Bama Grad Katrina Destroys The Florida Keys, Baby Gronk Commits To Ohio State & Jason Day's Courtesy Car
Opening Day festivities are rained out, but the sun is now shining and the baseball gods might dry these fields in record time
Mother Nature just won't cut us a break this spring. The house ball festivities are rained out – the 1:30 & 3:30 games are in big jeopardy – and it looks like we'll be left to have one huge end-of-the-season bash for the kids instead of an Opening Day with all the local politicians throwing out first pitches.
One thing I was thinking about this morning on the eve of the season is how you guys beat into my head that the real sign of success with house ball is how many of your past players continue playing baseball.
This week, I was at the park for picture night and I ran into one of my biggest projects from last summer. This boy was a 3rd grader at the time. He hadn't played baseball since T-ball and was an absolute wildcat. One minute he could throw a laser from third base, the next minute he'd try to throw a ball across the diamond, and it would be 25 feet over the first baseman's head.
At home plate, he was a ballerina, despite us coaches pleading with him to keep his back foot still. Feet hopping all over the place. Dancing.
But he was athletic. Tall and lanky for his age. Great baseball size and fast, but he was a total project and still just 9 years old.
Fast-forward to Wednesday night. He's now the maturing leader on his 10U team and a foot taller than the other boys and crushing a baseball.
As of Opening Day, I know of at least 10 out of 12 of my players from last year who are on house ball rosters, including the boy who took the fastest fastball in the league off the tricep in the league championship and crumbled to the ground in pain. It was the most horrific scream I'd heard on a baseball field.
The pitcher who threw the ball is built like Bartolo Colon and would throw with everything he had each and every pitch. It was like a 10-year-old Rod Beck (RIP) out on the mound grunting and breathing heavily.
Two innings later, I'll never forget Little Z in the on-deck circle in tears knowing he was about to face the same pitcher. His arm was tattooed with the seams of that fastball. He tried to tell me he couldn't get back in the box. I looked him in the eyes and told him he could do it and that quitting was not how he was going to go out.
He got plunked in the head during that at-bat, and I was convinced that was the end of his baseball career.
I'm told Little Z is back this season and is a real character.
It's time to do it all over with another team. Can we keep these boys excited about baseball? Can we continue to develop their skills so they are leaders on future teams?
Thanks to Screencaps readers who've been there and have given me advice, I now know that's my ultimate challenge over the next 2 ½ months.
RIP Sean Burroughs
It goes without saying that we lost a legend this week with the death of Sean Burroughs, who went into cardiac arrest in a Long Beach, California ballpark parking lot Thursday night while dropping off his son for a Little League game, his mother told the Southern California News Group.
It was the same Little League where Burroughs won back-to-back Little League World Series championships in 1992 & 1993.
To those of us who lived through our childhood while Sean was on top of the Little League world, it didn't get bigger than this guy.
"To say this is a huge loss is an understatement," Long Beach Little League said in a statement.
One of our great retirees checks in
- Galen in Johnson City, Tennessee writes:
I haven’t contributed as much in the last year, but still a DAILY reader. Content has been fire and your readership is exploding!
1) Loving the new content from Millens…there is hope for our beautiful country after all.
2) Your adventures in coaching take me back 45 years to my humble beginnings. Those kids are now in their mid-fifties and I still keep in touch with a few. You never know who you are influencing for life.
3) I lived your Masters practice round back in ‘92.
Best moment was watching a young Tiger and Phil practicing flop wedge shots on that three level green on 14…incredible.
4) Hope Brady roast brings real comedy back.
Finally, I would like for fellow Screencap/TNML supporters to reach out to me here in Johnson City, TN (yes, of Wagon Wheel fame). I have seen plenty of Screencap bylines from JCTN and surrounding areas. I am ready and willing to organize a Beer Summit for all JC/East TN Cappers and TNMLers.
Feel free to make my email address available to them if they request.
Can I be the East Tennessee OG and start a chapter of supporters? Revolutions start with groundswell support!
Kinsey:
Yeah, what's up with all the Screencaps readers in the Johnson City, TN area? Are several of you connected through work? Neighbors? I see JCTN at least a few times a week.
Galen, you have my approval to be in charge of the local chapter. Please get together with your fellow readers, talk about life, which Instagram models who should be kicked out of the club and which ones should be elevated to Screencaps HOF status.
If you'd like to get in touch with Galen, I'll forward your messages.
Email: joekinsey@gmail.com
Speaking of Screencaps greats
Beau in Toledo stayed up last night for the Northern Lights. For the new readers and OutKick editors, Beau in Toledo emails are in raw format. No editing. I want readers to get the raw experience. DO NOT TOUCH BEAU'S EMAIL WITH YOUR EDITING PENCIL. DON'T TEST ME, OR BEAU.
- This is just Beau and his computer:
Yeah, it's been a while... long story, but it wasn't jail or one of the three-letter agencies keeping me quiet.
Just thought I'd take a few minutes to drop a few pics from last night... MY GAWD I hope ScreenCaps Nation got to see the Northern Lights with Their own eyes! Hate to sound like a teenager who just lost his HEY THIS IS A FAMILY SHOW!, but yeah, it was my very first time experiencing The Aurora Borealis, and not just seeing pictures. As a bonus, one of the pictures has a white dot in the middle... yeah, that the International Space Station!!
Absolutely CAPTIVATING!!
(But deadly just the same)
"Extreme" and very rare G5-level geomagnetic storm hits Earth • Earth.com
Happy Mother's Day to Mrs. ScreenCaps, as well as all of the Moms in SCN!!
Kinsey:
Now, those aren't the most captivating Northern Lights photos I've seen this morning, but they're from Beau, so I value them more than from guys like Millennial Chris B. in Bowling Green who went out into Wood County, Ohio to get some really good photos, but there's drama within the text group that MCBiBG might've used a filter despite him pleading they're raw images.
Anyway, it's great to hear from Beau and leave it to him to send out that Mother's Day message. The guy is one of the legends. He has a heart of gold.
No Mow May losers just won't give it up
- Eric writes:
Joe- I'm sure its happening in other places, but wanted to let you know that regardless of studies and scientific research, the joke that is "No Mow May" still lives on Minnesota.
Sadly, yet another symbol of #symbolismoversubstance.
Keep up the great work on ScreenCaps and good luck in today's first game of the season!!
Kinsey:
Now the local TV stations in Minnesota are telling people to do ‘Slow Mow Summer’ which means you "mow less frequently".
Then, in the next paragraph, the expert advises planting flowering plants that provide food for pollinators.
THANK YOU.
Enough with the catchy phrases that give dork TV producers news headline boners. "Having a yard with a wide variety of blooming plants aids those pollinators and supports bee diversity," KSTP reports.
No shit. Now stop with the No Mow May stupidity.
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That's it this morning. I have multiple family members rolling into town. I might have a game to coach. Screencaps the III might have his first official baseball game and it's Mother's Day weekend.
Get outside and make the most of life.
Email: joekinsey@gmail.com