Ten and One

Going into the last week of the regular season, the Little League team that I've been helping to coach, if you can call it that, has a record of 10 wins and just one loss. Although my memory of the game is fading, the one loss occurred about a month ago against just an average Queen Anne team and was rather inexplicable in many ways. We could tell almost from the first pitch that it just wasn't our night. It was cold, the kids weren't into it, the pitching was shaky and we just could not string together any hits. The baserunning was lousy, as was the defense. I guess that's just my way of saying that we should be undefeated (which would have been sweet!).

My nephew Sam is one of the better players on the team and has just been a really, really solid part of the team with his good hitting and excellent play at first base. He has also had some overpowering appearances at pitcher. At over 6 feet tall and with his long, brown hair, he cuts quite the striking figure on the field.

Sam's dad, Don, is the real star of the team. The commitment of this man is amazing. He has made it to every practice and every game, oftentimes having to arrive an hour early with all the team equipment, and usually not leaving the dugout until everyone else is long gone. How he's able to keep up with the demands of the team, as well as the demands of his high-powered job with USBank is a total mystery. I have enough trouble making it to most games and by the end of the seventh inning, I am more than willing to go home and eat dinner. His patience with the kids (and the other coaches) and his deep knowledge of the game has been a real inspiration and a learning tool I can use with my softball team.

I'll post some pictures later.