And Now For Something Completely Different

Parade over. Thank you. Can we now get back to reality (aka baseball).

While I'm sure all the pigskin fans in the GMA (greater metropolitan area) will say football rules, the plain and simple fact is that 'round these parts, BASEBALL RULES!!!

1. Thank the gods of baseball for the MLB Network. My oasis in a sea of Giants hysteria.
2. Excitment is a bit tempered with the ineffectual off-season that the NY Mets had. I know, let's pony up some coin to get Roy Oswalt, who would instantly become our best pitcher. He wants one -year. NAH.
3. Watch this below, very funny.
CHEDDAR!

Flatter Than Flat

5th grade team played last night- losing 48-42. High scoring game.

We were f-l-a-t. It was like a bunch of 11YO's had a hangover from SBXLVI!

Now 4-8 on season with 4 to go. .500 is the goal. Gonna be tough as 2 games are against one of top teams in division.

All Over But the Shouting (and Parade)

NY Giants. Super Bowl XLVI Winners.

Good for Eli. Good for Coughlin. Both have been killed by their own fans time and time again.

I am not a fan. Watched the SB with interest, but had no rooting interest for either team.

So we endure 2-3 days of mass hysteria in the Greater Metropolitan area. Then we can get back to BASEBALL!!!!

And speaking of baseball, our program (at least 3/4 of it) practiced outdoors yesterday. 11U had an early AM session to get loose and take some swings. Only 2 players missing/ falling behind. The 13U and 14U teams had a practice scrimmage vs. each other with some modified rules for this early (no stealing, pitchers limited to one inning or 30 pitches, etc.) - everybody looked terrific for the most part. Puts a big spring in my step...

What You Want To Hear

Y'know, on the BOSS (blog of SoulSlam), we like to tell it like it is. No fluff. No by-product filler. No BS.

Here we go...
Due to a conflict and my 13U team having the night off last night, Coach SoulSlam got to oversee some of our new 9U players last night. About 1/2 the team was there. Small group, so my attention was heightened. And one of the things most younger players do is throw a ball incorrectly. For you artsy-fartsy types, check it here.

So one of these little fellas told me while I tried to correct him "my other coach, who's a pro, showed me this way and he said I'm doing great!". Uhhh, no, sorry, Skywalker. Your other coach, who is a dubious pro apparently is just taking your parents money. Because if your a "pro coach" and showing a kid that curling his hand up by his ear is correct, then you are wrong. And why in the world anyone is paying for lessons with an 8-9 YO is beyond me.

Fast-forward to the tees...and his form is 100% wrong, too big a stride, like a softball player. But the pro knows best (I guess because somebody is paying). What do I know. I could only hit everything, and my two sons are the better hitters on their respective teams. My advice is free. And I have no agenda like getting you to keep paying me. So while I may not tell you what you want to hear, I will tell you the truth.

The Young Man

So, OSSS (Oldest Son of SoulSlam) is an 8th grader, and had to make a choice on HS. The public school is where most of his pals will go; there's Catholic HS which I could barely afford (but find a way); and there are specialized Academies, where the student receives a focused curriculum along with typical HS study.

OSSS decided to apply for the Academy of Law and Public Safety, which is situated in another public HS (not the one in our area). He tested in November. Interviewed a couple of weeks ago, and was told today that he was accepted. I could not be more proud.

The Oldest 5th Grader in History

Gotta get this down while still fresh...

Last night was travel game night, playing a team I had never seen. Started with an idiot parent dunking on a 8ft insert at our gym after the 4th grade game ended. FYI - not made for that.

So as this town (population 1.5x my little burg) warms up, I am struck by #4. Now we are a 5th grade team. The kind with 5th graders. Y'know, kids.

#4 is a man. Literally.
Stands about 5'6". OK, I've seen tall kids in 5th grade.
Has really hairy legs.
And the beginnings of a moustache.
And muscalature. Biceps. No baby fat at all.

If we were playing an 8th grade team, I would think he was a left-behind 16 year old.

So I have to ask to see his birth certificate (as is my right). Holy crap, WWIII just started. Father starts yelling, other fathers start yelling, blah, blah, blah. No BC. They want to see all of mine. "OK, here they are."

So I want to see all of theirs. No gots. Refs call limp-d*%k league official. I can file a protest if I like. Whatever.

Anyway, think I saw the kid driving a semi over the Tappan Zee this morning. Probably getting to his 5th grade class!

A Sunday of Baseball

Going to a local collectibles (flea) market in a bit. Boys looking for baseball cards mostly.

Speaking of baseball, lots on tap today! 11U team will practice outdoors at 2:30PM. Forecast is looking sunny and 43. So as long as the junior ninjas dress warm, we should be good. I would say it's 50-50 that somebody shows up in short sleeves though.

Then at 5:45, my 13U squadron of death-dealers has an indoor workout, mostly throwing and catching. Also get the pitchers 35-45 throws so we can build up arm strength. First year at 60'6" can be daunting if you don't have decent pitching. I think we do. MPO is that we are built for big field. Everything we have worked on since these guys were 9 and 10 has been meant to be ready for now and beyond. Hope I'm right!

In basketball news, my 5th grade team won the other night against a team that beat us by 13 the first time we met. Using our full-size court (vs. their tiny hoopdy court) we were able to control game well. That team is now 4-6, could just as easily be 6-4 or 7-3 with a couple of breaks. Now we get to random part of schedule where I play 6 games over next 6 weeks. Gotta try to stay sharp through this.