Little League Tryouts “Blind Catch”
I was nervous—really nervous—which wasn’t like me. I was good at sports, but this was different. Today wasn’t a game; it was Little League tryouts. And it wasn’t the catching or the drills that got to me—it was the people in the bleachers. Coaches scanning for talent. Parents watching. I needed competition, not an audience.
On this day, I was all fumbles. Nothing worked. Meanwhile, my younger brother Bruce was doing great. The worse I did, the more it got to me. My eyes started watering. I wasn’t going to cry, but I couldn’t see the ball anymore, let alone catch it.
Then the coaches started calling out names to bat. They skipped me. Three of us weren’t picked—one of them was me. That was it. I slipped behind the bleachers where no one could see my eyes.
A little while later, Dad found me. “Let’s go sit in the bleachers and watch the rest,” he said.
From there, I watched Bruce play. He was on fire. His team was up first. He made it to first base, then second. Two outs, no score. Another grounder ended the inning, and they took the field.
Bruce was out in left field. Not much action—until a high fly ball came his way. He looked a little awkward getting under it. His glove went up... and he caught it.
On the way home, we talked about the day.
“That was a great catch in left field,” I said.
“The sun was in my eyes,” Bruce replied. “I couldn’t see the ball. I just stuck my glove up and it went right in.”
Would you love to hear more of these childhood misadventures?
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