Baseball: Tee Ball-Majors?

I started when I was 11 years old ("fast pitch") until I was 15. After that I coached my brothers coach pitch team.

I played ss almost exclusively, 5-6 games at 3rd and 1 at 2nd.

Hit 2nd or 3rd every year except the last, when I hit lead off.

Seriously, can you still play shortstop? Our SS can't play it.

Hahaha!

I could try...

I started tee ball when six years old, ended up by playing Babe Ruth ball, but stopped playing at age 15 to play soccer full time. I was a 2B and usually batted first or second. I would say that i was pretty average across the board, in terms of speed, hitting, and fielding abilities (not puch power, at least for home runs).

Little league HS for a bit. Hurt wrists playing baseball as a freshman, shattered knee as a sophomore in basketball, hurt neck as a junior in football. Every time I was pushing too hard, diving catch, quick cut and diving tackle.

Sorry to hear that.

Although it is very cool to see that some of us have actually played at one point.

You are the best so far btw. One of my biggest regrets is not trying out for my HS baseball team.

I'm a little <sh!t, but I was pretty good. Big mistake.

initially SS then catcher and pitcher.

Best times was when on base; loved stealing

Ended up pitching and catching.

I always was the lead off hitter.

Coached several years and umpired for several years.

5-7: played tee ball outside of Beaumont Hospital before they made the back into a parking lot.

8-11: Little League (MI). From 8-10 I was 1B all the time since I was a lefty. Got doubles and triples but the rest of the team blew. I did play a few games behind the plate which was pretty neat. 11 years old I ended up on the upper little league group. Played LF and CF. Good with the glove but struggled at the plate

12-15: Down south. Stunk worse than Inge my first year. 13-15 I hit pretty well and platooned 1B/RF (had an arm) and got on base a lot.

Didn't try out because I injured my back my sophomore year and then my knee my junior year. Some of my friends wanted me to try out but I just didn't have it in me.

Great stuff. IMO.

This is certainly better than calling each other stupid or questioning ones "fandom".

I was a base stealing dude myself.

I just loved turning a single into a 2b or a 2b or 3b into a HR.

Ty Cobb style.

Never played organized sport ..but we had lots of teenagers in neighbor hood and played games all the time. We even built our own ball diamond complete with Backstop, bleachers, outfield fence, and make-shift Dugouts, ..and other kids from other neighborhoods would bring their make-shift teams to our field to compete.
I was the leanest ..and the fastest ..kid in my neighbor hood. Not much power but teammates and foes alike would stare in awe when I would surprisingly tag one now and then. I did hit for high average though (consistantly above .300) mainly because I was adept at placing my hits where I wanted them (hit em where they aint), ..plus my speed.
My defense was strong, able to play any position except 3rd base (one neighbor was great there, we called him "vacuum cleaner") ..and yes, I even played catcher. I preferred outfield, ..left field ..and caught everything even remotely close to my direction. I ran like the wind. Still do, even in middle-age!
Stopped playing when I could not throw from shallow left field to 3b base ..had thrown out my arm one day messing with curve ball and still cannot throw 30 feet today without severe and prolonged pain. Never went to Dr for it because it doesn't hinder any of my day to day activities.

So, ..No I did not play t-ball. My memories consist of my teenage years playing rough and tough neighborhood games. Loved playing the game ..wish I would have pursued it professionally. One of my best friends did play semi-pro in the Sacramento CA area. He and I had a natural competitiveness between us ..anything I could do he wanted to do better ..and anything he could do I wanted to do better.

Baseball is a boy's game ..and is one of the very few things going today that can still turn the hearts of old men into that of a little boy.

Go Tigers!

Cool story man.

I thought this was a thread that would be interesting.

In no way is it to be a 1up thread. Just fun.

Played LL in NJ for 5 years. I remember playing on the Reds in Farm, Hooper Holmes in Minors (we were sponsored by businesses), and a Fire Department team in the Majors. Long enough ago to have worn baggy wool uniforms with stirrups. Pitcher early on, but ended up at 3B later. Voted onto the All-Star team my last year in LL but was bounced by the Mayor of the town, who installed his son (who got beat out at SS) at 3B. Still hate the guy - but it formed my attitude toward how to treat kids I've coached. Got to play against Paul Croft, who was drafted by the Twins, and Rick Sofield, who was also drafted by the Twins. He was a few years older than me.

Played ball in an American Legion league and for my Middle School. And played HS ball, mainly 1B and 2B. Regret not going out for baseball at my DIII college. Probably had enough game, though I still had issues with hitting the curve.

Coached 7 years and 14 teams if you include travel ball and all star teams. This is the first year that I'm on the sidelines since my son started playing. It's a strange perspective, but I can enjoy watching him more. Happily, he's a <hell of a lot better in most areas than I was. The way it should be.

It's kind of funny- I was reading through that RA Dickey thread earlier today and it made me think of my years as a kid playing neighborhood baseball. That's right- I was a knuckleball pitcher. LOL. I have pretty short arms and my fastball was s.hit. I tried to throw a curve and that was s.hit too. Then I saw this instructional video that they used to show on ESPN. It was Tom Candiotti teaching the knuckleball. I recorded it on VHS and watched it over and over again. Then I practiced out in the yard with my brother catching me until I became decent with it. It used to p.iss off some of the kids, because they saw it as a copout, but it was my only way of getting them to whiff. As time went on, my control only got better. I never tried out for the high school team because I thought I'd get laughed off the field, but to this day, it's one of my biggest regrets. I ended up the captain of the wrestling team instead, which I wasn't nearly as passionate about.

Played from age 7 through 18 in little league and school and then went to college and played 15 years of softball in tournaments and local travel teams. When my son was born, I hung up my cleats for a short spell, until I started coaching him at age 6. Still coaching him. Playing and coaching almost non-stop since 1975.

I played CF (or LCF in softball) and batted first in almost every year of playing except my last year of little league where I batted 3rd.

"I was a base stealing dude myself. "

Me, too.

Except one guy. I had to play against this kid every year of little league:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=baar--001bry

And NOBODY stole on him. NOBODY. Dude had a Pudge-Gun.
...and, he's about the nicest guy in the world. Owns a baseball training and travel team center in GR. GREAT place to send your kids.

"I just loved turning a single into a 2b or a 2b or 3b into a HR."

Lost art, sometimes. I think Miggy leads the team in taking the extra bases. That is sad, at face value.

Never played organized baseball until 6th grade, due to an abusive upbringing. When I went to live with my dad, he got me involved in Little League. I played first base in 6th grade, and then we moved. I played outfield for the most part in 7th grade, then in Pony League in 8th grade.

Played varsity baseball all four years of high school. That's not bragging. We didn't even have a JV team, let alone a freshman team. In junior and senior years, I was a starter. I pitched a little (Undefeated! 2-0 with a no-decision) but had no control whatsoever. I mostly played left field, where strangely I could throw more accurately than from 60 feet, 6 inches away. Unfortunately, I hit like Brandon Inge. I hit several home runs, but struck out way more. I had a really long swing. I did walk quite a bit, and could steal bases, even though I was 6' 4". We won the Class D state championship in 1982. My coach put a DH in for me in the championship game. Probably would have scarred me for life had I not made a circus catch to save the game in the 6th with the bases loaded, two outs, and a tie game. It was like a Mr. Destiny moment.

After high school, I really never played again. I played the occasional softball game, but that's it. I knew I wasn't going to play at a higher level, and academics pretty much took over.

I played constantly through my childhood until my teens. Pickup games, organized ball in two leagues.

Left field and pitcher. I was more of a hitter though. Being a bit stocky, I didn't run too fast - so I had to drive the ball.

I was pretty successful.

When I was fifteen, we were playing a pony league game over at Balduck park. Far East Side of Detroit. The other team had a guy who could throw pretty hard. He burned one into my wheel house, and I hit a shot that landed on Balduck Hill, out in Right-centerfield. My older brother told me that shot would've went out in any major league park. After it landed, it rolled about halfway up the hill.

My brother told me as soon as I hit it, the center-fielder yelled out "SH1T!" turned around, and just started running the other way.

Being as slow as I was, I got tossed out at 3rd - from TWO relay throws.

My goodness. I think the old me of now could beat that kid in a foot race.

I kept my stats. Mostly in my head. The season before, when I was fourteen, I was 18 for 25 - a fairly torrid clip. Twelve of the hits were for extra bases. A guy I knew from another team told me: "Everyone used to back up when you came up, and you hit it over their heads, anyway."

I never got to play organized ball. When I was young they didn't allow girls on the baseball teams. We had no softball teams.

I live vicariously through my duaghter now. She has played since she was 4 yrs old.

She plays CF, C & Pitches. Has a cannon for an arm. Don't no one try to steal on her. Also can throw someone out from centerfield at homeplate.

She is also a power hitter. Rips the ball in the gaps & down the line. The sound of the bat is amazing.

She will be going out for the high school softball team in 2 years. I can't wait for her to get that high up to see what she can do against the other teams.