I remember the year the coaches stopped pitching and the kids started pitching. That was the year I started getting hit with the ball. And then I started being afraid of the ball.
I think my batting average went from .759 to about .195, a precipitous drop to say the least.
Or maybe it wasn't the kids pitching that threw me off. It could have the slow abandonment of chants, such as "Hey, Batter Batter, Hey Batter Batter, Swing" or "First Base Look at Me, I'm a Monkey in a Tree," and of course -- "We want a pitcher, not a belly itcher!"
Yeah, on second thought, I think that was what it was.
Sincerely,
Little Leaguers Just Like Me
