Hanging Tough with the Ladies

Or, the Game 6 Report.

So we are playing the Red Sox again, the team that put a pretty good whooping on us last game (that is, if we actually kept score, because everyone knows we are in this for fun and no one, especially not the coaches, keep a mental tally of how many times they scored runs vs. how many times we got three outs).

We had a decent player on the mound, albeit one that gets distracted easily. I got smart and had him and the catcher throwing the ball in warm ups, thinking they would have plenty of opportunities to try and make a play at the plate. They did, but the pitcher decided that he would throw it to the first baseman instead and did a very good job. We didn't coach him to do that, he just took it on himself. What am I supposed to do, tell him not to do what he is supposed to be doing?

The problem with the Red Sox is that their players are very fast. I am sure they have some slow ones, but their pitcher both times we have played them has outrun most of the other players on the field. They got three outs in 6 batters the first inning, but we batted around +2 the second and got our seven runs.

Defensively, we made some great plays. The pitcher/first base combination got two or so, and that doesn't include one that should have been an out but was not called that way. Luke played third and got three outs, but on one, our left fielder ran into the girl running to third. Luke was already at the bag when the collision occurred, but interference is interference. Luke could not figure out why she was safe and the ump, the Red Sox coach and I all told him he did a great job. The girl left from being shook up on the play and the official ruling was no out, but they would also not count any runs, either. Luke took it upon himself to cover most of the field and almost got an out at home. Next Saturday he is pitcher, so that will be fun!

The Red Sox have some really good coaches and they play very disciplined. This is the group that when the coach says "Red Sox," they all yell "Ready" and get down in ready position. They throw the ball most of the time and their coach plays one base and stop. I told him they played great and we enjoyed playing them.

We still have a parent/part-time base coach who yells. A lot. He is pretty encouraging to all of the players (including theirs) except his child. Sort of falls into that how much leeway should you take to tell a parent to not yell at his child... If I do this next year, I will hand pick coaches and have a meeting with them to say here is what we will - and will not do.

All in all, it was a great outing. I am proud of the team for playing hard and they are having fun. I get a sense that the parents are enjoying the process, too. That makes it nice.

(It was 2-1, in case someone is keeping track besides me!)

And yet another princess shot...

Baby, you can drive my car...

And a flashback shot...

Rudbeckia fulgida

Or Black-eyed Susan Goldsturm, but you knew that already.


I have been waiting for these to bloom. I think they will be a good addition to the front bed, although right now they are so tall, it is hard to see the Lantana.

Game 5 Update

Well, for Game 5, we played the Black Indians, which I think means the league offended two sets of racial/ethnic groups. Although I did not remember, Jana says we played this team in Game 1. For those just joining our regularly scheduled blog in progress, here at the highlights from Game 1:

OK, now I remember why I do not remember Game 1.

I did not remember this in the first game, but the Black Indians have a man-child (or would that be child-man?) playing for them. I think this is the first time seen a T-ball player hit a ball that flies all the way into the outfield. I also think this is the first time I have seen a T-ball player put out his cigarette, take one more swig from his beer can and scratch the stubble on his chin before he walked to the plate. (OK, I am just joking about that last one. He did, however, hit the outfield on the fly.) After the inning, their coach stops our base coach and says: "Be sure your pitcher is watching when #6 bats. He hit our pitcher in practice this week and almost knocked him out." Great! The one redeeming factor is that this team plays one and stop instead of clearing the bases.

Having said all of that, we had a very good game. It was a tie -- each team got a couple of outs each half-inning, but both teams got their 7 runs each inning. Man-child hit it to second his next time up, nothing major. Our pitcher kept throwing to first, just like we worked on in practice, although never got anyone out. We switched his assignment and had him start throwing home, which he did, but again, we were never quite quick enough to get anyone out on the throws. Had some smart playing and reacting to get some outs, however. Luke made a great play to cover second and wait for a throw. It was the perfect play, although they ended up not throwing it to him.

Here is a picture of the coach giving the pep talk and the "1-2-3 Twins!"


Tomorrow we play the Red Red Sox (Yes, the girl team.) I'll let you know.

Family Visit

Uncle Jim and Aunt Jo were staying in town on their way back to Fort Worth from New Mexico. (Isn't that why everyone comes to Lubbock?) They came by the house and we got a chance to visit and catch up. It was nice to have some relatives from that side of the family here -- it seems like no one has seen our house. Luke had a blast showing off all of the fun things in the yard and Grace got to show off the flowers.

Be Vewy, Vewy Quiet...

Luke and a friend caught this rabbit at Legacy Play Village. No, I do not know how he caught it. Actually, this was one of two he caught. I am not sure how he caught the other one, either.

T-Ball Pics

Go Twins!!

T-Ball Highlights

I wrote about my coaching career on my blog, but I thought I would post an update about our season to this point.

We have had four games and I think we are 2-2. I say that because I mentally give ourselves one point for getting three outs in an inning. If they get the full 7 runs, no points. If they get three outs, one point for them.

The first game was a comedy of errors. The two dads who were assisting me coach (I guess that would make them the 5th and 6th Assistants) did not show up. So, ten minutes before game time, I am trying to count kids, adjust the lineup for the five who did not show, and throw the ball to the players. The lineup thing is not as easy as it sounds, because you have to bat in the same order all year long AND you have to adjust your lineup so it is infield, outfield, infield, so on. I am just trying to find 10 guys in royal blue shirts - they could be out standing in the field, for all I care at this point. I recruited some dads to help out. I picked the wrong dads. (If those dads actually happen to stumble across this blog, I really appreciated your help and you are really nice people, but I've got to be honest. You yell too much and too loud. Your child is confused because he is trying to listen to me, you, and the other 28 adults in the stands. He will play a lot better if you will not yell.)

Our team has another challenge. We have about five kids who will not be riding the big rides at Six Flags any time soon. They may never ride the big rides. The team photographer had no problem deciding who to line up in the front for pictures. One of them is as tall as he is wide as he is deep. (If Joseph's parents stumble across this blog, I love Joseph and he will grow out of this look. He makes me laugh. Please do not take offense.) The original coach was in charge of the first lineup - guess which kids were my infield?

Here are the highlights from the actual game:

OK, moving right along.

Game 2 was better. We got some outs. In fact, Luke got their guys out every time they got up. Unfortunately they only had one guy. Yes, we got drummed by a team full of girls, any of which might have been able to play with Cat on the national team. OK, I am exaggerating, but it seemed like it. If memory serves me correct, this was the game that five of our guys met in the outfield to retrieve a ball, only they had to have a scrum first to see who got to bring it back in. Our third baseman (this was in right field, by the way) thought this looked fun so he ran and jumped on the pile. I am not making this part up. However, overall we did play more like a team that actually had seen a baseball. Simple victories.

Game 3: We played a team that looked good. Sharp looking orange uniforms. Good looking uniforms can swing a game, but fortunately, our team had been so well coached, they were able to look beyond the externals. That and the fact that the good looking orange team played like they had not seen a baseball. (If the coach of the orange team reads this blog, I am sorry, but you did not play well. Any team that looks that sharp should play better than you did. And on top of that, you ran your kids and I didn't like that. Consider it my passive-aggressive retaliation.) We got three outs both of our defensive stands. Our pitcher chose to listen to me instead of his dad who has already been mentioned in this post - I will let you decide where.

The one nice thing about beating this team is their coach "ran" them instead of doing "one and stop." There is an unwritten rule for most of the coaches in this league that your player hits the ball, runs to first, then stops. It doesn't matter if you hit it into next week and your grandmother who uses a walker could get around the bases before you throw it in, you stop after one base. Everyone just seems to like it better this way. Everyone except the orange team. These are the kinds of things that make me furious and I was trying very hard not to get that way. I told the original coach that he needed to hold me back if I started yelling at the other coaches, but he soon afterwards was nearly passed out on the end of the bench with a migraine. Lot of good that would have done me. Needless to say, I was thrilled that we got three outs each time on defense. Run 'em, I say. My boys will gun you down at the plate!

Game 4: We finally got through the order enough to get some speed and defensive skills at pitcher. Our fastest kid was pitching and while I tell the other pitchers to pick up the ball and get back to the pitcher's mound (which kills play and you have to go back to the previous base, thereby squelching the need to run on us), I told Teigan that if he got the ball and he could get to first before the runner, have at it. If there is a kid who plays in our league who is faster than Teigan, he isn't on the purple team. He only missed one he tired for, which was OK because the next batter hit a shot to Luke at short, who picked it up and cooly beat him to 2nd. In fact, Luke had a couple of plays where he fielded the ball, checked his options and then made the best choice of a play. I would say he falls in the "gets it" category at this point. With Teigan's help, we managed to get three of their first five batters out. We got three on our next defensive stand, even though the umpire was calling interference and anything else she could to keep runners on the bases. (Not maliciously or unfairly, just trying to let the kids have opportunity to play. We could have theoretically had to play extra innings because of the rule that says every kid gets a chance to bat. They called the game 10 minutes early as it was.)

We did have one moral victory, as well. One of our "sliders into home" players came trucking in from third trying to beat a grounder to the pitcher. He had about three steps on the pitcher when he decides to do the obligatory slide into home. It rained last night. Enough to accomplish the goal of making your uniform dirty, but also enough that when you hit the deck, you didn't slide, you more of less stuck. So here lies our slider, about a foot from home plate, watching the pitcher run across the plate and force him out. His parents (She is the dugout coach and does a SUPER job at it, he is the first base coach and is quiet and doesn't yell. If you happen to catch this post, thank you for doing so. Finally, one I do not have to include a disclaimer for!) were trying to not go ballistic, but I calmly pulled him aside and said "See what can happen..." Then, being the teacher that I am, I took hold of the teachable moment, and told all the rest of the kids if they slide into home, the umpire would call you out like she did Jaden. Apparently, it worked. No one else slid for the rest of the game.

(After the last game, remind me to tell them you don't always get out...)

Love the Baby

Almost a Family Shot

Luke had to take the picture.

Loving the Swing

Luke loves the swing!

What a difference a year makes...

More Garden Pictures

I wish these pictures did more justice than they do, but the backyard continues to look nice. In fact, it is our favorite hang-out in the evening.

The phlox is really blooming, but you have to look at just the tops. Still not sure what is going on with them. I need to put some mums in the front right corner and then a birdbath in the back left corner with some irises around it and I will be done.

I really like this basket of purslane (portulaca oleracea). The yellows and pinks are a lot brighter in real life.

I have always wanted some elephant ears, so I have really been enjoying this pot. That's more purslane down at the bottom of it.

Good News and Bad News

I will borrow Julie's Good News/Bad News idea for a moment.

The good news is that the garden phlox is blooming. See...


The bad news is that the blooms are on top of a plant that looks like this...


I am not sure what mildew or fungus is having it's way with the phlox, but it looks terrible. Need to go to the nursery and ask questions.

Grilling Out with Friends

We had some friends from our original small group at South Plains over tonight. They have moved to Tahoka and go to church out there now, but we have tried to get together with them occasionally. It was good to visit with them and see their girls -- and have their girls get to play with Luke and Grace. The weather was nice so we grilled out and just ate our food outside.

Here are the kids, eating in the clubhouse...


... and Grace, eating strawberries.

Gardening Pics

I enjoyed Julie's pictures of her garden and thought I would post some of my own. Nothing like Julie's, but a great improvement over where the yard has been!

This is the newest bed. There is still a couple of more groupings to go in, but I am having trouble finding the right plants. There is also supposed to be a bird bath and rock stepping stones.

Here is the same bed from the other side. You can also see the hanging plants, the washtub planter and the planters on the back fence. I will probably have to put a rock edging around this bed at some point.

This is the front bed. It seems a little sparse - at least to me - but is supposed to fill in.

Here are a couple of attempts at making a mixed hanger container. You have dark, my favorite...


...and light.

I'll try to get some better pictures later.

Great Visit

We had a great visit from the parentals this past weekend. Mostly just enjoyed getting to hang out at the house and eat food cooked on the grill. We did discover that Grace likes grilled corn-on-the-cob.

Memorial Day