By Eric Valent: "Tennis Ball, Anyone?"

Taking my son to the pool the other day brought back some old memories.  As my son and I were jumping off the diving board for the 100th time, I looked across the grass and saw a bunch of kids playing “tennis ball baseball.”  I used to live for that as a kid.

Growing up in Southern California, I was able to play outside 365 days a year. In my neighborhood growing up, there were about 9 of us around the same age. We would play tennis ball baseball until the sun went down. Home plate was in the driveway with the garage closed. The pitcher would pitch just off the driveway into the street, and the rest of the guys would spread themselves out across the street and into the driveway across the street. This is where I believe much of my baseball skills came from. I believe this because Little League was only about 12 games or so. Tennis ball baseball was every day of the year. We had so much fun during those times as kids, and seeing these kids outside the pool area was a joy to see.

Now that I live on the East Coast, where I wish I could hibernate from January through March, my son and I have to adapt. Welcome the wiffle ball bat and a soft spongy ball. Picture me in a wide hallway and my son in the family room swinging away. It gives us some activity and it allows us to have some bonding time. It doesn’t matter to me if my son ever plays baseball when he gets older, but if he does, I want him to be able to know how to do things the right way. That’s why I try to play many different sports games with him. If I can expose him to as many things as possible, and he knows what he’s doing for the most part, he will be more comfortable and have more fun.

By the way, it’s fun for me too. It’s not so much about only playing organized sports to enhance one’s skills, but just to play different kinds of games where one is throwing a ball, hitting a ball, and catching a ball. It’s no different than future football players playing touch football in the street all day long or future basketball players playing pick up all day long. Wiffle ball baseball, tennis ball baseball and stickball are just ways where one can work on their hand-eye coordination both batting and catching.

So the next time you’re getting to do something with your kids, switch it up a little bit, and roll up some old socks, grab the wiffle ball bat and go to hacking. It will help pass those cold winter days and give the kids some good old exercise too. Just make sure you get the vases, picture frames, and flower pots out of the way!!!

Eric Valent played parts of 5 seasons with the Phillies, Reds & Mets before giving it a a try in Japan.  Promising himself he'd retire if he wasn't a full-time big leaguer by the age of 30, Eric did just that.  He's now a Northeast Area Supervisor for the Phillies.  He has one wife and two children and writes a little something every so often for Jimmy Scott's High & Tight.