crazedparent

Excuse me while I talk baseball: Kevin Frandsen's Omm Moments

Kevin Frandsen does the same thing before every baseball game.

He walks along the foul line and tosses his glove in the air. He drops his bat. He sits down and stretches while watching what transpires on the field. Glove. Bat. Stretch. 

He's alone with his thoughts. At least until a few other players come over and stretch near him.

I call it the "Kevin Frandsen Omm Moment." Sometimes I can even capture it with my camera. I love that it's consistent and quiet. The way he carves out that single moment of peace makes me love the game of baseball even more than I already do. 

Also? He is not sore on the eyes.

I witnessed his routine over and over during our recent trip to Scottsdale for Spring Training.

"Kevin!" I yelled as he walked back to the dugout after the team took BP. He looked at me and I pointed to Nol. "Will you sign my son's baseball?"

He hustled over to Nol while taking the baseball and pen. I explained to Kevin that we've been following him since the minors. He smiled, we said our thank yous and he moved on. (He also signed the bill of my Giants cap. An impulsive move on my behalf.) Afterward, my kid told me he thought Kevin Frandsen seemed like a really nice guy. I told him he was probably right.

***

A few minutes after I had awoken from my slumber today, my husband informed me that the Giants were seeking to trade Kevin Frandsen. To which I replied "SHUT UP!" while smacking him on the arm. I'm not sure he was expecting that reaction, but he knew I would be as incensed as the morning I found out that the Giants let J.T. Snow go.

Nol came into the kitchen after hearing my outburst and he and I proceeded to discuss how this is a bad move. How Frandsen is a natural at second base and how he really could play first base because Aubrey Huff is completely overrated. And how we think Frandsen is a far better player than Matt Downs, who both of us find loathsome because he was blatantly rude to Nol last summer at a minor league game ("He does not have good sportsmanship, Mom."). 

All of this before breakfast.

Kevin Frandsen is one of those ballplayers, like Buster Posey, who you want your kid to follow. He's a gamer in the purest sense. A few years ago he told a local paper:

"Even now, in the big league locker room, we talk about it, 'Why can't this be like Little League?' " Frandsen said. "You're happy as can be, and the only things you worry about are having fun and going to the snack shack."

I love that.

It's a powerful and telling statement, one I plan to use with my boys as they grow up playing ball to help them focus on the fun of the game and not all the fluff and politics that often surround it. Focus on the simple things.

Kevin Frandsen is still having fun out on the field. It's really hard to miss. (Though I'm not sure the snack shack still holds the same allure.) I want him to stick around the Giants organization. Pro baseball needs more players who wish they could just worry about having fun and going to the snack shack.

And selfishly, I'm not interested in sharing those Kevin Frandsen Omm Moments with another franchise.

Things I love: Little League Opening Day

I can say it doesn't get any better, but it does.

My guys kicked off their Little League season over the weekend.

The biggest change?

Q. is on a team. Finally. No more waiting. He's an official t-baller.

Seeing my littlest guy all suited up in his uniform, well, it caused this mama to sigh an awful lot.

And then seeing my biggest kid, all lanky with a true gamer attitude, watching the even bigger kids get ready to play? That made me sigh an awful lot too.

And I have to make an embarrassing confession. At his game later in the day, he made a move that made me jump out of my seat and yell. And I looked back at the other parents and realized they were all yelling too. The play? He was stuck between third and the plate, a true game of pickle with the gal on third base coming after him. And he hustled his way to the plate and scored a run.

I felt that odd mixture of pride and complete mortification: My kid just did something really cool and scored a run! But oh sweet Jesus,  did I really catapult my body that quickly and far?

Oh yes I did.

I swore to my fellow team parents I would try my hardest to never do it again.

I hope they did not see my fingers crossed behind my back.

Even Tim Lincecum cleans his own shoes...

Well, hello there Crazy Legs. I see you trying to sneak into Scottsdale Stadium unnoticed by eager fans waiting for their "Timmy Sighting." Don't worry. I won't tell.

But seriously, what's the haps, Lincy? Will I ever get to see you pitch live? Aha, time to change out of your cleats. FYI, my kid is taking notice.

Dude. I know you can fire a ball at an alarming speed but hello, you are super slow at the changing of the shoes. Is this a boy thing? Because my little guys? Almost as slow as you. Better hurry up or you'll soon be hearing the relentless cry of  "Tim! Tiiiiiiimmmmmmy!"

What is this I see? You are cleaning your cleats to rid them of dirt? Um, can you do that again so my Big Kid can witness Mr. Two-Time Cy Young Award Winner taking care of his own shoes? Because this is one thing you do that I am totally okay with him copying. (It would be okay if you showed him how to throw a changeup someday, too. Just sayin'.)


No? It's alright. The photographic proof I have on hand is quite enough. Catch you later.

We're back from Spring Training with tales to tell. For now, this'll do.

 

Things I love (local edition): Outdoor fun

The weather in the Bay Area has been unpredictable for the past few weeks. Days of rain and hail. Days of clouds and blustery wind. Days of sun that deceive the mind and make you want to throw on flip flops when you should be wearing boots and tights.

This week, after rain, clouds, wind, hail and sun -- sometimes all in one day -- it's finally bright and cheerful out. For more than an hour. And it makes me yearn for hot spring and summer days. Also? It makes me want to be outside for really long periods of time.

I'm fortunate that I live in an area where there is no shortage of outdoor escapes for family days. My three favorites?

• Shoreline Park (Mountain View): My kids are content just to play on the model ship in the middle of the park. They jump off the sides yelling "Man overboard" and land in heaps of sand. For extra fun, we can rent a paddle boat, ride bikes around the trails or Q's love, go fly a kite in the kite-flying area.

• San Francisco. Yes. All. Of. It. Our best Saturdays include taking the train to the City, walking along the water to the Ferry Building, catching a "city train" or trolley, and snacking along the way.

• Oakland Zoo. Here's the thing. My kids like the zoo, but they LOVE the rides. There have been many days when we've never even made it over to the zoo side. (You can get an year-long membership to the zoo for $40 via Savvy Source -- it usually costs $85.)

So there you have it!

What are your favorite things to do in your area?

Sounds that new parents can look forward to...

Nol sat at the kitchen table reading a book while I worked on dinner (Lentil soup, if you must know). Aside from the chop, chop, chop of my knife dicing carrots and celery, the house was mostly quiet. Nol erupted in laughter. I looked over and he was quiet again. Another cackle. Apparently Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw is pretty damn funny. The best part? My big kid gets the humour on his own.

The sound of your young child laughing while reading independently is melodic. It causes those parental feelings of pride, warmth, love and nostalgia to all gush around in your brain. Also? It makes you smile.

While Nol finished off his book, I continued to putter in the kitchen. But I also started thinking about all of those sounds that were new to me as a parent. Sure, kids can make lots and lots of annoying, loud noises. But also? They make unexpected sounds that bring such happiness when you hear them for the first time.

I have a few friends becoming first-time parents in the near future and while they're all stressed out about diapers and poop and babies crying, what color to paint the nursery, and you know, the laboring and delivering business, they're also excited about hearing their newborn's first cries. (I should add that typing that last line made me tear up as I recalled my boys' births.) 

Note to these soon-to-be parents: You'll spend an infinite amount of time watching your kids and you'll become wistful as you watch them grow up before your eyes. But you also need to spend an infinite amount of time listening to them from afar because holy cow, you will melt.

Do you know how much you have to look forward to?

Sounds that could stop you in your tracks, make you wax poetic when you hear them for the first time, and make you hope you will remember that exact moment years from now: 

• Your kid laughing while reading a book independently (see above).

• Your kid's imagination running wild as he/she applies new facts and ideas learned from preschool and books to toys/games.

• Your kid saying "Good Morning, Sunshine" and giving you a kiss on your nose when you wake him/her up one morning.

• Your kid telling you that his snot expulsion from a sneeze is still faster than Tim Lincecum's fastball.

• Young siblings conversing about how to structure a fairy house made out of twigs, leaves, buttons and flowers. And little cups so the fairies have swimming pools.

• Your preschooler trying to explain to you why he is upset because you didn't ask for a book nicely, you just took it, and that hurt his feelings.

• Your big kid trying to talk your little kid into doing something sneaky and it's so ridiculous that you have to see how it plays out because seriously, you want them to get away with it.

Do you remember first-time sounds -- beyond the newborn stage -- from your kids that made you smile?

When a Louisville Slugger arrives on your doorstep...

...baseballs and whiffles are strewn about the backyard after an afternoon of playing catch and taking BP (along with the tell-tale patch of dirt that serves as home plate)...

...and Easton cleats are left on bedroom floors exactly where they were removed from tired feet wearing dark socks covered in red dirt...

...one thing is certain: Little League baseball season has arrived.