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Going Yard

Last night my oldest son Jack hit his first long ball, otherwise known as a Home Run. It was the top of the second inning and his team was down 0-1 when he got ahold of a fast ball and gave it a ride. This knotted the score 1-1 and inspired his team with much celebration at home base.

I was standing in Position One in Right Field, as the Field Umpire. Best seat in the house for watching that ball climb like a rocket over the infield and over the center field fence. The ball hit real dirt about ten feet over the fence. It was a beautiful sight. I just knew it was going out after I heard the tink from the metal bat. It was a solid hit that got high fast.

Everyone who watches Jack take cuts has commented that his swing is elegant and I just knew that if he ever managed to but his hips into a ball it would sail out. The game before was his all-time best at-bat with four hits out of five tries. In typical slugger fashion, this day he only had one hit for the night. His team lost the game by two with Jack on deck and two runners on, when the kid before him struck out. But that’s baseball. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose and sometimes it rains. Right before the game, we had the worst lightening storm of the Spring.

It’s moments like this that make me thankful for all the long hard hours I put in as a coach and an umpire. I played Little League Baseball when I was a kid and I never got a Home Run. Few kids do. So Jack is the first ball player to homer in the McConnell family. He’s also the first to get a touchdown in football. Moments in time to cherish forever.

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