Tournament Time!

Tomorrow is day one of what promises to be a super-challenging week for our boys.  Here is the tournament schedule for the Little League Division:  (click to enlarge)

The Philippines is five hours ahead of Saudi, 15 hours ahead of USA west coast time, 14 hours ahead of US mountain time, 13 hours ahead of US central time, and 12 hours ahead of US east coast time.  Note the typo on the schedule above--12 am should read 12 pm.

In addition, the tournament has a website that includes a live streaming page, so you will even have a chance to watch our boys live!  Very cool.  The games on the left-hand side of the schedule above will be available via live streaming.

http://aspac13littleleague.org/

That's all for now.  Wish us luck!!

Baseball Is Life

Tom Hanks' character in A League of Their Own famously said about baseball, "The hard is what makes it great."

That is definitely one of the things that makes baseball great, kind of like why chess is superior to checkers--one is more challenging, and thus more rewarding than the other.  Baseball is a very challenging game, and so the success is incredibly sweet.

Smitty prepares to fire one home.

My dad says that golf is the toughest sport and that baseball is the second toughest.  I see where he's coming from to an extent.  Baseball and golf do have their similarities, for sure.  For instance, there are multiple facets of each game that every player must master:  catching, throwing, hitting, putting, driving, chipping, etc.  Generally speaking, physique has less to do with ability than in most other sports.  Each game includes individual moments in the tee box or the batter's box.  The playing fields of each are aesthetically pleasing, and there is no clock.

But baseball is a team sport, and there's something to that in its appeal.

Baseball exemplifies a tension in the American mind, the constant pull between our atomistic individualism and our yearning for community.

GEORGE F. WILL, Men at Work

Nathan takes a rip at a belt-high fastball from Marcus in the team's final game here in Saudi.

Imagine if golf were a team sport.  You hit a terrific drive, then the next guy has to lay up, the next guy must chip it onto the green, and the next guy would have to putt the ball into the cup.  Up and down the course and up and down your lineup you go.

If you personally are "on" in golf, you will be successful that day.  As a team sport, though, it would be a bit more complicated than that.

If you personally are "on" in baseball one day, well, if your pitcher is wild, or your clean-up hitter is slumping, or your relief core is throwing meatballs, dude, you're in trouble.

Andrew on the mound, Ziyad at 2b.

Ultimately, though, it's baseball's connection to the seasons which gives the sport a mystical edge on all other games we play.

There's something about baseball that is in tune with the rhythm of life itself:  born in the spring, flourishing in the summer, dying in the fall, and dead in the winter--surely it's not just the English teachers who feel like baseball is a metaphor, on many levels, for life itself, is it?!  

A former commissioner of Major League Baseball (and former literature professor) got it, even going so far as to perhaps suggest that baseball is summertime:

The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone. You count on it, rely on it to buffer the passage of time, to keep the memory of sunshine and high skies alive, and then just when the days are all twilight, when you need it most, it stops ... And summer is gone.

A. BARTLETT GIAMATTI

Lucky us--here we are in the midst of summer.  Soak it in!

Nathan pitches to Chris.

Marcus and one of our fighter pilot friends.

Nic W. drops down a perfect bunt, and Shea reacts to try to make a play on it.

Ziyad takes a healthy cut!

Cryin'

Nathan  apparently was the first in line for the blonding, a 10+ year tradition that ensures good luck for the Saudi team.

 *       *       *

The travel team experience is kind of like the holiday season experience.  You look forward to it, you get all revved up for it, you love seeing your kid(s) so happy about it, but there's a price to pay.  And you know you'll also be happy when it's over.

You've got the stress, the extra stuff to do, and the extra family members to deal with.  In addition, money seems to shoot from your wallet about as regularly as Old Faithful spouts in Yellowstone.  Ooo, aaah!

Several home runs were recently hit at Canyon Yards, so the boys got together at the end of the last practice to move the outfield fence back a little bit.

*       *       *

This year's travel team experience comes to a climax next week.  Whether it's the central climax or not has yet to be determined.

Coach Matt spent a weekend at the beach taking in the spectacular technicolor view of home plate.  That's the Arabian (Persian) Gulf behind him.

*       *       *

"There's no crying in baseball," said Tom Hanks' character so famously in the movie A League of Their Own, but there's a lot of crying in Little League baseball, even on the travel team.

Naturally, there are the strikeouts and errors, but there are also personality clashes, unmet expectations, and miscommunications, which means that everyone involved is strapped into the proverbial emotional roller coaster.  Still, I defer to Mr. Hanks:

 *       *       *

I spent time last night writing "#19" and "#14" on a bunch of underwear and socks.  At this point, stuff like that makes you feel like crying.  You're sending them off on their own,  plus, at the other end of the spectrum, you can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  What's really causing the tears--are they tears of joy or tears of sadness?

*       *       *

Being a part of the travel team family is a challenge, as is being a member of any family.

Going back to the holiday season analogy, you sit down at a table with a beautifully-browned turkey sweetly steaming and surrounded by an array of tasty dishes, but the adults are all peeking at the cousins who don't get along.  Also, you can literally feel, it seems, your mom's annoyance with your father, and you all know it's just a matter of time before Uncle Bobby goes off on his annual rant about "dogs pooping on the beach."

But the only thing the kids at the table remember is Aunt Laura's awesome stuffing and Grandpa's silly faces.  Then they go play and eventually fall happily asleep in your lap during round 12 of the age-old  argument pitting the "good ol' days" vs. the present...

*       *       *

We're part of the travel team family now.  It hasn't always easy, but we got it done--and the kids are happy as heck.  Mission accomplished.

*       *       *

Today we saw the boys off.  (No cryin'.)

Moments before they left for the airport to head to the regional tournament in the Philippines...  A few guys were missing at this moment, but rest assured, Aziz, Nic, and Ziyad were scheduled to meet the team at the airport!

Ain't No Dream

-->

This is a metaphor.  It is not really Will.

Open a big duffle bag wide

And throw in your hat, your glove, and your cleats;

Grab a towel, a couple of extra tees,

Two pairs of socks,

Those cheap sunglasses,

Your baseball pants,

That dirty old sports necklace,

A toothbrush, some toothpaste,

And deodorant (if you’re there yet),

A pair of shorts, pj’s, some skivvies,

A black belt and two jerseys…

Zip her up, dude

Get in the car, star

Going to Qatar,

Also Bahrain, RT,

DXB, and Kuwait City

On the road for some fun.

Travelling has its pitfalls, like this flat tire.

Grab a blanket and a pillow, too—

But don’t count on many z’s;

That check for room service?  Just sign “Aziz.”

Be at the field at 7; be in the pool by 2…

A bag of chips, some Twizzlers,

And a granola bar for lunch will do;

Double header at 4:30 today

Followed by shwarmas or Subway

Cling to the fence as your teammates bat

And all game long keep up the chat

“You’ll get ‘em next time,” “Nice cut!” and “G’d eye”

“Don’t worry about it” you say to the guy

Who’s a little bit down

All the while the cameras click

And dads hang over fences to yell encouragement

And by the end your throat feels like gravel

You’ve been drinking water-fountain water

And eating sunflower seeds and spitting,

Springing, jogging, throwing, screaming…

The natives

Now this game is over and it’s all done

And the post-game talk is going on;

The field lights are dimming

And someone’s on the mound raking

The team bus is revving up in the lot

You’re going home...

To the hotel.

In minutes the games are ancient history

As you sing on the way,

Cracking jokes and going all Gangnam Style

And around a curve someone falls into the aisle

No surprise

From left to right:  Weirdo #1, Weirdo #2, and Weirdo #3.

You’re dirty, you’re so tired;

And you find yourself soon enough in bed in a room

Settling down, lights clicking off, toilets flushing

And the sounds of that deep sleep breathing—

A coach is snoring—

But in an instant you’re sleeping, too,

And you’re dreaming

Up there in some glass tower in a far away city

(Your parents are thinking about you.)

Cozy vs. luxurious...  They don't know the difference.

And then it’s morning, and it’s actually all real

You made the travel team—so

Get dressed, pack your bag, be downstairs in five!

Look alive—game at nine!

A weekend in RT.

Real Ball

When the pitchers are "on," and the defense is solid, that's when Little League baseball is such a fun game to watch.  Tension hovers around each at bat, and then even each pitch as the game rides toward the 6th.

They're playing like pros, you tell yourself.  This is a real game!  your mind shouts.  They have come a long way, and this is some darn good fruit for our collective labors.

And someone blasts a solo home run, and the other team scratches back with a seeing-eye grounder, a walk, and a bloop, and the scoreboard says we're in the bottom of the last in an hour-and-a-half with men on base and one out to go.

You don't know if the rally will die or extend; this how a great game ends.  Sometimes you win it and sometimes you don't, but what a fight--it's brought out the best in every single player.

They're shaking hands on the field.  Time to go home.  Who wants to go home?  Let's play again!

Takin' Off?

I have been wondering about the mental make-up of our team.  We have risen to the occasion in the recent past, and I see a calm determination underlying everything the boys do.  I'm excited about the possibilities for this group of boys.

With only three weeks or so to go until the regional tournament, we parents are on the edge of our seats! 

Calm down, everyone, and drink in some shots of some recent local action:

Marcus fires one in toward the mighty Ziyad.

Marcus reads the catcher's signs.

Coach Kraynyk tries to gain some points with Mr. Somogye and Mr. McKissack.  Every little bit counts!

Aziz loads up for the incoming pitch as Nick awaits.

Luke wears his game face well!

Trace prepares to tag an incoming runner.

Alex G. drives a low liner.

Trace sometimes sheds the "tools of ignorance" for some fresh air on the mound!

Andrew laces one toward left field.

Chris prepares a two-seamer for delivery!

In Control

Tweet
 

As we glide through this travel team season, I'm sure I'm not the only one who's trying to enjoy watching my kids as much as possible.  We always enjoy watching our kids, but this is special and so we're trying to really soak it in and appreciate it.

Coach Dan addresses the troops.

One thing in particular to appreciate is how patient our coaches are.  They exude confidence in the program that they are pushing our kids through, which lends a sense of calm as tournament time creeps closer.  30 days and counting... So many reps, an extra inning for this pitcher, an advanced technique here, a subtle adjustment there.  Holding expectations steady, reinforcing habits, mixing in some fun...  30 days and counting.

Coach Matt grimaces as he crunches a Saudi sunflower seed. (Been there.)

*     *     *

Since the coaches are in control, the parents can simply relax, right?  Not exactly!  Plenty of things going on off the field to wear us out, from fundraisers to team meals and sleepovers to bushels of emails and a steady diet of meetings to manage this behemoth that is The Travel Team Experience. 

The final leg of this journey, the regional tournament in the Philippines, is going to feel like a vacation.  All of the work will be done, and we will finally just be watching some baseball.  It will be nerve-wracking baseball watching, yes, but it should be just baseball.

And so, when you take your seat at our first tournament game, don't be surprised if you hear some nut job shouting out "Hallelujah!" as he takes his seat way up in the top row.

Coach Kraynyk takes some time to listen to and talk with the boys.

Our boys

Tweet