Take Me Out To The Ballgame…Again…And Again…And Again!!

Sam has been playing basketball for several years and has definitely decided that will be one of his sports.  He has been toying around with the idea of baseball for a couple of years, but we have never actually done it.  Well, this year, we told him, "Now is the time.  If you wait any longer it will be too late to start a new sport."  He is naturally athletic, but most of these boys have been playing for several years.  He decided to give it a try.  In the span of two months, his team played 23 games!  When they weren't playing games, they had 3 practices a week!  We spent MANY hours at the ballpark.  I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would.  I am trying to capture his season in one blog post.  Get ready for lots of pictures.

 We were blessed with a great season.  

 The boys only lost 2 games out of the 23.

They even won the championship

 Sam was one of the fastest runners on the team

 He played left field

 most of the time

 In one of the first games, he got hit in the cheek with a pitch while batting

 That really spooked him and made hitting a challenge throughout the season. 

 He was hesitant and nervous about getting hit again

 By the end of the season, he was swinging and becoming really good at bunting

 He and Rick practiced in our back yard

There is that smile that we all know and love

 There were a few times he played 3rd base

 Winning was really fun!  We have never been on a championship team before.  

Even more than that, was the amazing coaching staff for his team.  It was a family affair.  The head coach was the grandpa of one of the team members.  His son and son-in-law helped coach and his daughter kept the book.  This family was awesome.  

That is a pretty good view for a baseball game!

 Love the sky in this pic

 Their sportsmanship and character were exactly what we hoped for.  

My heart was so grateful for the way they invested in Sam.

 We made some new friends as the families got to know each other

 Still smiling!

 It feels good to step on home plate and score a run!

 The one downside was the weather.  I wore cuddle duds, a hoodie, and gloves to almost every game.  The wind was horrible!!  I was often like this trying to keep the dirt out of my mouth.  

We froze A LOT!

 For their team party, they went to a Sky Sox Game

 Sox the Fox

 Coach Monty giving Sam his trophy.  He spoke of how Sam always had a good attitude and a smile on his face.  Seeing the Coach get emotional as he talked about these boys just confirmed how much he truly does pour into them throughout the season.  It is more than just coaching a sport to him.

We are the Champions, My Friend!

 This group of boys had lots of fun together

This was the best sporting experience we have had.  Sam is thinking about playing again in the Fall.  We are hoping he can play with the same coaches again.

 I sure hope the weather is better!!