Prelude to a Championship

Well...the Rangers won the Championship game. The score was 8-0 It was really fun to watch and the kids were pretty excited and happy that they won. They sure worked hard for it.

Here is the inspiring email the coach sent before the game. It sure did work.
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Each day I live, I want to be; a day to give the best of me
I'm only one, but not alone; my finest day is yet unknown. . . .
I've lived to be the very best; I want it all, no time for less.
I've laid the plans, now lay the chance here in my hands.
I want one moment in time when I'm more than I thought I could be,
when all of my dreams are a heartbeat away and the answers are all up to me.
Give me one moment in time when I'm racing with destiny.
Then, in that one moment in time, I will feel, I will feel, eternity

-- Albert Hammond and John Bettis, made famous by Whitney Houston

It was 71 days ago that we met for the first time in the rain at Woodland for that first practice. What a journey it has been. By 8:00 tomorrow night (weather permitting), 117 EAA games will have been played. 18 teams of roughly 216 players will have taken their final swings of the season, said their goodbyes, put away their baseball stuff, and moved on. Of the 20 teams, only one team will go undefeated in the playoffs. Game 118 will crown a champion.

We have accomplished many wonderful things on our journey together. We wanted to have more fun than anyone else and from the looks on your faces as you play the game, we have accomplished that. We wanted to improve more than any other team and the Red Sox and Reds will vouch that we accomplished that. We wanted to extend our season as long as we could and you have PTKP’ed (Play To Keep Playing)all the way to the very last minute of the EAA season. You are playing inspired baseball. You are hammering the ball at the plate, your pitching overwhelms opposing batters, you are making smart plays in the field, you are running the bases aggressively and smart. You are making clutch pitches and big catches when you most need them. You are calm under pressure. You are playing baseball the way it should be played. You have worked hard to get better. You have supported, encouraged and helped each other. You are truly a team in every sense of the word. It has been a privilege to be associated with such a fine group of people and ballplayers.

As a result, you are on the brink of doing something you will remember for the rest of your lives. This is your moment. We have accomplished everything we set out to do at the beginning of the season. There is just one more thing left to accomplish. Let’s win a championship.

See you at 6:15 or even 6:00 for our last batting practice together before the final caravan over to the baseball field.

Coach David

Living La Vida Baseball

Well, the last two weeks have been consumed with baseball. Baseball games and baseball practice. Not to mention celebrations for baseball victories at Dairy Queen. My oldest son's baseball team has been doing really well in the play offs. They have PTKP'd (team motto- play to keep playing) their way to the championship game which takes place tomorrow evening.

The boys are so excited for tomorrow evening's game. A couple of girls at the daycare Kevin used to attend make a nice banner for the boy's dug out with all their names on it. The team really liked that a lot. That will return for good luck on Thursday.

Kevin's team (the Rangers) beat the opposing team 13-1. They only played 3 1/2 innings. Wow...The innings were long. It took 1 1/2 hours to play 3 1/2 innings. Our kids hitting was just on fire.

After the game, the team gathered around for a speech from their head coach. The head coach was holding the game ball in his hand and he was almost speechless at the performance his kids had just done. About 1 sentence into his speech, they doused him with the cooler of water. He didn't see it coming.

Tomorrow is the last night of the official 2008 baseball little league season. I'm sure there will be a team party no matter the outcome of the game. 20 teams go into the play offs and only 1 team wins every game. Hopefully that team will be the Rangers. They sure have the power and the will to do it. I feel it will be a close game, but you just never know.

The team is a great group of kids, and they are so complimentary of each other. They really help each other out and don't put any one down. I'm really impressed with their sportsmanship and behavior. They are supportive of all team members, no matter the performance.

Kevin really enjoys baseball and he wants to continue to play. He obviously has some work to do, so we will be getting him ready for the 2009 season from here on out. We'll be playing catch and going to the batting cages through out the off season. Then he can really PTKP next year.

Little League Baseball

Who knew little league could be so exciting? I think I witnessed the best game in baseball history on Thursday. Little league play offs are happening. 20 teams in all, all with the same goal...the championship game.

Kevin's team was losing their second play off game in the first inning 4-0. His team came back and tied the game, then ended up getting ahead by 1 run. The opposing team came back and tied the game, and then scored an extra run. Finally, Kevin's team came back to tie, then scored more runs to lead the game. The game was full of great plays, controversial plays, and a roller coaster of emotions. The team, the parents, and the coaches, were all riding the same roller coaster. It was fun and nerve racking to watch. You want these kids to do so well, and you really feel their disappointment when they are down. Luckily, these kids have great encouraging coaches who guide them along the whole way.

My son is just fortunate to be a part of such a great team. He is unfortunately the worst player on the team. I hate to say that, but it's true. Yep, I'm the mom who's got the kid on the team who needs constant reminders of where the play is, where to stand, ect...

He loves the game, he loves playing. He is just afraid of that dang ball flying at him at 45- 50 mph. I don't blame him in that regard. I guess he gets that from me. A flying baseball with heat behind it can be quite intimidating. He does not stand close enough to the plate because he doesn't want to be a "ball magnet" like one kid on the team is who has gotten hit with a pitch at least every other game. So he either strikes out or walks. It's a toss up.

We have baseball practice on Sunday and then Monday is another play off game. If his team wins Monday, his team will be in the final four play off. So there is a lot of pressure to win on Monday. They play a team that beat them by 3 runs in the regular season. But the team they beat on Thursday had also beat them in the regular season by 3 runs, and in a tournament situation, it's anybody's game, and as they found out the other day, it's not over, until it's over.

So I have a feeling we will be living, breathing, and dreaming baseball all next week. I just hope my son steps up to the plate and gets a hit or two. Their team has the skill to go all the way, let's see if they have the will, desire, and heart to do it. I sure hope so. There will be 13 really disappointed boys otherwise.