Paso Robles - we had this tournament circled for the last 52 weeks. It was so much fun last year, and the first team championship Rabbit got with Blue Wave. It seems that no matter what, we get the early games, and we did. In bed early Friday night at the beach house, leave at 6:30 Saturday morning, call time at 7:15. Game 1 was against a team we should have beaten, and we did. 15-4. The boys looked sharp, and played very well. The opponent was a Little League team that was clearly over matched. For game 2 we were playing a team from Visalia. They jumped out early to a 5-1 lead. And then a strange thing happened. Blue Wave started chipping away. A run here, a great defensive play there, and in the fifth inning we had tied at 6. Game was called and ended in a tie. It was some of the best baseball the boys had played together ever. Both teams played excellent, were well coached and played their hardest. A tie was the correct result and we hoped we would not have to see them again.
You may recall my complaining about the weather last year. Yeah, nothing changed. It was dang cold in the morning. 40 degree cold. But at least this time we were prepared. After our two games on Saturday we all met at an RV park where several families were staying for a BBQ. It was a blast. The boys had a chance to unwind while the parents had a chance to watch the Dodgers win. A great time was had by all and the entire team was having fun together.
With a 1-0-1 record we somehow finished third in the seedings, so we had to play an eaxtra game Sunday. 3 games, 3 wins and we would repeat. The first game we were still asleep and then realized that we needed the win. What had been a 3-0 game after 3 was 8-0 mercy after 5. In the semi-finals we drew the Visalia team again. They were by far our toughest opponent in the tournament. Again, we surrendered an early lead 4-0 this time, and again we battled, scraped and clawed back. It was every bit as good a game as the day before and we barely squeaked out an 8-7 win. We were thrilled and it was time to prepare for the championship final.
I try to speak only of the things we can control. And I do go out of my way to not mention the umpires as a general rule. With that disclaimer, you all know what is coming. Blue Wave batted first, and scored 7 runs. 7-0 after one inning. 9-0 after 2. Then the Tournament Director had a meeting with the plate umpire. Seriously, between innings he called the ump over for a discussion. We gave up 10 runs in the bottom of that inning. Not a single pitch was a called strike. Not one. We used 4 pitchers and nothing mattered. The umpire even taunted our coaches being overheard saying "you picked a bad time to fall apart there." It was so egregious that one of our batters was called out on strikes on a pitch that bounced on home plate. The opposing manager looked embarrassed, the parents were furious and there was nothing we could do. After the game the base umpire gave us information on who to contact and pledged that he would file a complaint with the supervisor regarding the other umps conduct. Game ended 10-9. There was nothing we could do.
So, we were runner up, 3-1-1 on the weekend. Not bad at all. On to the personal side of things. Rabbit has learned to hit. And not just "seeing eye singles" but wallops. He went 9-13 on the weekend, including 3 hits in the championship game, driving in 7. His pitching was off, but he is entirely relearning his delivery, so that is not a surprise. His pitching coach wants him to rely on power. When he gave up one hit he immediately fell back and started to throw weakly. This is a process where he will find the right balance of aggression and intelligence. He has the arm of a great pitcher and the head to match. We just need to get them on the same page.
His defense, especially at first, is something special. He saved several outs each game by stretching on balls and getting throws that had potential to be disastrous. He is emerging as a leader, on the field and in the dugout. He is a serious student of the game and plays with intensity and respect. He also loves his mother, eats his vegetables, gets straight A grades and cleans his room. This is one good kid.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Monday, October 5, 2009
Same as it ever was
It is amazing how we perceive improvement. This weekend the team went 1-1-1 and finished third. And I do not believe there is a soul that was there that is satisfied with the result. Rabbit was horrible with the bat, three times striking out with the bases loaded and less than 2 outs. In fact, he was 0-6 with 5 Ks. The regression is frustrating. He did not pitch at all this weekend which was a welcome relief. He played his usual stellar defense and helped to keep the team focused when they needed a boost. So what is the problem here?
I am confused as to what the team is trying to accomplish. There is absolutely no communication between the coach and the parents. In fact, we are now playing with the boys coaching first base. Coach is the only one older than 11 on the field. There are positives and negatives to this, but I am not entirely sure the logic behind this. I had the opportunity to discuss this directly with the coach and can understand his point. However, there are many parents who have not had the opportunity to hear "the other side" of the story. The lack of communication is quickly leading to palpable frustration. I do not see the boys playing to win. I have never been a big Win or Loss guy, but I would at least like to know what we are accomplishing, what lessons are being learned by playing the way we do.
Rabbit played in a scrimmage two weeks ago with another team. They were not good. They were a new group, just formed, and were not really aware of the speed of the game and the intricacies of travel ball. To be sure there was talent on the field, but they struggled mightily against a team that had been together for over a year. What I really enjoyed about that game was the interaction between the coach and the kids, and the coach and the parents. The open dialog was great. That team will struggle for a while, but when the turn the corner, they will do so united.
I am rambling. This weekend is the Paso Robles tourney. This is the one we highlight each year. It is a great weekend, and a real treat. After this weekend we are not playing again until mid-November. This is by our choice. We are paid up through November and will be taking the month of December off. The entire family needs a break right now. The frustrations that were so minimal early in the season are becoming insurmountable. I do not want to make any long term decisions until we get a chance to step back and see things more clearly. If I had to make a decision today we would be shutting it down today. That is not fair to Rabbit, his team, or the other families. We will see it through, but we will look forward to the break.
I am confused as to what the team is trying to accomplish. There is absolutely no communication between the coach and the parents. In fact, we are now playing with the boys coaching first base. Coach is the only one older than 11 on the field. There are positives and negatives to this, but I am not entirely sure the logic behind this. I had the opportunity to discuss this directly with the coach and can understand his point. However, there are many parents who have not had the opportunity to hear "the other side" of the story. The lack of communication is quickly leading to palpable frustration. I do not see the boys playing to win. I have never been a big Win or Loss guy, but I would at least like to know what we are accomplishing, what lessons are being learned by playing the way we do.
Rabbit played in a scrimmage two weeks ago with another team. They were not good. They were a new group, just formed, and were not really aware of the speed of the game and the intricacies of travel ball. To be sure there was talent on the field, but they struggled mightily against a team that had been together for over a year. What I really enjoyed about that game was the interaction between the coach and the kids, and the coach and the parents. The open dialog was great. That team will struggle for a while, but when the turn the corner, they will do so united.
I am rambling. This weekend is the Paso Robles tourney. This is the one we highlight each year. It is a great weekend, and a real treat. After this weekend we are not playing again until mid-November. This is by our choice. We are paid up through November and will be taking the month of December off. The entire family needs a break right now. The frustrations that were so minimal early in the season are becoming insurmountable. I do not want to make any long term decisions until we get a chance to step back and see things more clearly. If I had to make a decision today we would be shutting it down today. That is not fair to Rabbit, his team, or the other families. We will see it through, but we will look forward to the break.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
A hot time in the old town
There was a schedule change at the last moment and we were not going to play until the afternoon on Friday in Henderson. This was great as we could take our time getting to the hotel on Thursday night and not worry about having to get up too early. We spent the first night getting settled in and I went down to the casino to have a few drinks with the other parents. So far, so good.
On Friday we got to the fields an hour early, and it was still 106 degrees at 4pm. Get used to it. When they switched our bracket, we somehow ended up facing 2 of the top 10 seeds in the pool play rounds. These teams were just better than us. It came as no surprise that we lost. What was frustrating was how we lost. Twice we had innings where we allowed 7+ runs. Most of those runs scored on errors and circus plays. On the plus side, Rabbit went 2-3 over the two games. He is getting quite good at waiting on the (admittedly) lousy curveball. He pitched OK, getting tagged when he left the ball up, and fielded his position quite well. He did commit the cardinal sin in RF however, and misplayed a single into a triple. That was during one of those innings.
We knew coming into Saturday that we could play as many as 3 games, or as few as one. Our first game was win or go home. Luckily, we were facing another AA squad. In fact, these opponents were over matched by us. And yet, we struggled to find hits early. We played unbelievable defense and had great pitching, but could not break through. In the 4th, we broke through. Rabbit had 2 hits that game, bringing in 4 runs and sailed one over the CF head. We coasted out to an easy win. The boys were now back on track and looking like a team that came to play. Frustratingly that confidence did not carry over. We lost game 4 to a Majors team and were never even close to competitive. Game 5, our third game in 6 hours, was another "win or go home" contest.
Rabbit started, and was staked to a 2-0 lead in our first at-bat. The entire team was tired and was struggling in the field. Rabbit was tired and leaving the ball up. This is a dangerous combination. It was 4-2 after the first, then 7-2 when Rabbit was pulled with two outs in the second. It ended up 10-2 after 2, and we were preparing for another short game. Then the bats came calling once again. We battled, fought, and left it all out there. When the game was called for time in the 5th it was now 11-7 and we were due up. A tremendous rally. But, a loss none the less.
For the weekend we went 1-4. Three of the 4 teams to beat us won their brackets. The fourth team made the Championship quarterfinals. We had played the toughest teams in the Western US. The boys were exhausted after 6 hours in the 100+ heat, but still had enough energy to enjoy the pool and arcade. A well earned treat. Rabbit went 4-6 on the weekend and pitched fairly well. Working with the new coach is paying off, and we knew he would struggle a bit.
Now the bad news. The communication on this team has broken down entirely. I am very frustrated by many things. We have been with Blue Wave for 1.5 years now and to be certain, Rabbit is a dramatically better player for it. However, the grass is always greener, and we are going to review a few other programs before we commit to the 12U squad. It is not an issue of playing time, field performance or personnel. Rather, I am confused by some decisions that are made, and there is no opportunity to seek clarity. Who knows, it may all be for naught. We have a good group of kids, and parents, and are having fun again. Hopefully that will be enough.
On Friday we got to the fields an hour early, and it was still 106 degrees at 4pm. Get used to it. When they switched our bracket, we somehow ended up facing 2 of the top 10 seeds in the pool play rounds. These teams were just better than us. It came as no surprise that we lost. What was frustrating was how we lost. Twice we had innings where we allowed 7+ runs. Most of those runs scored on errors and circus plays. On the plus side, Rabbit went 2-3 over the two games. He is getting quite good at waiting on the (admittedly) lousy curveball. He pitched OK, getting tagged when he left the ball up, and fielded his position quite well. He did commit the cardinal sin in RF however, and misplayed a single into a triple. That was during one of those innings.
We knew coming into Saturday that we could play as many as 3 games, or as few as one. Our first game was win or go home. Luckily, we were facing another AA squad. In fact, these opponents were over matched by us. And yet, we struggled to find hits early. We played unbelievable defense and had great pitching, but could not break through. In the 4th, we broke through. Rabbit had 2 hits that game, bringing in 4 runs and sailed one over the CF head. We coasted out to an easy win. The boys were now back on track and looking like a team that came to play. Frustratingly that confidence did not carry over. We lost game 4 to a Majors team and were never even close to competitive. Game 5, our third game in 6 hours, was another "win or go home" contest.
Rabbit started, and was staked to a 2-0 lead in our first at-bat. The entire team was tired and was struggling in the field. Rabbit was tired and leaving the ball up. This is a dangerous combination. It was 4-2 after the first, then 7-2 when Rabbit was pulled with two outs in the second. It ended up 10-2 after 2, and we were preparing for another short game. Then the bats came calling once again. We battled, fought, and left it all out there. When the game was called for time in the 5th it was now 11-7 and we were due up. A tremendous rally. But, a loss none the less.
For the weekend we went 1-4. Three of the 4 teams to beat us won their brackets. The fourth team made the Championship quarterfinals. We had played the toughest teams in the Western US. The boys were exhausted after 6 hours in the 100+ heat, but still had enough energy to enjoy the pool and arcade. A well earned treat. Rabbit went 4-6 on the weekend and pitched fairly well. Working with the new coach is paying off, and we knew he would struggle a bit.
Now the bad news. The communication on this team has broken down entirely. I am very frustrated by many things. We have been with Blue Wave for 1.5 years now and to be certain, Rabbit is a dramatically better player for it. However, the grass is always greener, and we are going to review a few other programs before we commit to the 12U squad. It is not an issue of playing time, field performance or personnel. Rather, I am confused by some decisions that are made, and there is no opportunity to seek clarity. Who knows, it may all be for naught. We have a good group of kids, and parents, and are having fun again. Hopefully that will be enough.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Vegas, Baby
Well, it has been quite a month. After winning their first 6 games together the boys have dropped 5 of 8. Not quite devastating, but a real loss of momentum going into this weekends tournament. The San Clemente tournament was, I fear, the turning point. The boys won the first game in a dominant fashion. 14-4 in 4 innings, sparkling defense, booming offense, even Rabbit got 2 hits. They did not score 14 more runs in the entire tournament. They got sloppy, were not ready to play, and got beat by teams they had dominated previously. Very frustrating. For the first time we could clearly answer no to both important questions. We were not getting better, and we were not having much fun.
Fast forward a few weeks. School is in session, Rabbit is playing flag-football as well as Blue Wave. 3 practices a week of each is really stretching our schedules. Add in private pitching lessons (amazing results so far) and we are exhausted. We did manage to sneak away for a Dodger game this week though. Priorities!
The team is bonding, and the boys like and respect each other. When they play well, they are unbeatable. We have seen them take down AAA and even Majors teams. When they are not focused they can lose to a T-ball squad. We will have to wait and see who shows up this weekend.
I hold absolutely zero expectation for this tournament. I honestly believe that they will lose every game. I also expect they will have some fun, and that we will really enjoy our time. This is a National Championship, and we are not ready to compete at this level. However, it is a reward for the cumulative efforts of the past 12 months. That does not mean we won't get grumpy when we play poorly, more likely we will get over it quicker.
Fast forward a few weeks. School is in session, Rabbit is playing flag-football as well as Blue Wave. 3 practices a week of each is really stretching our schedules. Add in private pitching lessons (amazing results so far) and we are exhausted. We did manage to sneak away for a Dodger game this week though. Priorities!
The team is bonding, and the boys like and respect each other. When they play well, they are unbeatable. We have seen them take down AAA and even Majors teams. When they are not focused they can lose to a T-ball squad. We will have to wait and see who shows up this weekend.
I hold absolutely zero expectation for this tournament. I honestly believe that they will lose every game. I also expect they will have some fun, and that we will really enjoy our time. This is a National Championship, and we are not ready to compete at this level. However, it is a reward for the cumulative efforts of the past 12 months. That does not mean we won't get grumpy when we play poorly, more likely we will get over it quicker.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Off to a great start
After going 2-0 on day one we knew we were the 1 seed going into ladder play. Our opponent for the first game was a team we had beaten the day before by a 7-3 score. We got off to an OK start, trailing 1-0 after their half of the first. Run scored on a balk, the first of many questionable balk calls that day. Our boys never gave it a thought. We scored early, and often. The entire team was making good contact and we were scoring runs with ease. In the field we bent, but did not break. Twice the pitchers got out of bases loaded jams without giving up so much as one run. In the bottom of the fourth we scored the decisive runs to win easily 11-1. We were in the championship! Undefeated and playing well. All the parents were stunned, happy and ready for more. The boys were stern, focused and itching to keep going. It was fun to watch.
Rabbit was given the start in the championship. He had been a rock recently, showing top of rotation stuff. Not today though. He was fair, but a little wild. In fact he walked more batters in two innings, 4, than he had in his previous three outings combined. He came out after two innings allowing 3 runs, but tied. His 45 pitches matched his total from a 5 inning game just a few months ago. Today was not his day, but he battled and gave what he had. We scraped a few more runs across and were ahead 6-3 after 3. Then the big bats came calling. The middle of the line up was tremendous, with 3 homers and several extra base hits. One boy hit a ball at least 270' to punctuate a late rally. Headed into the last inning we were ahead 10-5. The first out was made on an incredible diving grab at shortstop. Then Rabbit made an incredible effort at a ball, diving headfirst for a foul that bounced off the heel of his glove. The entire team was focused like I have never seen. The final out was made on a soft liner to second. Blue Wave had won! For the first time they had gone 4-0 in a tournament.
Rabbit was not the star this weekend. In fact, he was merely a passenger aboard the S.S. Blue Wave this weekend. He played tremendous defense at first, and although he was not as effective on the hill he still kept it close. His batting is miserable right now, three times this weekend he watched strike 3 go by on an 0-2 count. But none of that mattered. What mattered was the team picked each other up. Every player contributed, and every player gave what they could. This team should carry this confidence and focus forward. They can be very, very good.
So how do you celebrate a clean sweep in a tournament? With 5 buckets of soft-toss in the batting cage. No rest for the weary, there is always something to improve.
Rabbit was given the start in the championship. He had been a rock recently, showing top of rotation stuff. Not today though. He was fair, but a little wild. In fact he walked more batters in two innings, 4, than he had in his previous three outings combined. He came out after two innings allowing 3 runs, but tied. His 45 pitches matched his total from a 5 inning game just a few months ago. Today was not his day, but he battled and gave what he had. We scraped a few more runs across and were ahead 6-3 after 3. Then the big bats came calling. The middle of the line up was tremendous, with 3 homers and several extra base hits. One boy hit a ball at least 270' to punctuate a late rally. Headed into the last inning we were ahead 10-5. The first out was made on an incredible diving grab at shortstop. Then Rabbit made an incredible effort at a ball, diving headfirst for a foul that bounced off the heel of his glove. The entire team was focused like I have never seen. The final out was made on a soft liner to second. Blue Wave had won! For the first time they had gone 4-0 in a tournament.
Rabbit was not the star this weekend. In fact, he was merely a passenger aboard the S.S. Blue Wave this weekend. He played tremendous defense at first, and although he was not as effective on the hill he still kept it close. His batting is miserable right now, three times this weekend he watched strike 3 go by on an 0-2 count. But none of that mattered. What mattered was the team picked each other up. Every player contributed, and every player gave what they could. This team should carry this confidence and focus forward. They can be very, very good.
So how do you celebrate a clean sweep in a tournament? With 5 buckets of soft-toss in the batting cage. No rest for the weary, there is always something to improve.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
We're putting the band back together
For months it seems we have been waiting for "the team" (10U) to play. After a spring and summer of 10-11 and 9-10 tourneys we had yet to play with the roster that is going to Nevada. We have been a bad team when we are mixed with other ages. No one seems to claim any leadership and it is too easy to find fault with those that are not normally one of "the team." Well, time to put up or shut up. Starting today we have 3 weekends in a row of the 10U team playing tournaments together. After a weekend off it is off to Nevada. If we stink now there is no one to blame but us.
I am going to give the coach (possibly) more credit than he deserves. We are playing in a tournament that features some weaker competition. This is either serendipitous, or a masterstroke of strategy. Each team we face we should be able to beat. And we did today. The team played well. Not outstanding, not ridiculous, not even spectacular. But they kept control of the game and themselves. Every player on the roster pitched an inning. 11 pitchers in 11 innings. We kept errors to an absolute minimum with only one circus play all day long. Rabbit pitched well, but not brilliant. He played excellent at 1B and fair in RF. He was horrible at the plate, but he was not needed. We won the games 7-3 and 5-2. Neither game was particularly close, or ever in doubt.
In fact, I could see the moment when an opponent gave in. I have seen it happen to our boys often enough that I know it when I see it. They are the #1 seed going into Championship play tomorrow. Game time is 1PM and every arm is available. We should be able to get by our first opponent easily. And yet we have faltered many times before against weaker competition. My hope is that they continue to play well, as a team, and grow in their confidence and ability. Our worst case scenario is 2-1 weekend. It has been quite a while since we have done that well. Realistically, we should be in a battle for the title. What a great start for this team as they prepare for bigger and better things.
I am going to give the coach (possibly) more credit than he deserves. We are playing in a tournament that features some weaker competition. This is either serendipitous, or a masterstroke of strategy. Each team we face we should be able to beat. And we did today. The team played well. Not outstanding, not ridiculous, not even spectacular. But they kept control of the game and themselves. Every player on the roster pitched an inning. 11 pitchers in 11 innings. We kept errors to an absolute minimum with only one circus play all day long. Rabbit pitched well, but not brilliant. He played excellent at 1B and fair in RF. He was horrible at the plate, but he was not needed. We won the games 7-3 and 5-2. Neither game was particularly close, or ever in doubt.
In fact, I could see the moment when an opponent gave in. I have seen it happen to our boys often enough that I know it when I see it. They are the #1 seed going into Championship play tomorrow. Game time is 1PM and every arm is available. We should be able to get by our first opponent easily. And yet we have faltered many times before against weaker competition. My hope is that they continue to play well, as a team, and grow in their confidence and ability. Our worst case scenario is 2-1 weekend. It has been quite a while since we have done that well. Realistically, we should be in a battle for the title. What a great start for this team as they prepare for bigger and better things.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
I hate being right, and I'm glad I was wrong
Sadly, day one of the tournament went as expected. We lost 11-3 in the first game to the team that would eventually win the entire tournament. We had one lousy inning, allowing 8 across in the second. Rabbit played well at first, no errors, and just barely missed a pitch, popping up to RF. Game two was bad. Scary bad. Frustrating bad. The plan was for each pitcher to throw one inning to keep our arms ready for ladder play in the morning. First pitcher did OK, the second pitcher was let down by the entire team. EIGHT ERRORS in the inning meant he had to throw 27 pitches before recording an out. 50 pitches total in the inning. 14 batters, 11 runs scored. It was amazing to watch. And painful. I have seen better plays in T-Ball. The natives (parents) were getting restless. It was not a pleasant time. Sadly, a disproportionate amount of errors were committed by the 8 and 9 year olds. I want to be clear, I do not blame them in any way, shape or form. Rabbit played up last year and I know how frustrated that made the other parents. However, the younger boys became an easy target, and I fear a scapegoat for our failings.
Rabbit drilled a ball in his first at bat of game 2. Absolutely smoked it. Hardest he has hit a ball in months. Sadly it went right into the glove of the pitcher who was diving out of the way. A tough out, and his second hard hit ball of the day. He was walked on 4 pitches next time up.
After the marathon inning finally ended Rabbit came in to pitch the third. A quick come-backer, strikeout and then pop-up got him a 1-2-3 inning on only 12 pitches. He was grumpy and blowing the ball past people. I am still confused how the same teams, same defense and same offense could produce such a wildly different result from one inning to the next. The defense was great for Rabbit, but horrible for the other pitchers. Inconsistency was a hallmark of the squad this weekend.
So here we were, again, on a Saturday night, knowing Rabbit had to pitch lights out to keep the tournament alive. I was frustrated, bordering on outright anger. It is tiring watching this team lose by 10+ runs every time out. We keep holding out hope that the "10s team" will finally play together and all will be well. My biggest concern is what happens when we do get the players we want and we still get skunked? I asked Rabbit if he was getting frustrated as well. With all the seriousness he could muster he said "no." He would lose 30-0 every game and be happy, just so long as he was playing. If he was not upset by it, then I pledged I would not be either.
Sunday game and, as expected, Rabbit has the ball and will throw so long as he is effective. First inning took 7 pitches. Second only 9. He did not have A+ stuff, but was very effective. He also picked a kid off, not noteworthy in and of itself except for the fact we recorded the out! That is the first time in the last 5 pickoffs that we have actually got the player out. The opposing team stopped leading off for 3 innings after that play. One thing the opponents were good at is cheering. Little League stuff mostly, but the odd softball scream thrown in once in a while.In the 4th inning they figured out we call him Rabbit and screamed out "Silly Rabbit Trix are for Kids" as he started his windup. The umpire called a strike, called time, and instructed the bench that they could not scream as he was in process of releasing the ball. Their bench thought they were the most clever kids ever. Rabbit struck out the side on 9 pitches. He was not impressed.
After five innings we were ahead 5-2 and Rabbit had thrown 58 pitches. When he went to the mound again for the sixth I knew this was going to end quickly. He retired the side on 7 pitches for a 6IP complete game. 6H, 2ER, 0BB and 6K all on just 65 pitches. It was a dominant performance. The defense played great behind him and he worked fast and accurate. The zero walks is what impressed me most of all. We had won! An odd feeling lately. Our win put us into the Silver Division (losers bracket) Championship against the same team we had lost to in game two on Saturday. Very long story short - we had too many walks, too many errors and too many pitches. We staged a great 5 run rally in the last inning, including a two-run single for Rabbit who later came around to score, but still ended up losing 13-8.
After the games the coach gave Rabbit the team trophy. It must be 3 feet tall. The coach wants to start a new tradition of giving the MVP the hardware. Rabbit felt good and cleared space on his bookshelf for it. The grumpy part of me says that we are 3-7 in out last 10 with 6 losses by "mercy" rule. Two of our three wins come from Rabbit throwing complete games. But this is truly a team game. They win together, and lose together. Rabbit is stepping up and grabbing a leadership role. He loves the game and plays hard. It is a good example for all.
Now to the title. My expectation was zero for this weekend. And that is what we got. A lousy effort and lousy play. But Rabbit would lose every game and still wake up smiling. He could strike out every time and still get up and take his cuts. And yet, he has shown that he can and will lead this team. He will help whoever he can however he can. And that will make him a better person. Not bad for a kid who turns 11 today.
Rabbit drilled a ball in his first at bat of game 2. Absolutely smoked it. Hardest he has hit a ball in months. Sadly it went right into the glove of the pitcher who was diving out of the way. A tough out, and his second hard hit ball of the day. He was walked on 4 pitches next time up.
After the marathon inning finally ended Rabbit came in to pitch the third. A quick come-backer, strikeout and then pop-up got him a 1-2-3 inning on only 12 pitches. He was grumpy and blowing the ball past people. I am still confused how the same teams, same defense and same offense could produce such a wildly different result from one inning to the next. The defense was great for Rabbit, but horrible for the other pitchers. Inconsistency was a hallmark of the squad this weekend.
So here we were, again, on a Saturday night, knowing Rabbit had to pitch lights out to keep the tournament alive. I was frustrated, bordering on outright anger. It is tiring watching this team lose by 10+ runs every time out. We keep holding out hope that the "10s team" will finally play together and all will be well. My biggest concern is what happens when we do get the players we want and we still get skunked? I asked Rabbit if he was getting frustrated as well. With all the seriousness he could muster he said "no." He would lose 30-0 every game and be happy, just so long as he was playing. If he was not upset by it, then I pledged I would not be either.
Sunday game and, as expected, Rabbit has the ball and will throw so long as he is effective. First inning took 7 pitches. Second only 9. He did not have A+ stuff, but was very effective. He also picked a kid off, not noteworthy in and of itself except for the fact we recorded the out! That is the first time in the last 5 pickoffs that we have actually got the player out. The opposing team stopped leading off for 3 innings after that play. One thing the opponents were good at is cheering. Little League stuff mostly, but the odd softball scream thrown in once in a while.In the 4th inning they figured out we call him Rabbit and screamed out "Silly Rabbit Trix are for Kids" as he started his windup. The umpire called a strike, called time, and instructed the bench that they could not scream as he was in process of releasing the ball. Their bench thought they were the most clever kids ever. Rabbit struck out the side on 9 pitches. He was not impressed.
After five innings we were ahead 5-2 and Rabbit had thrown 58 pitches. When he went to the mound again for the sixth I knew this was going to end quickly. He retired the side on 7 pitches for a 6IP complete game. 6H, 2ER, 0BB and 6K all on just 65 pitches. It was a dominant performance. The defense played great behind him and he worked fast and accurate. The zero walks is what impressed me most of all. We had won! An odd feeling lately. Our win put us into the Silver Division (losers bracket) Championship against the same team we had lost to in game two on Saturday. Very long story short - we had too many walks, too many errors and too many pitches. We staged a great 5 run rally in the last inning, including a two-run single for Rabbit who later came around to score, but still ended up losing 13-8.
After the games the coach gave Rabbit the team trophy. It must be 3 feet tall. The coach wants to start a new tradition of giving the MVP the hardware. Rabbit felt good and cleared space on his bookshelf for it. The grumpy part of me says that we are 3-7 in out last 10 with 6 losses by "mercy" rule. Two of our three wins come from Rabbit throwing complete games. But this is truly a team game. They win together, and lose together. Rabbit is stepping up and grabbing a leadership role. He loves the game and plays hard. It is a good example for all.
Now to the title. My expectation was zero for this weekend. And that is what we got. A lousy effort and lousy play. But Rabbit would lose every game and still wake up smiling. He could strike out every time and still get up and take his cuts. And yet, he has shown that he can and will lead this team. He will help whoever he can however he can. And that will make him a better person. Not bad for a kid who turns 11 today.
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