Aviel's First Pitch
Family Day at the ballpark was one of the treasures of my childhood. This is a very special day for MLB families where the club provides us all with uniforms to match our dads', we play a little game on the field, have family portraits, BBQ, clowns making balloon animals.... bubbles.... fun times. When I moved to Israel, I never thought it would be something my own children would get to experience. God is so good, though. He truly does grant the desires of our hearts.... and exceedingly and abundantly more.
Over the weekend, while on our Great American Adventure, Devin, Aviel and I traveled to Milwaukee to visit my dad, Jerry Narron, who is the Brewers Bench Coach, and participate in the Brewer's Family Day! All of the children participating were in a drawing for the ceremonial first pitch, and Aviel won! I was so excited to hear the news that our little guy would be the one to open the game. My sister, Cara, shared the news with me, and in my heart I knew it was a special gift from the Lord!
Aviel practiced with my dad, aka Grandsir*, before the game while we were playing on the field. He was all warmed up and ready. I talked to the Brewer's family coordinator about positioning him a little closer to home plate so that his pitch would make it to my dad. Standing on the infield grass made logical sense to both of us, but not to Aviel!
We stood on the warning track and waited for the announcer to call us to the field. My dad took his very comfortable looking position at homeplate. A former MLB catcher, he was right at home. It blessed me to see his face at the plate from a field view. I only remember watching him from behind as a child. Aviel and I continued to the infield, but he wanted to go to the mound. I grabbed him and tried to position him in the grass. The crowd sort of laughed at our interactions. Then, to my great fear, he got away!
He's going to have a belly flop tantrum... or run away.... in front of everyone!
I seriously didn't know what to do! But Aviel sure did!
He ran up to the mound, and plopped his little feet hard on the rubber. The crowd roared with joyful cheers at his fierce determination! They all got a little glimpse of his Israeli chutzpah!
I motioned to Grandsir to come closer, but he thought they were both fine.
Then the wind up.... and the pitch!
He made it farther past the mound than I expected... the ball bounced a little in the grass and Grandsir scooped it up. Grandsir then jogged to the mound, with a proud fist pump and we all high-fived!
As we walked back to the warning track together, I was still feeling a little self-concious about our near way-public-tantrum experience, but Devin's giant grin settled my nerves!
"That was great!" said my beaming husband.
The fans loved and it was a really special day for our family as well. For the entire rest of the day, passersby greeted Aviel with smiles and congratulated him on how great his pitch was. And since then, I have been blown away by the various sports blog posts and the views the video clip has received! I hope it continues to bless others as much as it blessed us!
I am awed by how loving our heavenly Father is. Baseball was something I put in the alabaster box that I broke over His feet when I obediently followed Him to Israel. He has returned it to me in such sweet ways.
*When my sisters and I began having children, my dad asked to be called Grandsir after his maternal grandfather who went by the same title with his grandchildren.
Here's a few links to different articles:
Brewer's Bench Coach's Three Year Old Grandson Throws Ceremonial First Pitch From Pitcher's Mound (NESN)
First Pitch Fireworks for Jerry Narron's Grandson (Fox Sports Wisconsin)
Grandson of Brewers Coach Throws out First Pitch like a Boss (USA Today Sports)
Over the weekend, while on our Great American Adventure, Devin, Aviel and I traveled to Milwaukee to visit my dad, Jerry Narron, who is the Brewers Bench Coach, and participate in the Brewer's Family Day! All of the children participating were in a drawing for the ceremonial first pitch, and Aviel won! I was so excited to hear the news that our little guy would be the one to open the game. My sister, Cara, shared the news with me, and in my heart I knew it was a special gift from the Lord!
Aviel practiced with my dad, aka Grandsir*, before the game while we were playing on the field. He was all warmed up and ready. I talked to the Brewer's family coordinator about positioning him a little closer to home plate so that his pitch would make it to my dad. Standing on the infield grass made logical sense to both of us, but not to Aviel!
We stood on the warning track and waited for the announcer to call us to the field. My dad took his very comfortable looking position at homeplate. A former MLB catcher, he was right at home. It blessed me to see his face at the plate from a field view. I only remember watching him from behind as a child. Aviel and I continued to the infield, but he wanted to go to the mound. I grabbed him and tried to position him in the grass. The crowd sort of laughed at our interactions. Then, to my great fear, he got away!
He's going to have a belly flop tantrum... or run away.... in front of everyone!
I seriously didn't know what to do! But Aviel sure did!
He ran up to the mound, and plopped his little feet hard on the rubber. The crowd roared with joyful cheers at his fierce determination! They all got a little glimpse of his Israeli chutzpah!
I motioned to Grandsir to come closer, but he thought they were both fine.
Then the wind up.... and the pitch!
He made it farther past the mound than I expected... the ball bounced a little in the grass and Grandsir scooped it up. Grandsir then jogged to the mound, with a proud fist pump and we all high-fived!
As we walked back to the warning track together, I was still feeling a little self-concious about our near way-public-tantrum experience, but Devin's giant grin settled my nerves!
"That was great!" said my beaming husband.
The fans loved and it was a really special day for our family as well. For the entire rest of the day, passersby greeted Aviel with smiles and congratulated him on how great his pitch was. And since then, I have been blown away by the various sports blog posts and the views the video clip has received! I hope it continues to bless others as much as it blessed us!
I am awed by how loving our heavenly Father is. Baseball was something I put in the alabaster box that I broke over His feet when I obediently followed Him to Israel. He has returned it to me in such sweet ways.
The official MLB clip
Narron's Grandson Throws From the Mound
*When my sisters and I began having children, my dad asked to be called Grandsir after his maternal grandfather who went by the same title with his grandchildren.
Here's a few links to different articles:
Brewer's Bench Coach's Three Year Old Grandson Throws Ceremonial First Pitch From Pitcher's Mound (NESN)
First Pitch Fireworks for Jerry Narron's Grandson (Fox Sports Wisconsin)
Grandson of Brewers Coach Throws out First Pitch like a Boss (USA Today Sports)
Brewers Bench Coach’s
Three-Year-Old Grandson Throws Ceremonial First Pitch From Pitcher’s
Mound (Video)
Read more at: http://nesn.com/2013/07/brewers-bench-coachs-three-year-old-grandson-throws-ceremonial-first-pitch-from-pitchers-mound-video/
Read more at: http://nesn.com/2013/07/brewers-bench-coachs-three-year-old-grandson-throws-ceremonial-first-pitch-from-pitchers-mound-video/
Brewers Bench Coach’s
Three-Year-Old Grandson Throws Ceremonial First Pitch From Pitcher’s
Mound (Video)
Read more at: http://nesn.com/2013/07/brewers-bench-coachs-three-year-old-grandson-throws-ceremonial-first-pitch-from-pitchers-mound-video/
Read more at: http://nesn.com/2013/07/brewers-bench-coachs-three-year-old-grandson-throws-ceremonial-first-pitch-from-pitchers-mound-video/
Brewers Bench Coach’s
Three-Year-Old Grandson Throws Ceremonial First Pitch From Pitcher’s
Mound (Video)
Read more at: http://nesn.com/2013/07/brewers-bench-coachs-three-year-old-grandson-throws-ceremonial-first-pitch-from-pitchers-mound-video/
Read more at: http://nesn.com/2013/07/brewers-bench-coachs-three-year-old-grandson-throws-ceremonial-first-pitch-from-pitchers-mound-video/
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