Baseball, Softball, and Us

As everyone knows, our family loves baseball. My son recently received a wooden bat from his Grandpa, and has taken to sleeping with it. One of the greatest things about having a backyard, is that Aryeh and my husband play baseball almost everyday. And in the winter, they played in the basement.

Yesterday, we went to the first softball game of the season. My husband plays in a shul league, made up of Reform, Conservative and Orthodox Synagogues. He was part of a similar league in our old community, but here the feel is very different. Lots of families were out to watch the game. Some of our friends brought a little barbeque and grilled hotdogs and hamburgers. Other families brought pizza or other take out. All the little kids were playing baseball, the moms were watching the kids and the dads and catching up. My husband's team actually won (by a lot!) which was a real suprise to him. He has never in his life been on anything but the worst teams. In high school, his team won only 1 or 2 games in 3 years! The shul team he used to be on was horrible, with 1/2 the members of the team unable to hit, throw, or catch a ball.

Even people who were not playing on the team came out to watch. Despite all the fighting in this community, softball manages to bring everyone together.