Auburn Invitational

This post is a bit late in coming because I was hoping to have some positive results to report.  TP got off to a shaky start here in Auburn.  Their first game ended in a 6-2 loss, mostly due to errors.  Coach C was not happy with them and told them they needed to man up and play ball like he knew they could.  The second day they played in two games, both at the Auburn University baseball stadium.  Their first game started out poorly, but they rallied and ended up with a 4-4 tie.  Their second game was dismal, ending in a 5-2 loss when it was called early due to a thunderstorm.  They might have rallied, but we'll never know.  Following that game, Coach C was, to put it bluntly, pissed.   They were not playing with the heart and fire that has become their trademark this summer.  He called a team meeting for 10:30 in the parking lot of the hotel and told them to wear running shoes.  They discussed what was going wrong and ran sprints and suicides for about 45 minutes.  He also took the time to point out a strength of each player.  And wiped the slate clean.  Today when TP took the field, they had their fire back, and proved it with a 4-2 win.  Coach C was pleased, not just with their win, but with how they played.  It's not the losses that upset him, it's how they earn those losses.  Simply being out played is one thing.  Handing games away is another. When they play with heart and give him their all, he's proud of them, win or lose.

 We're finished here, and will head home in the morning.  a few families left tonight, along with Coach C and Coach K.  But several of us just didn't want to start an 8 hour drive this late in the day.  If we get an early start, we'll make it home by late afternoon.  Drive safely home TP families!    

Auburn Invitational, Day One

The drive to Auburn was fairly easy.  As easy as an eight hour drive can be anyway.  Traffic was light and we made decent time, arriving around 2:30 local time.  The hotel had our room ready and we were able to check in to our very comfortable, two room suite.  I think we may have been the first TP family to arrive.  About an hour later, several other families and Coach C and his assistant, Coach K arrived.   Coach C was originally going to ride with us, but at the last minute Coach K was able to come and they rode together.  Within a few hours everyone was here and the boys got a wiffle ball game going out behind the hotel.  Coach C is big on wiffle ball and has passed that on to the players.  Even the little siblings got in on the fun.  After the wiffle ball game, the team relaxed in the hotel hot tub while the parents chatted by the pool. During this time, Coach C received a call from the tourney director informing him that this was a wood bat or BBCOR bat tournament.  Um, that would have been nice to know before we left home!  Luckily we have a couple BBCOR bats and three wooden bats among all the players.  We also found out there is  no championship round at this tournament.  It is strictly a showcase, with college scouts in attendance.  Being a 16U team, it's a chance for our boys to get their names out in front if the scouts.  And for the 18U teams here, it's an opportunity to perhaps get offered a scholarship.  We play a game tomorrow, two on Friday, and a final game on Saturday.  Coach C is a little perturbed at all the last minute information.  He's been trying to get in touch with the director for several days.  The boys are excited to be here though and are confident they can play well.  First game is at 4:30 tomorrow.  Go TP!  

Auburn Bound

Team TP will be competing in their fifth tournament of the summer this week when we travel to Auburn, Alabama for the BEST Baseball Auburn Invitational.  The tournament runs July 6-July 10, with TP playing in their first game the afternoon of July 7.  We're heading for Auburn on July 5.  It's about an 8 hour drive from our home in Florida and we don't want to be rushing to get there.  So the next few days will be spent packing and getting things organized for the trip.  N has opted to stay home with my mom.  He'll hang out with Uncle D, who's retired, while she works.  A is going with us, as is my dad.  Coach C is riding with us as well.  We're planning on hitting the road by 8am Tuesday morning so I most likely won't post again until sometime  Wednesday.  Until then, have a great Fourth of July and stay tuned for updates on TP's progress at their biggest tournament yet!

Mid Summer Update

Hard to believe that June is almost over and July is about to begin.  We've been having so much fun this summer.  This week has been no exception.  With Aunt S and cousins B and M in town, we've done a lot of family activities.  Friday we went on a dolphin watch cruise, which was really neat.  We cruised around the river fro about two and a half hours, spotting many dolphins and manatees along the way.  The weekend was of course spent cheering TP on as they won their first championship. Monday we hit the beach, where it was surprisingly breezy and cool.  This evening we're heading to the Medieval Times Dinner Show and tomorrow we're hitting Disney Quest.  We're staying over in Orlando for the night as an added treat for the kids.  My brother, D, and Aunt K, both have birthdays this weekend, so we'll be celebrating those on Saturday with another river cruise to watch some early fireworks.  Then Aunt S, B, and M fly home on Sunday.  Monday I'll spend cleaning and packing, getting ready to depart for Auburn, Alabama on Tuesday morning for TP's next tournament.  That will be a big one and I'll be sure to post updates from the road.
  

Tournament Weekend Four, CFL Championship

What a weekend!  Team TP played in their fourth tournament of the summer.  In my last post, I told you about their first game of the tourney and how well they played.  I could keep you in suspense until the end of this post to tell you whether or not they won, but I'm too excited.  TP won their first tournament of the summer!  Way to go guys! 

Friday night's fire was still burning Saturday morning, and TP once again owned the field.  They won that game 7-3.  J played on first base the entire game and made a couple of outstanding plays.  Once again, their bats were on fire and their defense was rock solid.  Late Saturday night we found out they were the 1 seed going into Sunday.  We arrived for what we thought was a semi final to determine who advanced to the championship.  However, due to a couple games being rained out the day before, two teams had withdrawn from the tournament, leaving only four 16U teams.  So this game was it.  TP was playing the same team they had played on Saturday morning.  From the start the game was a nail biter.  Both teams had solid defense and the game was scoreless for three innings.  The opposing pitcher was excellent and TP was having a hard time getting their bats going.  Then in the top of the fourth, they allowed a run to score.  Not good!  By the bottom of the fifth, things were getting tense in TP's dug out.  They were down by a run and were in danger of giving up their championship.  finally, in the bottom of the sixth, we got a hit and put a runner on base.  A pop fly followed, giving TP their first out.  Coach C had the third batter sacrifice bunt and advanced the runner waiting on first.  And after that, TP lit up like the fourth of July.  With two outs, their bats came alive and they scored four runs.  In the top of the seventh, it took four batters to get three outs and end the game.  They were the champs! 

TP went undefeated the entire weekend, with a total of 26 runs scored.  This brings their record for tournament play to 11-6-1.  I've included the team picture I took following the game.  J is on the far right, with Coach C to his left.  Note how the little siblings managed to get in the picture, too.  That's A in front of J in the pink shirt.  You can click on the picture to make it larger.

Bonus Tournament

Team TP was originally scheduled to play a double header at home this weekend.  However, last weekend, the other team backed out and Coach C found them a tournament to play in instead.  This one is the Torneo DE Estrellas & CFL Championship in Apopka, Florida.  Apopka is only an hour and a half from home and ordinarily we'd have just driven back and forth.  But TP played an evening game tonight and has an early morning game tomorrow.  So we booked into a nearby hotel for the night.  Hubby and I, along with my parents, N, A , and J, cousins M and B, and neighbor R are all here. 

TP completely owned the field in their first game.  We had one three run homer hit and two grand slams.  Their bats were on fire and their defense was solid.  They won the game 15-6.  They are scheduled to play in the morning at 9:00.  Sunday will bring the semi finals, followed hopefully by the championship.  I don't want to jinx them, but if they keep playing like they played tonight, this could be their weekend. 

J played first base tonight and did really well.  I think having his cousins here cheering him on is really energizing his game.  B and M are enjoying the games more than they thought they would I think.  They are not usually baseball fans, but I think they may just be converts after this weekend.

27

Since I seem to have a baseball theme going, at least for the summer, I figured it was a good time to share this little tidbit.  Baseball players are of course identified by their numbers.  A number becomes a very personal thing, and J is somewhat superstitious about his.  He is number 27, at least as often as possible.  There have been a few times, like during his school season, that 27 was not available.  If that is the case, he'll try and pick the number of a Yankee player, past or present.  So how did J end up choosing the number 27?  It's a neat story actually.  At least I think so.  When my dad was growing up, his favorite player was Mickey Mantle, number 7 for the Yankees.  So when J started playing, my dad usually requested 7 for his Little League number.  Derek Jeter is J's favorite player, and he of course, is number 2.  In Little League, number 2 was usually in hot demand, so J stuck with 7.  Then he ended up on a team where neither number was available.  His solution was to combine the numbers of he and his grandpa's favorite players, and from then on, he's been number 27.