Kids play ball for love of game
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/05/2024 (614 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The dictionary defines baseball as a game played with a bat, ball and gloves between two teams of nine players, each on a field with three white bases and a white plate laid out in a diamond. Teams alternate positions as batters on offence and fielders on defence, exchanging places when three members of the batting team are “put out.”
But ask the kids playing for Brandon Baseball for the 2024 season and their summer sport is much more. It’s a break from hockey for many, but also a chance to enjoy the fresh air and sound of Canadian geese honking on the outskirts of the fenced field.
For the rookies playing T-ball or U9, it’s about learning the game by honing the various skills needed to be successful playing on offence or defence. They will need these basic skills as they move up to U13, U15 and U18 and high school, and eventually once done minor baseball, perhaps playing senior ball in Brandon or perhaps the South West Baseball League.
Baseball Brandon players make the most of a nice Wednesday evening following a long stretch of rain, playing ball at Simplot Millennium Park. (Photos by Jules Xavier/The Brandon Sun)
Under a blue sky and light breeze Wednesday night at Brandon’s Simplot Millennium Park, it was a hive of activity after two days of rainouts. Most of the diamonds were busy, as were the batting cages, with teams finally playing house league games or involved in practices or U11 AA tryouts.
Parents with their lawn chairs scattered around the diamond looked on attentively, waiting for their own child to take to the diamond on defence or make an appearance at the plate. Many fans held bags of sunflower seeds, the ground around their chairs littered by the seed casings.
The evening also gave umpire-in-chief Jack Reynolds an opportunity to watch his rookie and returning umpires finally in action following their spring umpire clinic. No one seemed to care about the score, as the few scoreboards at specific diamonds did not show runs, inning, balls and strikes. A lot different when you are used to seeing the scoreboard in operation during the hockey season.
Instead, it was all about having fun and meeting new friends on your team, as kids fist-pumped following the last out then met on the sidelines as volunteer coaches — lots of dads wearing the team jersey to blend in with their players — went over post-game thoughts on what transpired on the diamond and to be ready for the next outing.
The Simplot Millennium Park has games scheduled during the week starting at 6:30 p.m. and the AAA U13 and U15 Marlins are in action usually on Sunday at noon and 4 p.m.
» jxavier@brandonsun.com
