After a three-year hiatus caused by health concerns, particularly cataracts, I’m (tentatively) a driver again, so Bay Area residents beware. On Friday afternoon, I navigated the long, busy, messy route from the upper East Bay down to San Jose, so I could watch my 10-year-old grandson, Oliver, play in an All-Star Little League baseball game the next morning.
I hadn’t driven a car that far in a long time, but the many big trucks, bad drivers weaving this way and that, and random inchoate stress were the all-too-familiar hazards of this endeavor. “These things really are best left to others,” I was thinking to myself, but this opportunity made the effort worthwhile.
Sports can play a pivotal role in any kid’s social development, of course, on many levels, for better and for worse. Performing in front of a crowd is challenging for them — and frankly for most adults as well. Even professional athletes admit to anxiety attacks on the occasion of a particularly big or important game, and Saturday’s was one of those for Ollie.
He is the youngest of three brothers. His Mom drives him to every practice and every game. She also takes him to a batting cage in between events so he can practice his hitting. He loves baseball and knows an amazing amount of detail about the game. But to date in the playoffs, he has been hitting way down at the bottom of the lineup set by the All-Star team’s coach and spends most of the game as a reserve on the bench.
His energy is infectious, however, and so is his smile. For Saturday’s game he was up and completely outfitted in his fancy All-Star uniform by 7 a.m. even though the game wouldn’t start until 10. He ate a power breakfast (bacon hamburger) and checked his bag for his bats, gloves and other gear.
He paced around and kept checking the time on his cellphone.
The game started promptly at 10 a.m. in a stadium packed with friends and families of the players. We were happy to see that Ollie was in the starting lineup this time, playing left field and batting eighth. When he came up for his first at bat, the bases were loaded with one out. He took a couple pitches for balls and swung and missed at two others. So the count was two and two.
He looked tense as he gripped the bat and stared out at the pitcher. “Relax,” his Mom called out to him. I just hoped he would make contact; no one wants to strike out at a moment like this.
Well, I need not have worried because Oliver’s practice paid off. He connected on the very next pitch to drive the ball over the center fielder’s head to the fence for a double, driving in two runs. He eventually scored as well as his team grabbed an early lead, which they would never relinquish.
In his only other plate appearance before the coach took him out, he repeated the act with another towering drive to deep centerfield, which led to him scoring his second run after stealing third base on a passed ball. All of this on the way to his team’s decisive 14-1 victory as they advanced in the playoffs.
We all remember certain events from our childhoods. This will be one of those memories for 10-year-old Ollie.
Grandfathers, on the other hand, are notorious for having bad memories — but I trust I’ll be able to recall this one for years to come.
Happy Father’s (and Grandfather’s) Day, everybody!
TODAY’s POSTS: (6/19/22 — 32 stories from 17 sources)
How Facebook is collecting ultra-sensitive personal data about abortion seekers. (Reveal)
Stephen Curry, ordinary in size and celestial in talent, has changed the game (WP)
Amid Jan. 6 Revelations, Election Lies Still Dominate the G.O.P. (NYT)
Anti-LGBTQ+ attacks by US extremist groups surge as right spews vitriol (Guardian)
Pride events targeted in surge of anti-LGBTQ threats, violence (WP)
How Mike Pence’s final act of defiance could reshape his political future (Financial Times)
About 43 million people are waiting to find out if President Joe Biden will wipe away all or part of their federal student loan debt. (CNN)
A Defiant Putin Says Russia Will Flourish Without the West (NYT)
Boris Johnson vows to give Ukraine 'strategic endurance' in surprise visit to Kyiv (Guardian)
Zelensky visits front-line city in south Ukraine (BBC)
Ukraine: Up to 50% of heavy weapons lost in combat (NHK)
With scant options in Ukraine, U.S. and allies prepare for long war (WP)
Russia Envoy Says Biden Sanctions Backfire, Hurting U.S. Economy and Power (Newsweek)
The Crypto Party Is Over (WSJ)
Why the $2 trillion crypto market crash won’t kill the economy (CNBC)
Sports betting ads are everywhere. Some worry gamblers will pay a steep price (NPR)
Biden’s optimism collides with mounting political challenges (AP)
In a time of national division, polarizing primaries are part of the problem (NPR)
Western Europeans wilt in early summer heatwave, compounding climate change fears (CNN)
American West’s Worst Drought in 1,200 Years — The Southwest's unchecked thirst for Colorado River water could prove devastating upstream (CNN)
A British journalist's remains have been found in Brazil's Amazon, police say (AP)
Police losing narco war in deadly Amazon region (Guardian)
Souvenirs From a Civilization That Kills Its Children (Atlantic)
Two killed in Sikh temple attack in Afghanistan's capital Kabul (CNN)
African brain drain: '90% of my friends want to leave' (BBC)
Mark Shields, columnist and TV political commentator, dies at 85 (WP)
A Mouse Study Just Revealed a New Molecular Link Between Hunger And Exercise (ScienceAlert)
New Study Finds No Long-Term Health Benefits (The Onion)
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