Canadian CPA Claudianne Is Destroying Summer, Jameis Looking Poised & Vols Bow Out Of CWS
My son might've struck out twice, but I couldn't be happier because he's listening
The city baseball league rolled on last night with a 7:05 first pitch for yet another tension-filled 8U baseball game where parents like myself get the chance to sit there under a blue sky and decompress from yet another stressful day of blogging about Ben Zobrist's wife sleeping with the family pastor (allegedly). I was mentally wiped out as the purple team faced the yellow team that rolled into the city park with a full bench staff. It looked like this team had a pitching coach, a bench coach, a manager, and a bullpen coach. There were nearly as many coaches as players.
My son started the season with a very long, very slow swing at the plate that wasn't getting results, so we've been working on shortening the swing, focusing on contact, and less whiffing. The yellow team trotted out a couple of flamethrowers, so I was worried about my son making contact at all against the kids who'll probably have preemptive Tommy John at 12 so they're ready to dominate as high school freshmen. Jack walks up in his first AB against 8U deGrom and swings at the first offering. He's a little late but lines one down the first baseline. It's foul, but straightened out a little bit and he's looking at two bases. He whiffs on the second swing and takes a third strike looking. It wasn't how dads draw up the ABs in their heads while blogging about a transgendered BMX rider who wants to burn the stars and stripes making the Olympics, but there's contact and we just need to get it into play.
By the 4th inning, Jack's playing third and I can tell he's off in some Minecraft daze thinking about something other than the kids who're about to drive one into his face. As someone who had his teeth knocked out at 10 by a 12-year-old who drove a ball off my face, I gave him some quick advice in the bottom of the 4th: Be alert at third. The ball's going to find you.
In the top of the 5th, the yellow team had runners at first and second with a bruiser at the plate looking to get some wood on the ball and leg out a double. You can guess what happens next. He busts one down to third and Jack's perfectly positioned, the ball finds his glove and he steps on third for the force out. You're damn right I was proud. Not only did he not lose his front teeth, but he listened.
His final AB included a vicious shot down the third baseline, but again it was foul and then he K'd. The swing is shortened, the power is coming, and all it's going to take is some practice. All I can ask for is that he has fun, listens to his coaches and gives effort. As I sit here this morning, I'd say baseball has been a success this season.
• Reminder...I'm heading out this morning after Screencaps to decompress for a few days. That's right, scheduled days off. That wasn't remotely possible last summer as we were busting ass to ramp up the OutKick experience, so it's been a long, long time without multiple days off. That time is finally here. I need to recharge the batteries and create some new life experiences to share with you guys.
• Speaking of baseball, this whole thing where the umpires are checking pitchers for sticky substances is some Laurel & Hardy action. Scroll down to see these guys preparing to pull off their uniforms as the theater associated with being questioned continues to ramp up. Someone is going to go ballistic this week and rip off his entire uniform down to his underwear. Remember Steve Lyons dropping his pants during a game in 1990? That's what's coming. It's just a matter of time.
• I received my Thursday Night Mowing League shirt in the mail Tuesday, and I have to say, it's perfect. It's soft. The color is great. The logo looks good. The shirt goes right to the top of my Costco run t-shirt list. And I'm not saying this because I started the TNML and I work for OutKick. This is a reflection on me since I green-lit this one. OutKick has had other shirt ideas that have been terrible. Not this one. The shirt is legitimate.
• Warren Buffet has donated $4.1 billion and says he's halfway to liquidating 99% of his net worth. As of this year, Warren was a member of the $100 billion club, so don't worry about him keeping the lights on at his pad in Omaha. Even with his 1% net worth, he'll have plenty of money to buy his DQ cheeseburgers and Dilly bars.
• And finally this morning, let's stop and think about Montreal possibly playing in the Stanley Cup Finals. Keep in mind, the Canadiens, who are up 3-2 on Vegas after last night's game, haven't played in the Finals since winning it all in 1993. Seven players on the Montreal roster weren't born when the storied franchise last sucked from the Cup. You don't need to follow the NHL to know this would be a huge deal for the league to have its Yankees back in contention for a title.
• I want all of you to hang tight as I recharge the batteries. Go back and look through some old editions of Caps, and we'll get back together Monday morning. Have a great weekend!
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