OH NO!

Situation:

Daughter who will be 13 in November. Played T-ball, every once in a while plays catch or hits a few balls and will be a freshman next year.

Has been into gymnastics since age 8, with little or no life outside because of the grind. Now practices 6 days a week, 4 1/2 hours a day and will skip level 8 this year and probably compete at level 9. For those who don't know what that is, most college gymnasts compete at level 9 or 10.

But alas, she seems to be reaching the limit of her endurance. With the constant work, pressures, pains and coaches acting much like Gestapo interrogation specialists, she's starting to wonder if there aren't other sports she can play in HS that aren't quite so demanding.

Mom comes home last night and tells me she told my daughter that if she quits gym, dad will work with her and she will be able to get on the girls FP softball team at school which has gone to the state championships 2 years running.

Now I love my wife, love my daughter, think I'm pretty knowledgeable about baseball and have the ability to teach, but guys, if I get stuck in this one and manage to just be able to get her on the team, I'm gonna be expecting some serious homage!

We've tried to tell my wife for several years now that she wasn't quite understanding the difference between the level my son was playing at and the level the other kids were, but we gave up trying.

Obviously, we should have tried harder!