An Unusual Obsession

Baseball is a sport that requires a bit of equipment.  At the bare minimum, a player needs a glove and a bat.  Add cleats, sliding shorts, batting gloves, a protective cup, a helmet, and a cap and you have a list of essentials that most players would consider complete.  J isn't most players.  My son has an obsession with owning as much baseball equipment as he possibly can.  Let's take a brief look at the list of equipment J currently owns:  two wooden bats, an aluminum bat, and a bbcor bat, a catcher's mitt, first baseman's mitt(this one is his pride and joy, it's a beauty)a fielder's mitt, a couple pair of batting gloves, an equipment bag large enough for A to take up residence in, numerous pairs of sliders, pants, socks, belts, caps, and jerseys, cleats, turf shoes, three titanium sports necklaces, numerous power bands and wrist bands, a shin guard, a wrist guard, a compression sleeve(that has permanently taken on the odor of a dead sea otter) a batting helmet, and a complete set of catcher's gear.  I think that's everything.  For the moment.

Does he truly need all of this stuff?  The honest answer is no.  And I would like to add that I am not the one who buys it all.  Yes hubby and I buy a fair amount of equipment for him.  But we tend to stick to essentials like bats, gloves, and cleats. He turns on the charm for my mom who buys him the rest of it.  I tell her he doesn't need it, but she enjoys doing it so I've given up.   J is like a little kid turned loose in a candy shop when new baseball catalogs arrive in the mail.  He pores over them, circling things he'd like to have, as well as some things he simply finds humorous, especially if he thinks an item will get a good reaction out of Coach C, who likes to give J grief over his equipment obsession.  There have been countless hours of amusement  over J's shin guard.  Coach C insists that there's no need for it since J has only once, in all the years he's played, ever taken a ball to the shin.  That happened just a few weeks ago and J gleefully told Coach C about it when we saw him.  J's argument is that there is a need for the shin guard now that he's been hit.  Coach C said it didn't count since he hadn't been there to see the ball hit J's shin.   The two of them enjoy going round and round on this topic.

So does J really use all this stuff?  Yes, he does.  He loves decking himself out in all his wrist bands, sleeves, necklaces, etc before a game. He has come to realize that Coach C is right in saying that all that stuff weighs him down running bases, so he usually takes a lot of  it off when a game actually starts.  He just enjoys the ritual of it all.  That and messing with Coach C.  As for his bats and gloves, those he does use with regularity.  In fact, he needs a new bbcor bat before spring season.  Since a new bat is a serious investment, I turned to Coach C for some advice and our conversation ended up being the inspiration for this post.  Christmas is coming and I'm sure J's stocking will be filled with baseball stuff.  Some of it needed and some of it just for the sheer pleasure it brings him.

Our Life in Pictures

Things have been so busy since school started that I've really fallen behind on my blogging.  I'm hoping to be able to get back to regular posting soon, but in the meantime, I thought it might be fun to share some of my favorite pictures from the last several months.  So here goes:  our summer in pictures.

 This is A in her sparkly TP shirt that my friend C made for her.  She wore this outfit to the majority of the games over the summer.  She's convinced it's a good luck charm for the team.

 A and Coach C's pregame ritual.  He hit her ground balls before every game she attended.

 Is she the cutest bat girl ever or what?

I just love this picture of my sassy princess.

 My all time favorite picture of A and Coach C.   She has this one in a frame on her night table.

 A competed in her first swim meet in July.  Here she is swimming butterfly.

 This was J's game changing hit in TP's championship game.

 Here he is at first base after his awesome hit.  That's Coach K with him.

 Coach C presenting J with his championship medal.

 After the big win.

 N playing mini golf in St. Augustine.

 N and cousin M

 This is hubby and I with Cousin B at her high school graduation.

 Hubby and Coach C during an intense chess game at our hotel in Jupiter.

 N doing duty as bat boy during the Junior Olympics tournament.

Most of the family at cousin B's graduation.

So there you go.  A sampling of my favorite pictures from the summer.  I'll get back to regular posting soon, but in the meantime I hope you enjoy this peek into our family album.

Baseball and Little Girl Dreams

This weekend was another busy one, with J having four games.  The first two on Saturday were for the high school's fall team.  Then yesterday the TP fall team traveled about 2 1/2 hours to play against a community college team.  J was excited about that for two reasons.  First the opportunity to play against a college team was both a thrill and a challenge.  Second, this college is located in the same town as Coach C's university, which meant we'd get to see him.  He doesn't coach the team in the fall.  With the distance and his school schedule it just isn't practical.   The owner of TP takes over during the fall, and while I do think he does a wonderful job, we can't wait for Coach C's return to the field next summer.

We had a great day, that started off with breakfast with Coach C.  He had plans for the afternoon and was unable to attend the games, but we left home early so we could spend time with him beforehand.  Following our breakfast reunion, we headed over to the nearby college field so J could take batting practice and get warmed up with the team.  I'd like to report that TP blew their opponent off the field, but I'd be fibbing.  This team was quite good, and presented TP with a very big challenge.  They unfortunately lost both games.  However, the experience was a valuable one.  J himself had both good and bad aspects of his game.  His hitting was off.  He had two strikeouts, a ground out, and a fly out.  While disappointed he didn't make a better showing, he says getting the chance to face quality college pitchers was worth it.  It enabled him to see what the game is like at the next level so he can work on improving his own skills in order to be ready.  Fielding he actually did pretty good.  He played right field and first base, making some good plays at both positions.  Those fielding mechanics have come a long way  since the start of the summer when he was having his difficulties.   Our friends  K and K were able to join us with their children for the second game, making an already good day even nicer.

Of course, A was thrilled to see Coach C yesterday.  It's been about six weeks since he returned to school and she's been missing him.  She still has a huge crush on him, and is actively planning their wedding again.  I always take him a care package when we visit, so this time she wanted to get involved.  She made him a little cake in her Easy Bake Oven, frosted it, and had me pack it carefully with the other goodies we had for him.  Saturday night she was so excited we had a hard time getting her into bed, and from the moment she opened her eyes yesterday, she was full of energy and excitement.  I lost count of how many times she asked if we were almost there yet.  We beat Coach C to the restaurant by about three minutes and she anxiously kept watch for him.  He greeted her with a big bear hug and from that moment on she was attached to his hip.  She kept up a running chatter during breakfast, and was thrilled when he ate the cake she made for him and told her it was delicious.  Later on she told me that was the best part of her day.  Honestly, I don't know when this crush of hers will start to fade.  She absolutely adores Coach C and has been telling me lately that I need to let her marry him before he becomes an old man.  I just laugh and tell her she can't get married til she grows up.    Her response is usually eye rolling along with some exasperated sighing.  Maybe one of these times I should ask her when she'd like me to schedule the wedding  just to see her reaction.  Although knowing A, she might take me seriously and try to drag Coach C to the altar!    I admit watching her innocent pursuit of Coach C still makes me laugh, especially because it freaks hubby out a bit, her being his baby girl and all.  Coach C, as always, is a champion, taking it all with good humor.  After all,  A has him wrapped as tightly around her sassy little finger as she does the rest of us.  A is already asking me when we'll see Coach C again, and even though I don't have an answer for her yet, she's happily making plans and dreaming her little girl dreams.  

Catching Up

I just realized it's been a month since my last post.  It doesn't feel like that much time has passed but it's been a super busy month. Aren't they all?  Here's a quick recap of what we've been up to.

Once the TP season ended, Cousin M arrived for a three week visit.  During his visit, we took a day trip to St. Augustine to visit with my dear friend J and her family, who were in town on vacation.  Following that, I took J and M on an official visit to Saint Leo University, which is on J's list of possible colleges.  J and M then spent the weekend with my brother, who lives near the college we toured.  After that, we had Coach C over for a combination farewell/birthday dinner, though he did the cooking, impressing us all with his cooking skills. Next up, Aunt S and Cousin B arrived for a week long visit.  After my aunt and cousins departed it was time to get ready for school to start.  J has been back in school for a week and a half, while N and A have a week under their belts.  As always, back to school time is a bit of adjustment as we all get used not only to the school schedule but the fall activity schedule.  All three kids have full schedules for the fall.

J is swimming his third season for the high school.  He's also signed up to play on the fall TP 18U team.  His school will also be having a fall ball season, which he should be able to do since TP is primarily on the weekends.  He's off to a good start with his schoolwork, taking AP and honors classes.  His training program is back in full swing, too.  He continues to keep his eye on the prize of playing college baseball and has finally settled on his potential college major of sports business.  He's really starting to research various schools and narrow down his list of possibles.  And I'll share a bit of happy news here regarding his plans to play next summer.  As I've mentioned before, next year he has to move from the TP 16u team to the 18u team due to when his birthday falls.  Previously we were unsure if Coach C would be moving up to the 18u team or staying with the 16u.  He told us a few nights ago at dinner that he has decided to move up to the 18u team!  Hurray!

N is in 6th grade this year.  He'll be continuing on with his gymnastics class as well as his music.  He's doing really well with his piano lessons.  I sat in on his lesson last week and was really impressed with how well he plays.    He'll sing in the school choir again and his community chorus starts up again this week.  The chorus schedule is the last one I'm waiting on so I can get the calendar all filled in.  And figure out how to squeeze it all in! He's also hoping to get elected to the student council, and considering signing up for the school soccer team if they have spots for 6th graders.

A will be on the baton team for her second season.  She's very excited about doing a presentation routine at competition this year.  A presentation is short solo performed in front of the judges.  She'll also be in a large group and a small group routine.  She's taking gymnastics for the first time, too.  She and I will also be doing our second year of daisy scouts.    Add to all of that the fact that my little girl is in 1st grade!  I don't know how she got so big on me.  She's loving 1st grade so far.   And of course, she's still planning to marry Coach C, though she did tell me a few weeks ago he was going to be an old man by the time I finally let her marry him.

Also on tap for fall:  N's birthday, a weekend baseball camp for J at Saint Leo's, and the annual school fair.    I know you're all just as busy as we are so I hope everyone is easing into their back to school routines with relative ease.

Season Highlights

TP had a terrific summer season, capped off by their championship win last Sunday.  This week I've been reflecting on some of the season's most memorable moments and of course I had to share them here!

Topping the list is of course the big win!  Our boys worked hard all season and winning a championship was the perfect end to their season.  Every player on the team gave his all, making it a true team effort.  As always, they played with heart, class, and sportsmanship, true champions in every sense of the word.

I enjoyed every minute serving as team mom this season.  Every player and coach holds a special place in my heart.  I'm going to miss sitting near or in the dug out and hearing requests for everything from the current score to drinks and snacks.  

A's pure enjoyment at being part of the team was another highlight for me.  Not only did Coach C indulge her by allowing her to hang in the dug out and serve as a bat girl, the entire team treated her like a little sister.  Every player and coach looked out for her, and indulged her every whim, from playing catch with her between games to sharing their sunflower seeds in the dug out.  I'm sure there may have been times they wished she'd go away but they never let her know it. To her, they are her team and her boys, and she is their princess.

I enjoyed forging friendships with the other parents.  When you spend that much time with a group of people,   you either like them or tolerate them.  I'm happy to say I liked them and we had many good times over the course of the season.  I especially enjoyed spending time with M, S, and Coach C's mom, Mrs. C. We had a lot of laughs and I'm going to miss you ladies until we meet again!

J personally had some ups and downs this season.  Every moment, bad or good, allowed him to realize that his dream of baseball is as deep rooted as ever.  There may be some struggles along the way but in the end, he's still willing to sacrifice and work hard to make his dream a reality.  The ups and downs have also shown him how fortunate he is to have a coach  who is as invested in him as Coach C is.  His support of J never wavered, even in the worst moments, and because of that, J has made improvements and is ready to keep working hard on his dreams.

Someone asked me today if we'd be bored now that the season is over.  I wouldn't say bored exactly.  It will be nice to have a few less hectic weeks before school starts again, along with all the fall activities.  But I do miss it and will be looking forward to our next season with happy anticipation.

CFl Championships

This weekend TP returned to the CFL Championship Tournament to defend their championship title from last year.  They not only defended their title, they held onto it with both hands and refused to let go. After  five games played over two days and 41 runs scored, the championship was theirs for the second year in a row.  It was a weekend filled with a lot of action so I'm going to do my best to recap the highlights for you here.

Game one was Saturday afternoon, against a team called Mets Elite.  This team was fairly evenly matched with TP and the game was intense from the start.  TP had a shaky first half of the first inning, allowing Mets Elite to score three runs.  After that, they found their groove and played for a 5-4 win.  Game two was Saturday evening against Team Avalanche and that one got a little nasty.  TP started off strong, taking an early lead.  However, some errors led to Team Avalanche pulling ahead for a brief time.  And that's when things got nasty.  This team was one of those obnoxious teams that I hate coming up against.  Bad attitudes, cockiness, and just absolutely no class. When they pulled ahead they thought they were real hot stuff, but our boys charged and left them in the dust with a 10-7 win.  After that it was back to the hotel to have dinner and wait to hear where we were seeded.  Got word that we were the 3 seed around 11:30 that night with a game time of noon for Sunday.  Game three was against a team called Ocala Blaze.  This game took a while due to rain that at one point caused a fifteen minute delay.  The game went very well, ending in a 10-3 win.  This put TP in the semi final round against the 2 seed team, the Renegades.  This game was a bit more intense than game three since the two teams were more evenly matched, though TP took it in the end 4-2.  After a short break of maybe twenty minutes it was on to the championship round.  The team we were playing, LBA Storm, was a team we'd played before, back in our second tournament of the summer.  They had beaten us in the semi final round of that tournament so the boys were pumped for a rematch.   The game started off being a bit frustrating, remaining scoreless then getting deadlocked in a 1-1 tie I believe until the fourth inning.  To be honest some of the details are fuzzy because what happened next proved to be a very emotional moment for me.  J came up to bat with two outs, which always makes me nervous.  His first at bat of the game had ended in a strikeout when he swung at a pitch he had no business swinging at.  Well, he redeemed himself with a bomb hit  deep into the outfield that brought in two runs, breaking the tie.   The look on his face as he stood on first base is a moment I'll never forget.  Following that, the runner on third base managed to score when J, I believe at Coach C's instruction, had gotten himself into a pickle trying to steal second.  While the other team was busy trying to run J down and tag him out, which they eventually did, our runner scored, giving us a 4-1 lead.  Since the run came in before they tagged J out it counted.  From there, TP ignited and never let up, eventually ending up with a 12-1 win for the championship.   

Let me go back to J's awesome, game changing hit for a moment.  At the time, I didn't fully realize what he had managed to accomplish.  I simply thought he'd gotten a great hit, so great in fact that it made me cry I was so proud of him. It wasn't until later, as we were leaving the ice cream shop we'd gone to to celebrate, that  Coach C said something that made me realize the moment was bigger than I'd thought.  Apparently J's hit turned the tide of the game.  The team was so pumped up that it gave them the push they needed to break out and take ownership of the game.  Had J not delivered, the game might have gone in a different direction.  That made me cry all over again, especially since J has had some rough moments this summer as he continues to work on improving the mechanics of his fielding.  But for last night, he came through when his team needed him the most, which will be a memory he'll carry with him forever.  As Coach C said to him, "Way to be clutch."  

The TP season is over which has left me feeling a little sad.  I'm going to miss the boys, the other parents, and the camaraderie we all share.  I made Coach C promise me last night that we'd talk about next summer soon and him moving up with the current team to the next age division.  I'll be sure to update on that once plans are in place!  But for now, I've washed the swing juice jug for the last time, updated the team web page with our record of 16-6-2, and have almost finished putting together a slide show of TP's greatest moments.  

      

The Roots of a Friendship

This past Saturday, J and Coach C spent a few hours doing some hard core training.  Afterwards, Coach C brought J home and stayed for dinner.  During dessert, we were reminiscing a bit about TP's trip to Auburn University last summer and how a moment during that trip became the defining moment of when our friendship really began.  That moment came when hubby decided it would be fun to spill the beans to Coach C regarding A's then newly formed crush on him.  He did this by knocking on Coach C's hotel room door and proceeding to ask him if his intentions were honorable.  Coach C was understandably a bit puzzled, and stated that he always had honorable intentions.  That's when hubby dropped the bomb(with a perfectly sober face) and said he was glad to hear that seeing as how Coach C and A were getting married and having a hot tub honeymoon. (That last part was a quote from A, who has a fondness for lounging in hot tubs.)  Now, I was not in the room for this conversation, but both hubby and Coach C have described his reaction in great detail.  Apparently Coach C turned about as red as a TP jersey and started stammering and stuttering until hubby took pity on him and reassured him he was just messing with him.  After that, there were really only two choices.  We all would become great friends or Coach C needed to run like hell as fast as he could away from our craziness.  Happily, he stuck around and we've nurtured a friendship that has become quite special to all of us.  I know others may look at us and think the friendship is a bit unorthodox.  I imagine  most people don't get as close to their kid's coach, especially one as young as Coach C.  It definitely started on the field, with Coach C and J forming a coach and player bond that is special all on its own.  Readers of this  blog know where that bond has led.  Coach C continues to train and mentor J not only in baseball, but in life.  J values his opinion highly, and looks up to him, like an older brother of sorts.  As the oldest, J has plenty of experience being the big brother, so I think it's been nice for him to have someone fill that role for him.  He is close to my brother, but he's 16 years older than J, whereas Coach C is only 3 1/2 years older.  So it's a different dynamic.  The rest of us love and value Coach C's friendship very much as well.  A of course continues to crush on him, still has plans to marry him, and gives any girl she thinks is getting too close the evil eye.  He, as always, indulges her, treats her like a little queen, and in general, spoils her rotten.  I imagine as she gets older her crush, which is really a huge case of hero worship, will turn more into viewing him as an extra big brother, who will always hold a special place in her heart. Coach C gets a kick out of N and his uniquely quirky personality.  The two of them spend time playing chess or video games and N usually has Coach C shaking his head or laughing at something he says or does.  Hubby loves nothing better than giving Coach C a hard time about everything  from work, (Coach C works part time at hubby's store) to his future nuptials with A.   Coach C gives back as good as he gets, impressing hubby with his quick wit and refusal to let hubby gain the upper hand in their verbal duels.  As for me, I simply love Coach C like one of my own kids.  He won my heart early on, when he saw something in J on the baseball field that others had failed to see.  Since then, he's continued to work tirelessly with J, he's good to my other kids, and is always appreciative of my work for the team.  After our stay in Jupiter, during which he spent a lot of time with us, eating meals and just hanging out, he sent me the sweetest message about how much he loves and appreciates our friendship.  It made me cry, and realize how very much I, too, love and value our friendship. The TP season is coming to an end and I'm not sure what next summer holds for J.  He'll be too old to play on the current TP team, which means he can't play for Coach C.  However, many of the parents and the other coaches are trying to convince Coach C it would be a great idea for him to move up with the current group of boys. I don't know how that all will turn out in the long run, but whatever happens, I know our friendship with Coach C will remain strong.  None of us could have foreseen on that sunny April day when J tried out for Coach C that the six of us would forge such a special bond.  This friendship may have gotten it's start on a baseball diamond, but it's roots run strong and true.