoordinated fat kids playing ball. Equally offended? Should they be separated, too? Geez.

I don't see a lot of difference between boys and girls at that age. I am not interested in her shattering gender sterotypes, either. I am glad she has an appreciation for the game, she should try it while she still can and at the end of the day I will be totally satisfied if when she grows up, she will sit beside her old man, drink a beer with me and watch a game on TV.

[roga danar]

Believer in what?

Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else
by Geoff Colvin

[tradosaurus]

Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else
by Geoff Colvin

The problem with society is that girls grow up to think they can act and perform like men. They grow up confused and disoriented and the divorce rate keeps increasing because there is no defined gender roles in the marriage.

How many women play in the NFL, NBA, MLB? Oh that's right, none because they can't compete at that level!

So why set up a young girl for failure?

[leecemark]

--The vast majority of boys aren't going to play MLB either. Most of them are going to be done with organized ball before high school. Are they failures too? The purpose of youth sports is not to develop future pros. It is primarily to have fun. Learning something about the game and how to be part of a team should also be a priority. These are things that benefit both boys and girls. They will take up separate pursuits on their own soon enough.

[BamaYankee]

--the vast majority of boys aren't going to play mlb either. Most of them are going to be done with organized ball before high school. Are they failures too? The purpose of youth sports is not to develop future pros. It is primarily to have fun. Learning something about the game and how to be part of a team should also be a priority. These are things that benefit both boys and girls. They will take up separate pursuits on their own soon enough.

thank you!

[Kings over Queens]

--The vast majority of boys aren't going to play MLB either. Most of them are going to be done with organized ball before high school. Are they failures too? The purpose of youth sports is not to develop future pros. It is primarily to have fun. Learning something about the game and how to be part of a team should also be a priority. These are things that benefit both boys and girls. They will take up separate pursuits on their own soon enough.

Would you feel the same if a boy wanted to play on a girls softball team?