Play Ball!

Today was the start of my baseball coaching career. I was having serious flashbacks to 40 years ago when I was learning to play. But, it's amazing how the lessons come flooding back (aided, like many things, by the Internet and coaching Web sites).

I'm helping a local teacher named Maxwell with the program. He was able to round up about 20 kids, 19 of whom have never seen baseball before. The ages ranged from around 8 to about 13, so we had kids of all sizes and coordinations. I was surprised to see that about a third of the group were girls - I didn't know if the kids would see baseball as a boys' sport or not. (Football, or soccer, is definitely a boys' sport, as are cricket and rugby. Girls play netball, a game like basketball. Title XIX has not made it to South Africa yet.) Maxwell got some gloves, balls, bats and helmets from a local non-profit group so about half the kids can play. They're really good about sharing equipment so that everyone gets a turn.

The big downside is the practice area. The school yard only has a big square of sand to use. It was okay for today, but I can't imagine how we're going to practice hitting or running there. We'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it. (I used that phrase with someone a couple weeks ago. They looked at me like I was from outer space. I had to draw them a picture to show what I meant. You don't want to know the looks I get when I call something a craps shoot.)

Today was all about fundamentals. We all stood in a circle and worked on throwing and catching. It was hard taking boys who had played cricket and teaching them a new throwing method. Cricket requires the pitchers to wind up and throw with a funny side-arm motion that moves the whole upper body. I had to have the kids just stand still and swing their arms so they could get a feel for using just their arm. And then adding the wrist snap was another step. However, most of the kids caught on within 1 or 2 throws and some were throwing right on target with power by the end of the hour. With practice they should be tossing 20 and 30 yard throws easily.

Then it was on to catching. These kids have never used a glove before, and they did what most kids do. They tried to catch everything with their hands palm up. Even if the ball was at chest level or higher, risking a bounce into their face. After a few throws and my holding their hand in the right position they started to catch on (no pun intended). Again, some of the kids were naturals and were snagging balls like nothing.

Then we worked on ground balls. This was the fun part. I explained how you had to go down on one knee and use your body with the glove to keep the ball in front of you. Well, the kids took me literally and went down on one knee, even if the ball was to their left or right. I had to explain that they could take a side step first and then drop. I also had a couple just bend over and the balls would squirt through their legs. By the end they were helping each other, plus teasing each other as kids do.

We closed out the day with some round robin throwing and catching. The kids all said they had fun and I think they really did. Next week will be more of the same, and then the following week we're going to work on hitting. THAT should be interesting.

If anyone knows someone coming this way, please ask them to bring a glove and ball. Bats would also be great but airplane security will be an issue with those (unless they can be checked).

A couple other updates for the week:

1. The local power company, Eskom, has a very interesting way of managing power spikes. They just turn off sections of the city. Seriously. They call it "load shedding" and they schedule portions of the city and suburbs for outages. Tonight they have two sets of shedding scheduled, with about 10-12 portions of the city each time. Each phase is for 2 hours. I can't imagine being in a place like Gugulethu or Phillipi with no electricity. Having no overhead lights or inside lights is just plain dangerous in places where people are regularly assaulted or worse. Plus, students are studying for their major end-of-year and graduation exams and will have to miss a night of work. Crazy.

2. A ways back I wrote about Noloyiso, the 16 year-old girl who is raising her 8 year-old brother. (I've since found out her name is actually Noluyolo. Yvonne had it a little mixed up.) They live in a beat-up, leaky and unsecure shack in a rough section of Gugulethu. About 2 months ago a group of Americans promised to build her a new place.. Then they backed out, saying they didn't feel safe in her area. As you can imagine, she was crestfallen.

Well, a group of people from the local church that was working with the Americans have stepped up and are going to make the shack a reality. They were at her place this past Saturday to take measurements and look at what needed to be done. They have several master craftsmen in their congregation and don't expect any real problems.

Of course, nothing is as easy as it seems. The law of unintended consequences says that building a new shack in the current location will result in Noluyolo being robbed or having her shack damaged because people will think she's rich or is too good for the community. So, we're now looking to see if we can find a new location for her shack, possibly a house with a responsible adult and a secure back yard. I'll keep you updated as this moves ahead.

(And a word on the safety issue. I'm biased, and I know that. But I cannot imagine a large group of people thinking they wouldn't be safe in Noluyolo's area. I've been there several times, with and without black people and have not had any problems. If they were concerned they should have said so before making a promise. This is common in Gugulethu - many visitors come and make promises and are never heard from again. Spiwo says lack of trust is the hardest thing to overcome because most people have had bad experiences.)

3. Mogise
Yvonne and I brought food to his sister last Thursday. She was very warm and friendly. Her only comment was "Please don't forget us." Like that could happen. As we were leaving I saw Mogise walking up the street. He wasn't smiling. I'm due to go back again on Friday and we'll see how things are.

Lastly, I saw this quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson this week:

To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.

I think it encapsulates my recent experiences pretty well. I've been and am fortunate to have intelligent friends (and family). I can find beauty in most things, even in the shacks of Gugulethu (such as the pop art-like nature of colors in the scraps that form the shacks). I've helped create a garden patch that's now feeding people. And I know I've made at least a couple people breathe easier knowing they'll eat tomorrow. I guess I've succeeded, many times over.

More to come.