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batting cage bliss turned nightmare

For the first time in years I returned to the Plex....It's fun-omenal. The wife, my bro, his fiancé and my kid trekked it up to the Plex with batting cages on the brain.

I figured, what's the best way to waste $10 and not worry about buyer's remorse. So after about 100 swings I remembered how much of a challenge it is to hit a ball covered in divots, knee high at 85 mph.

I got a couple good cuts and a couple bad ones.

It all went well until I almost saw a little girl get her head taken off by a 50 mph fastball. The best thing to do when something is being thrown at you — is to know its coming. Simple enough.

Paying attention is key, but this little girl was a lollygagger. She was in the batting cage for a few minutes until her allotted time ran out. She put in another token and started up the machine. Then for some reason her mind started to wander.

Wandering minds aren't such a good thing when a baseball is coming right at you. Anyways second pitch she takes one off the leg. It takes her a few seconds to realize she had just been hit and then the tears start to flow.

Again still not a good time to not pay attention. She slumps over and crosses home plate and stops. One ball zooms by her head. At that moment I thought she was a goner. I tried to yell at her to get her out of the way, but it took one more pitch before she finally realized the balls were still coming.

I opened the batting cage gate, she grabbed sobbingly at her face threw her helmet to the ground and ran off to mommy....?

Good question. Where was mommy as her 11, maybe 12-year old, girl was staring down batting practice?

I have no idea.

I also have no idea a little kids don't come with a leash. Kids run off. And after seeing that Saturday, at the Plex, I had to drive out to Iowa Park Sunday for a kid who had drowned in the Iowa Park Lake.

It was just a bad deal all around. The kid ran off, Iowa Park cops say, and the parents weren't paying much attention. He's gone a few minutes before mom and dad came to realize their boy was gone.

He was found in the lake. They tried CPR, but it was too late. They flew him to the hospital, but he was dead.

My gut wants to say, why weren't they watching the kid? 9 times out of 10, but as a new parent I can only grieve the parents in that type of accident. They can't blame themselves, it was an accident.

He was only 3 1/2, but that is 3 1/2 years of memories. It’s sad. But you gotta move on.

Posted by Clayton Hein at 1:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)