Baseball and Soccer Season Finales
The final game of the Little Leaguer's season was last Saturday. Today was the first day of the tournament (in little league apparently you play all season and then your ranking is determined by tournament play not by regular season wins). And we won! Astros beat the Raptors 9-5. And two of those 9 points are Grady's.
If you recall, he started off striking out. First game of the season was Sept 11th. By Sept 30th he got his first hit and run scored. Since then he's been good for a hit at every at bat. He had a game where he wasn't swinging through enough, and he'd drive it right down the first base line and not be able to run it out. But today he was swinging hard and got it right down the third base line and was on base easily. In props to the other team, they almost had him out with a throw from third but it hit the first basemen and bounced out and G stayed on first safely.
The turn around in this kids attitude about baseball has been swift. His confidence is sky high. I'm on fire mom. I'm so good at batting. And he is! He's dominating coach pitch. They play him in Left field and catcher, mostly at catcher, because he is pretty good at it.
But he hates it. A lot. All you do is get hit with the ball, mom. And he hates it. So he wants to move and play pitcher or second. Well, then son you gotta show them you're better at fielding and getting outs. To which he was kind of whiney but he'd just played an hour long soccer game so I'm letting him have his mood and we'll talk later.
I am so stinking proud of him. So proud. He gets up there even when he was so disappointed and he kept trying. And he got his hit and kept getting hits and then he'd get thrown out and he'd be crushed but he kept going out there.
I have to say - it's really hard being a sports mom as they get older. They are so invested and they get their hearts just crushed because they know the score, sure as the sunrise they know the score. And they want to win.
What I loved the most about his baseball team (aren't they so bad news bears? I love them) was that they just wanted to play. Well really they just want to bat and run bases. But they just love to play ball. With the Astros in the World Series right now baseball is on fire in our house and I'm seeing bits of it come alive in G. We're a baseball house more than anything else, with football formerly being a close second but JJ is out for the season so we're all kind of sad on football.
Today in the tournament they have gotten so much better than start of the year. They had like six outs with plays from pitcher to first and second to first and a tagged out at third. So great. They were really playing like they were in the post season. It was amazing to watch.
They have their next Tournament game Monday at 7:20PM. It's going to be so fun for them to play under the lights.
Which brings me to ...
In my heart I am confident I was meant to be a baseball mom. :) But. Of course. I am also a soccer mom. (And a whatever else these kiddos decide they want to do - but I'm loving being a baseball mom! I'd say don't tell Grady but he feels the pressure already and I try to be mindful. He knows we love it).
D's season finish was today. Last Thursday instead of practice we went for snow cones. It was the last warm day before he got the cold front Friday night.
His team is super cute. So many cute kids that are aggressive and want to play. It was lovely coaching them and they were all great. We have some real stars that run hard and want to play hard. They won't stay long in the Rec league. They'll move on to elite because they'll get recruited. They are really naturally good at soccer. David is good when he tries and goes after it. But sometimes he just doesn't want to. It's been a hard season attitude wise. He'll cry because it's too hot and wants water. Today he cried because it was too cold and he couldn't run. I worked with him I tried to make him run to stay warm. He cried. He made a scene. I tried to point out he's way too old for this type of behavior. It didn't really make a dent.
Eventually I got to the point that I said I was taking away the trophy. The trophy was participating all season. If he didn't participate, he didn't get the trophy.
He went in and played one quarter. And he actually ran and played hard.
And I smothered him with praise and I'm super proud of him. He could have tried to call my bluff (I am certain he considered it). But he didn't. He put on his big kid socks and got out there and played. And he radiated under the praise. I am hoping as maturity continues he'll want that feeling and participate more. But we'll see. Soccer may not be his sport. He may not want to play the same games brother did. We're doing this for another season with Lew as coach. And we'll go from there.
These boys. They have hit U9 sports. Things are really competitive at this age. And it's hard. They have goalies and off-sides calls and line refs. It was a big shock for them. They had a losing season but came out with the tie today. They have improved a lot.
But where as D's team has a bunch of kids that really are aggressive and get in there ... these kids are so nice. Like they knock a kid over they stop and help him up. A kid gets hurt they all stop playing. Not a lot of killer instinct on this team. Which is awesome and what I want.
But they are playing against teams that are aggressive. And mean. G came home crying twice because kids on the opposing team were talking trash. Mom, is there anyway they can get in trouble for that?
No. I'm sorry son. Shake it off and kick the ball into the goal to shut them up. There's no yellow card for trash talk.
It's been a season of hard lessons. This team has been together since Kinder. And it may be in it's final season. It may be over. G still wants to play but he only wants to play for the Jets. It's his team, he named them. He is down trodden. I don't know what to tell him.
That's just how soccer go.
For myself I am so grateful to have the winter break on sports. So. Grateful. We will only have Cub Scouts through Dec 6th and those are short meetings and nothing on Saturdays.
Can I get a hallelujah.
I survived having three sports commitments. And I don't think they are going anywhere. I have to sign them up again Nov 1st. I am not sure where G's heart is. He will have to make the call. His friend is giving up soccer. But G's first love is soccer. Not sure. It's going to be a hard case for him.
We have some more tournament play in baseball coming up. He will swell if they win and place and get a real trophy. I'm excited to see them play.
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