Finally!!!

So, let me paint a picture for you...Its the first game of the season, I can only stay for the first 15 minutes, and becuase the coach was so great, Colin was up first. As he walks to the plate, I can see the fear in his eyes and the nervous quiver of his bottom lip. This was, after all, the first time he was going to be playing "machine pitch" baseball. The first pitch comes in at a high speed, he gets in position, keeps his eyes on the ball, swings and the ball goes flying into center field!! As he is barreling around the bases (and in between my screams and jumps) I see the happieness on his face because of the great play he just made! And this was the scene at every game, and this just made his love of the game grow more and more.

Now, fast foward one year. After two weeks of greuling practices, the day before his first game, he breaks his foot, and the doctor says the cast stays on for four weeks, and then as if that wasn't bad enough, he wasn't allowed to start to play for another three weeks, but wait, on the day he can finally play again, we begin spring break so that is another week off. So after 8 weeks of not playing, he is finally ready to get into the game and show why his nickname back home was Manny, because he hit the ball so far that he could sit and admire his work before beginning to run the bases.

So, we had game number 1 back...a walk and a strike out (no contact), game 2 back....a walk and a strike (no contact), game 3 back...a walk and a strike (no contact). Well, you get the drift. Let me say, this made for a very sad little boy and many rides home with constant encouragements (from me and Maddie).

But on Saturdays game, that all changed. Pepere had been practicing with him and helping him feel more compfortable with his bat and his stance, so he got up to the plate ready to do some damage. But all the swinging and warming up was to no avail, he struck out. Then, at his second time up at bat, he got had two strikes, and no balls, and it looked like it was going to end badly....but that one ball that he had been waiting for came in. He kept his eye on it, swung, and nailed it to the first base line...finally, he made contact!!!!!!! So what if it didn't go into center field for a home run, he got a single and he never looked so happy. It was just what he needed to get his confidence back and to help him remember why he loves this game so much! His smile was ear to ear the whole ride home.

But of course it wasn't me who he wanted to talk to about it, it was Pepere who he couldn't wait to tell (Pepere had to leave the game early!)

Go Figure!

-Meg