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Monday, March 19, 2007

t-ball

I'm trying to focus on happier days ahead -- ones in which we get to leave the house and do normal-people things.

My calendar tells me that t-ball practice starts in two weeks. I have NO experience with anything remotely resembling athletic endeavor, so I need your help. What exactly do I need to outfit two little people for t-ball?

On which hand do they wear the glove? their dominant hand I presume? (yes, I was a nerd in school - last one picked etc.)

edited to add that we have a T and a ball and a bat and one glove.
Elle told me I need cleats. When I ebay cleats I get soccer cleats; are they the same?
When I google gloves I get inch measurements. How do I figure out the right size?
They will get team t-shirts. Do they need special pants?

edited once again to share this cool T-Ball coloring book pdf that I found.

9 comments:

Elle said...

They will need shoes (called cleats) a glove (worn on their opposite hand). You throw with your dominant hand. Talk to the coach to see if they will need to purchase a jersey and you may want to get them pants. They make special pants for baseball. Of course your coach should give you that information should they require a specific color. You may want to get them a tee, ball and bat so they can practice at home. If that is the case I would put your glass repair company on speed dial.

Cathy said...

Suzanne:
Wait to buy shoes until you talk to the coach. Our T-ball teams here in GA do not wear cleats, just sneakers. Ditto what Elle said about glove (worn on nondominant hand). Your team will have specific colors for their jersey (provided by the league). You will be told what color pants and socks to buy at that time. Definitely get a T-stand/ball and gloves and start practicing with the kids. Thomas will be old enough for T-ball next year and I can't wait!

6blessings said...

Hope you're feeling better.

I agree that you should wait to find out what is needed from the coach. Every team has different requirements.

J is getting ready to try out t-ball too.

Deb said...

One site said age 5-6 should be a size 10-10 1/2 youth.

Gloves range from size 8-11 (I found).

Take the kids to Walmart or something similar and have them try gloves on.
This link tells you what to look for in glove
http://www.csll.org/parents/gloves.html

kate said...

Okay, am SO not a jock. I'm a drama nerd. but, I'd think you wore your glove on your non-dominant hand so you could throw with your dominant hand...

Yikes--scary world.

If they've got an upcoming musical auditions, let me know. I'll be of much greater help there!

mommyto5 said...

Sorry no advice we haven't started the sports thing yet:) Best wishes I'm sure the kids will have a blast and so will you, hope you all are feeling better soon.

Shelby said...

If you do end up needing cleats, then yes, soccer cleats are the same as baseball cleats. Don't spend a lot of money on a glove. At that age they won't be hitting or throwing the ball hard enough to really require much in the way of hand protection. The best thing to do for a glove is to go try them all on. It needs to be small enough so that they can practice closing their hand (thumb meeting all 4 fingers) although they probably won't be strong enough to do it well yet. Good luck--I know you'll have a great time!

Anonymous said...

Suzanne, this is your cousin! When Peter did t-ball at the ymca a couple summers ago, he wore his regular tenny shoes. They had a bat there, and we got him a glove at Goodwill a couple weeks into it. Unless this is the premier t-ball league in the county (?) I don't think you need to get all that stuff. The whole point of t-ball is to have fun and learn. My favorite quote from the season: our first practice, we'd missed a couple for vacation, the coach asked, "Okay, who wants to play 2nd base." Peter: "Me! me! me!... What's second base?"
Hugs, Jenois

Esther said...

Actually folks, soccer cleats & baseball cleats are not the same. I'll write the clarification here, as we've done baseball for the last 9 years. Baseball cleats have one extra cleat on the tip of each toe so you can dig your toe into the ground as you are getting ready to run. Baseball cleats are ILLEGAL in soccer. Soccer cleats are LEGAL in baseball. Hopefully that clears things up.

Defineately check with your coach to see if you need cleats at all, but I would say they certainly help in the mud, boggy, and rainy/crappy weather since you leave near me. The coach will also tell you if a particular pair of pants is required. We've been on several t-ball teams, and it depended on the team. One team we were on, the kids could wear any sweats or shorts they wanted. Be careful in shorts. Kids fall down & get scraped running in shorts ;o)

Great advise others already chimed in on about the gloves, so I won't repeat. Just skip the small little kid beginner size. They are worthless & have no "give". I would recommend breaking in a glove as I've watched my husband do with the kids for years. He oils it & wraps it up with a rubber band, leaving it like that overnight. I've even seen him gently drive the car tire over the glove, wrapped as I just described) to break in a glove. DO NOT let your kids see this. My husband has done the tire trick & left the glove under the tire for a few hours. Helps to soften it up & break it in.

Ya know, you've mentioned you love to shop on eBay. You could probably get a great couple of used gloves there & skip all this "breaking-in" nonsense ;o)

Finally, I loved your cousin Jenny's comment about "what's 2nd base?" That's classic.