Opening day

DG Youth Baseball is back in full—dare I say—swing. This year Will's instructional league team is the Raptors, named for the minor league Ogden (Utah) Raptors. It's fair to say the coaches' choice of names was swayed by its dino roots.

Since this game was the opener, the coaches introduced each player, and everyone faced the flag for the National Anthem. Very authentic.
Will's batting has improved noticeably from last year. No more tee for him! (I apologize for my notoriously steady hand, thus the blurry photos.)
Since the kids rotate positions, Will had a chance to play catcher. It was among his favorites last year because of the gear. He's still a little fuzzy on the whole idea of actually catching the ball, though.
His fielding was a little better, too—he paid more attention to the ball than the dirt.
Our neighbor is the team manager, and he recruited a willing Andy to be a coach. His many duties include pitching a few innings.
Meanwhile in the peanut gallery, a heavily-made-up Ellie was busy stopping to smell the dandelions... so much so, she had a yellow nose to show for it. Not sure why she required marker on her cheek.
She and another little sister, Megan, colored in Elle's coloring book and played house in our "Neat Sheet."
The coaches were pleasantly surprised by how well the boys paid attention. And you can already pick out a few star athletes. We don't keep score, but the Raptors did a great job. Look at these proud players:
What a bunch of hams! It's going to be a fun summer. ;)