Tee-ball. It's a game where some kids run the bases backwards, some hold the bat the wrong way and some don't even know what an out is. But Tee-ball is also a game where kids interact with their friends, learn how to play and most of all, have a whole lot of fun.
The Cloquet Youth Tee-ball League is in full swing at Braun Park on a weekly basis, where handfuls of adorable youngsters bring their gloves, bats and balls to enjoy an evening of fun.
The league consists of kids ages 5-6, and all eight co-ed teams are scheduled to play six games throughout the season that runs through July 22.
The rules are quite simple - games last one hour, both teams bat and play the field twice and every player gets the chance to both bat and score, as well as rotate positions in the field throughout the evening. There are no outs, no innings and no controversy.
"The kids are just out here to have fun and learn the game," said Cloquet Red head coach Darin Randa, who is in his first year of coaching Tee-ball. "I love the game and it's really a lot of fun to see the kids running round and enjoy learning how to play."
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Randa, along with other coaches in the league, takes part in the game itself in order to help teach the young ball players, as there are coaches designated to both the field and at bat, to make sure that kids stay on task and learn how to play the game the right way.
And boy do the kids learn quickly.
"You really can see the kids develop as the season goes on," said Randa, who began coaching Tee-ball this year because his 5-year-old son, James, plays in the league. "They really pick up the game quickly."
In just a few weeks, most kids are now running bases, holding the bat correctly and know what it means to be "out."
"Some kids didn't even know what a field was when they started," laughed Randa. "But nowadays more and more kids come up to me and tell me they watched the Twins game the other night. It's just a whole lot of fun watching these kids enjoy the sport and grow with the game."
