A player for the Red Sox swung the bat. The ball sailed into the air. The crowd went wild. Go. Go. The fans were yelling.

The player ran a few steps and then wavered. He looked around with some confusion. A coach jumped forward and gestured wildly towards first base, shouting, ?That way! That way!? The Red Sox player got his bearing again and tore off towards first base. The crowd was forgiving and went wild again.

?Good job honey,? a coach hollered from the sidelines ? the player?s mom.

On Saturday mornings starting in April, 143 children ages four to seven get together for T-ball on the Southampton Glebe School field.

T-ball is a fun introduction to baseball. There is no pitching at this level and the team players, dressed in real team shirts and hats, hit the ball off a T. There are 12 teams of 12 and most of the children are from the West End. For those at the East End of the Island there is a similar group that plays in St. David?s.

It is part of the Bermuda Youth Sports Programme (BYSP) that also organises baseball, soccer and basketball teams for local kids.

?What we do is a bit like air traffic control,? said head coach Dominic Powell, whose two sons Tucker, 5, and Dylan, 6, are on the Red Sox team. ?We bring them in and we send them out.?

A member of the Rays team stepped up to the T that was within the safe confines of a batting cage. The ball was placed on top of the T.

There?s no pitching at this stage. He took a swing at it. It looked simple, but not so much to a four- or five-year old. He whacked the black T over.

A coach righted the T. He took another swing and knocked it over again. It was righted. Finally, the ball went into the air. There was a mad scramble to get the ball. A little girl with a long brown pony tail poking out from under her baseball cap grabbed it up. About 25 per cent of the players are female.

?Throw it home honey, throw it home,? a mom yelled.

One kid took third and was about to run home when the coach standing at the base stopped him and said: ?Remember we?re not doing multiple bases right now. We?re just taking it one at a time.?

The pace had to be slow because this was the first ever baseball game for many children on the team.

?We are teaching sportsmanship,? said Mr. Powell. ?We are teaching them to play with the team.

?We are only teaching them a part of the game because they will learn more as they go up to the different levels. We just want to get the basics, how to catch, how to hit, how to throw and how to play with the team.?

A coach on second bent down and gave a boy barely out of diapers some encouragement. ?You have to touch the base with your foot,? he said gently.

The people watching cheered whether the kids were tagged or got home safely.

?Good job buddy, good job. Alright Red Sox. Good play, we can?t get them all. Remember after you hit the ball, run,? were some of the things being shouted from the sidelines.

When they arrived back at the batting cage, the children were greeted with hugs and high fives.

Some parents stood on the sidelines clapping and waving, while others lounged with younger siblings on picnic blankets with water and snacks.

The score was 21 to 10. The game came to an end.

?Okay, everyone line up,? the coach called and the children from each team obeyed. They marched past each other and touched their opponents? hands saying, ?Good game. Good game.?

A lot of the kids wore their baseball hats under their protective helmets. It was clear that wearing the uniform was as much of a thrill as actually hitting the ball.

?My kids love it,? said Mr. Powell. ?Everyone likes to put on a uniform. They get very excited about putting on their hats and shirts. Then they get to play with their friends every weekend.?

Mr. Powell said one advantage of the programme is that the kids make friends with children who do not necessarily go to the same school. Often after a game, the children might get together at their homes to continue playing. At the end of the season the coaches of the different teams also hold a barbeque or some kind of get together. T-ball is also a great way for parents to meet each other.

In addition to the game on Saturday, the teams practice at least once a week after school. Each coach has a bag with equipment. The equipment and uniforms are all sponsored by local companies.

?It is all run by volunteers,? said Mr. Powell who is an analyst for a hedge fund when he isn?t coaching the Red Sox. ?The coaches are volunteers. The managers of the leagues are volunteers. It is all done to keep the costs to a minimum and get everybody involved.

?Sponsorship is very important. It helps us to buy and maintain the equipment and get the rental of the space. You have to keep the equipment in good condition for the safety of the kids.?

He said some companies choose to sponsor the teams because their employees are involved in some way either as parents or coaches, and sometimes companies sponsor a team just because they want to help with a positive community activity.

As Mr. Powell?s team drifted away after the game to allow two new teams to play, a little boy came up to Mr. Powell.

?Thank you Mr. Powell,? he said.

?Thank you and have a good weekend.?

The boy in blue baseball cap beamed for a moment and then ran off.

?The whole reason it was put together was to introduce them to sports and give them something constructive to do,? said Mr. Powell.

?T-ball starts at the beginning of the year and it introduces them to sport, but I have found it is really good for families. My whole family is up here the whole morning for the games. Last year when I was running it I needed a coach so I asked one guy. He was a little reluctant. At the end of the season, I spoke to him and he said it was great. He said: ?I loved it. I spent time with my son.?

?He is now actually running the soccer league for this age group for us. So we took a guy who is a good family man and got him right involved with sports and his kids.?

He said there are so many adults on the field because they wanted the children to feel comfortable.

?We want to introduce the kids to the sport but not get them scared of it,? he said.

?We haven?t had the parents getting too competitive. For the past two or three years everything has been very positive. You want the kids to do well. You clap for their team and you clap for your team.?

In the United States T-ball is almost a rite of passage. Mr. Powell said in Bermuda the T-ball scene was a little more relaxed.

?After this league they go up to rookie league,? he said. ?After that there is little league and the senior league. In the rookie league, Instead of hitting it off a T there is an electric pitching machine.

?Then they have a whole bunch of rules up there that they have to learn. Here at this stage we just keep it very basic.?

Michelle Wolfe, whose son Logan is five years old, said she thought being involved in T-ball was helping her child to develop team work.

?I think it teaches them team work and encourages them to have fun,? she said. ?It is a good athletic activity for them.?

Robin Hamill whose son Lyon, 5, is a T-ball player said the kids all have a great time.

Big Brother Freedom Burrows brought his six-year-old Little Brother, Paul, to T-ball and helped to coach.

?It is just helping him to get involved in a sport,? said Mr. Burrows. ?He is six and he is just trying out different sports right now. He hasn?t really picked anything. This is somewhere for him to start. There is the camaraderie with other children. They are excited to get a jersey. They like that.?