[jyl]

My son (5 y/o) is starting T-ball. So we got him a kid's glove and a "soft baseball" and went out in the front yard for some gentle tossing and catching. He caught the ball sometimes (effusive praise), and othertimes got hit in the chest, shoulder, head, and (finally) eye. Back in the house with ice . . . glad we got the "soft" ball.

Hmm, should we start with a whiffle ball instead?

I never played baseball as a kid. Can throw accurately and hard, but that's from nailing things with rocks, not from any organized sport. Naturally, there's not much call to catch rocks.