Game on!

What are the odds? At AJ's first baseball game, his team of 18 players matched up against another team of 18. And at the end of three innings, the score was tied 54-54.

I've never claimed to be a mathematician, but I do believe that averages out to exactly one run per child per inning. Amazing!

Here's AJ's first turn at bat. You can probably see why it wasn't much of a pitcher's duel. Following a high-strategy line-up based on where the kids chose to sit on the bench, AJ ended up batting last. That wasn't all bad, however. Each child before him hit the ball and then ran to first base. They'd then advance one base at a time with each batter behind them. As the ultimate clean-up hitter for the inning, AJ got to run all four bases without stopping.

An infield home run! Not bad for a hit that barely passed the pitchers mound.

Next it was his team's turn to take the field. The infield that is. Since nobody at this age is physically able to hit the ball beyond the baseline, there's no point in sticking kids in the outfield. And so they assigned a child to each base, and the other 14 filled in between. It was a formidable defense.

Every few batters, they'd change up the defense, rotating positions so each child had the chance to play different roles.

I missed the best photo opportunity of all when it came time for AJ to play first base. As luck would have it, his friend Avery, who was on the other team, had just batted and was standing on first base. So what did these two opposing players do when they spotted each other? They hollered each other's name in delight and forgot all about the game for a moment as they embraced in a big hug. What sportsmanship!

We're paying $30 for AJ to play this baseball season. I figured the cost was to cover the shirt and hat, as well as helping with any field maintenance costs. What I didn't realize we'd get along with it is some of the best, most hysterical entertainment I have ever enjoyed in a long time.

It is absolutely impossible to keep a straight face as you watch a dozen kids all dive for the ball, sometimes fighting amongst themselves over who then gets to throw the ball to first.