Yes, you read the headline right.  Baseball though, not conscription.

Shocked isn't the right word.  Appalled, maybe.  Sad, definitely.

I'll set the scene.  Around 2:30pm this afternoon I took my 8 year old son Sam to Tumwater High School to register him for baseball.  He played T-Ball a few years ago and didn't really enjoy himself but wanted to give it another shot and I agree with him.

Since the initial season of baseball he's played two years of football and basketball and found his rhythm as an athlete on the grow.  He has a long way to go but his progress is highly commendable.  I am extremely proud of his dedication even when he continually struggles against more gifted athletes.  He never quits.

Having been told this was a "tryout" I was a little concerned for Sam.  Everyone plays, sure.  But how much?  Is this tryout serious?  Should we have skipped basketball this morning to ready his groundball skills?  I watched him take a couple grounders to the face a few days ago because he won't sit in his seat while fielding.  Same thing in the classroom.

When it was our turn to hand in our registration we were asked to come back at 4:30pm and given a number.  More kids than anticipated had registered.  No big deal.  My curiosity began to peak and I decided to ask about this tryout and why the number?  I mean, he has a name.  The friendly woman at the registration desk suggested I look in the gym to better understand what was expected of Sam later this afternoon.

WOW!