Stacy Keibler Celebrates Friday At The Pool, Jason Kelce Teaches Kids A Chant At The Beach & Arn Anderson Was 27 In This Photo
10U house ball championship game...it wasn't the result we were hoping for
The tears welling up in Skittles' eyes told the story as day turned into night on Municipal 3. We were in the handshake line and the boy who'd been stoic all season and just an incredible leader was having one of those moments where I could tell just how much it would've meant for him to end the year with a victory.
It wasn't meant to be. The boys lost 4-0 and were no-hit.
Skittles and Griffey pitched their hearts out. I'm so damn proud of both boys.
The opposing pitchers had one of those nights they won't forget. I don't have the exact count, but I think they only walked two or three over six innings. We had runners in scoring position twice and just couldn't put the ball in play. As expected, most of the boys who don't swing didn't swing. I had one boy who finally stood in there and popped out. The coaches were ecstatic.
If we were going to lose, I didn't want it to be on walks or errors. The Rangers runs came on a big blast triple over the left fielder's head, a legitimate line drive over the second baseman's head, and then a bases-loaded hit by a pitch that I'm still not sure if it hit the kid, but the ump called it a dead ball. In the end, it didn't matter because we didn't hit.
Observations
Final Daddy Ball Report:
He played 17 10U house ball games, 2 12U house ball games, and in the all-star game for a total of 20 games. That was a solid year of baseball. While his final game didn't go as we would have liked, his passion for baseball and competition is there.
Last week, I explained to him when I throw the ball for our dog, I'll try to hit our playset slide from across the yard, which is a nice throw. He was confused. I said it's approximately the same distance as throwing across a diamond. I said that's your first baseman. The slide.
Now he's throwing at the slide.
Besides the hits, the defense, and the leadership, this year has been a success because his desire to compete is developing. The fire is starting to burn.
Next year, would I consider taking a group of boys to a house ball tournament to get some of that flavor like what Brandon C. in Pinckney, MI suggested? Without a doubt.
But this year is 100% over. It's time for a few quiet weeks of life before the football season. I need to decompress for a bit.
Have an incredible weekend. I'll be back Monday morning.
Take care.
Email: joekinsey@gmail.com