Second Season: Day 15

Kyle logged another day at early camp. When we pulled up to the field this morning, the big leaguers were still out practicing. I took a few moments to sit and watch them. It's becoming surreal, to watch big leaguers, and see that Kyle could very well compete with them. He wasn't ready last year, he's grown so much since then. 

The hot topic of the day: The MLB changed some rules of the game. Catchers are no longer allowed to block the plate, and there are to be no egregious collisions from the runner. This is good for Kyle, he frequently has to slide around catchers at home who are blocking the plate with out the ball. Sliding around an aggressive catcher can cause serious injuries. The MLB also imposed the "neighborhood" rule. Meaning that if a player is to turn a double play, from second to first, the fielder must merely be "in the neighborhood" of the bag, but is not required to touch it. If the player has to move from the vicinity of second to field or catch the ball then he must touch the bag. This has been an unspoken rule for decades, but with the new institution of instant replay, it needed to be verbalized. Yes, I said instant replay! From here on out, each MLB coach will be given one "instant replay challenge" up until the 6th inning of the game. If the coach wins his challenge then he will be alotted one more challenge for those 6 innings. For the later innings, after the first 7, all the instant replay calls will be determined by the booth. It's a season of change. 

My husband, rocking his Valentines day present for the first time: off the field shades!