That Championship Season

We are heading into one of the most intense sports weekends yet. Michael's baseball team practiced each of the three days of Memorial Day weekend, with the Sunday practice being a Dads vs. Team game. It was lots of fun, since I hadn't actually played a game in many years. Even though we were facing a bunch of pint-sized players, there was still something impressive about them arrayed in their positions around the field, resplendent in their crisp green and white uniforms. They played well for much of the game, reliably retiring the batboys (who played with the dads), and making some plays against the dads as well. Michael started a double play on a pop fly, doubling one of the dads off first (in the dad's defense, he's British and was lucky he found first to begin with). It took a couple of near disasters for all of the dads to realize that they had to dial their intensity at the plate way back, but once we did, the teams were on relatively level ground.


Only a poor last defensive inning and silent bats doomed the boys, but their spirits rebounded when we took them to the local ice cream shop after the game.


Michael and I went back to the ballyard Tuesday evening to watch one of the other games, which pitted the Cubs, the team we beat in the first round, against the Cardinals, the number one team (which had lost in the first round to the Orioles, our upcoming opponent). The Cardinals, who swept us in the regular season even though we beat them in a mid-season tournament, won the game, making them the opponent of whoever lost the Wednesday night game between our A's and the Orioles. Wednesday evening, the boys showed up to the field full of spirit and excitement. We immediately gave up five runs in the first inning, but got all five runs back with our first five batters. The game settled into a defensive struggle until we hung another five-spot on them in the fifth, and another three in the sixth. Like our victory over the Cubs in the first round, our A's played a very solid game (once we got past some errors in the first inning). Michael made a putout at second, had several hits including a drive well into the outfield, scored a couple of runs and drove one in for a very solid all-around game.

Tonight Michael and I went back to the field to watch the Cardinals in their rematch against the Orioles, and once again the Orioles bested them, again coming from behind in the last inning to prevail by one. The game ended with the Cardinals' tying run stranded on third and the winning run stuck on second. The tournament is structured so that we will now face the Orioles for the Championship on Saturday afternoon. Because it is a double elimination tournament, even if we lose on Saturday we will get another shot at the Orioles Tuesday night. I think we're all ready for the season to be over, so we're pulling for the boys to end it on Saturday.

Ah, Saturday. That's the day that Kelly has her second round game in the volleyball playoffs. If her team wins, she plays on Sunday at three for the gold. If her team loses, she plays immediately after the first Saturday game. If she wins that game, she plays again on Sunday at one for the silver.

Kelly's team has played well, but six of the ten players will miss the Saturday games because they are all eighth graders who will be attending their school's graduation ceremony. Since both coaches are parents of two of those girls, neither of the coaches will be there either. Since I went to all of Kelly's practices and helped out a little (and played a lot), I get to coach the Saturday game(s). We will pick up a couple of players from another team to add to our small but mighty band of four seventh graders and do our best.

Some scenes from our last game, two weeks ago, a too-close victory over "Cal":




Both Saturday volleyball games fall just before Michael's championship game, so I won't be able to help out with baseball field preparation as usual. The Sunday games, however, fall right smack in the middle of Michael's time trials that mark the beginning of the swim season. Sure, why not add a third sport to the mix? And immediately on the heels of both time trials and the later volleyball game will be the baseball team party.

If you understood all that, you're doing better than us. It has taken us days to figure out all the permutations of games, schedules and transportation issues.

It will almost be a relief to go to work on Monday.

Almost. But not really.