Catch As Catch Can

Noah (our seven-year-old) recently started playing "Machine Pitch" baseball, which is a game where little boys line up for a chance to protect themselves with only a bat while an evil machine tries to knock them unconscious by shooting a steady stream of balls at approximately 97 miles per hour. If they're lucky, the ball hits somewhere on the bat instead of their noggin, and they run off in a random direction that may or may not have anything to do with bases. At the same time, parents are screaming at them, questioning their genetic relationship, and promising no meals for the next 4 days. It's great fun.



Here is Noah pretending to be a "catcher." It turns out this has no connection whatsoever with receiving the ball into your mitt, because (as mentioned above) the balls are coming in at supersonic speed and can only be stopped by the hardened steel mesh seen in the background. But it gives the little lads a chance to put on interesting clothing and a cool mask. I mean, what kid can resist a mask?

Noah has done really well, and has even gotten some hits. It's fun to just get out in the evening and enjoy the Spring air and watch the kids learn sports. Cathy keeps score and makes sure the batters come up in the right order and are facing the right way. Mark stands by first base and "coaches", which means he tries to avoid being hit in the groin by a zealous runner that's only three and half feet tall.