Baseball and Hungary. As discussed in my Ping Pong post, it's hard to even BUY baseball equipment here, let alone find a team. But there is a small and growing Little League in the Budapest area, and the kids' school hosted a small tournament to bring a few of the teams together. To put this in context, even though Nicholas is technically playing baseball here, it's nothing like in the States. He has after school baseball once a week, for less than one hour. Of the group of about 30 kids (girls and boys in 3rd-5th grade), most have never even played baseball, and many aren't interested in playing actual games. I don't think we're in Chesterfield anymore, Toto! All the same, it's better than nothing, and Nicholas has fun. We were very curious how the tournament would go. Then we got the rules the night before:
1. Each game will consist of 4 innings or 24 minutes,
whichever happens first.
2. An at-bat consists of 2 balls & 2 strikes; hitters
must be aggressive
3. A batting turn for a team will consist of whichever
happens first:
a. 6-minutes
b. 3 outs
c. 4 runs scored by the batting team
4. Scoring will only be achieved when batting as per
normal baseball rules (when crossing the plate = 1pt.). Points will not be awarded for hits or
defensive put-outs.
5. A ball hit into the bleachers will be considered a
ground-ruled single.
6. Balls hit off the wall or ceiling will be in play. If caught it is an out; if not it is played
as a ground ball.
7. No lead-offs or stealing.
8. Foul lines will be implemented. The ball must be hit into fair territory to
be in play. Foul balls hit with one
strike already will count as a strike out.
9. A hit ball that directly hits the far wall away from
home plate will count as an automatic home run.
What? 24 minute games? 2 balls and 2 strikes to get out? It was strange enough that it was going to be played indoors. And not "indoor" like some MLB teams have covered stadiums with actual baseball fields. Indoor like just in a gym. With rubber bases put down. And no lines (or at least none that correspond with baseball). But off we went to the tournament...
Against all odds, the Sparks (AISB's high school team is the Blazers, the Elementary School is the Sparks) ended up in the gold medal game. We were getting creamed. It was 5-1 with one inning (I think??) left. Did I mention Tom was the umpire? He was. That wasn't a big deal. Until this game. The team that was crushing us had a player running from 3rd to home. Our catcher was standing on home, waiting for the throw. The opposing player (who was gigantic) mowed down our catcher. Like a hockey check. The catcher went flying. Tom called an out (it was their third, which even in these screwy rules meant the end of the inning) and said the run didn't count. The coach lost. His. Mind. He didn't speak great English, but just kept screaming at Tom "THIS IS BASEBALL!". Over and over. I was in the stands dying. Our first experience meeting the other families from school, and our first athletic experience, and Tom is at the center of a major controversy. Tom gave the coach a little time to pull it together, then had to toss him from the game. The coach screamed that if he was going, he was pulling his team too. Tom calmly said that he wasn't kicking out his kids, just him. But no...the coach walked with his team. And that was the end of the tournament. So we won the gold medal in the strangest baseball tournament ever. Our head coach and several of the other coaches told Tom he was 100% in the right, and that the opposing coach has a reputation and has gotten tossed before. But wow. Quite an initiation!
Tom staying out of the melee.
and he walks...
Yea Sparks! Signs of wins to come??
