Diamond Darling

For those of you who have known me for a long time probably know at some point that I dreamed of playing professional baseball. Those dreams fizzled out quicker than my fastball transformed into a change up by the time it reached home plate. Nevertheless, I never let those dreams keep me away from the game.

On Friday, I took Faith to her first baseball game, mostly because I'm having withdrawal from not covering the Braves this spring. And while I have no intention of being one of those parents who tries to live out his dreams through his kids, I thought it would be fun to take her to a game and see how she reacted.

Trying to keep Faith in one place for even short periods of time is like trying to catch wind in a jar. Just when you think you've got her ... BAM! She's gone! But she was complacent for about a half an inning, which lasted forever because the poor kid on the mound was serving up beach balls that forced his outfielders to run sprints.

Once the final out was finally made, Faith's face lit up when she heard the warm-up music blaring over the loud speakers. Faith immediately climbed out of my lap and found an area in the bleachers that was unoccupied. She looked around to gain an audience (something that's easy for a red-headed toddler) and found a few willing to give her their attention. Then she began dancing.

While we don't have a lengthy baby-sitter list, taking Faith to a public place where there are many teenage girls is almost always a sure fire way to have people come over and volunteer to baby sit her. Sticking with our baseball theme, we struck out. But not before Faith managed to get three teeny boppers to oogle over her for about a minute. (Seriously, any of my single friends are more than welcome to take her to the park. I'm sure she could attract 20-somethings, too.)

After that, she darted off for the bullpen, the perfect place to keep her corralled for a few moments. Then it dawned on me that Faith's penchant for cleaning off surfaces makes her the perfect candidate for an umpire. Here she is in action, dusting off home plate.
After she cleaned off home plate, she needed a ball. So, she raced toward the batting cages to pick up a few. However, she wanted to give it to the players on the field, whom she managed to distract from the game as well. Of course, who could blame them? When you're getting shelled 13-1, watching a toddler dance during the coach's trips to the mound is much more entertaining that figuring out what cut off man you're supposed to hit after the next batter bangs a double to the alley. Here's Faith trying to throw a ball onto the field ... and getting frustrated.


Of course, she's just not tall enough nor does she possess the arm strength necessary to pitch the ball over the fence, the latter of which was an unfortunate "skill" she inherited from her daddy. So, she did what any smart toddler does. She asked her daddy to do it.



All in all, it was a fun day at the park. Faith got a little taste of America's favorite pastime, and she still got to dance. What's not to love about the ball park?