We’ve had a busy few weeks so I missed a few post. I really do feel that some days are just a blur. Even with that, we try to make the most of them.

We spent a few days down in OC. The weather was perfect. It was kind of cool because it was just down time with the three of us. We, of course, mad our way to Manco’s, daddy’s favorite pizza. But I have to say, that the boy and I are really starting to enjoy Hula Grill. It has great Hawaiian style food. So good. The beach itself was quite hot….but the water was still really cool. I actually found it refreshing. However, none of us were daring enough to completely submerge.

Baseball has been interesting the last few weeks. The boy started off hot with the bat, but by mid-season was in a pretty bad slump. It didn’t help that his mechanics were off. So after a game in which he struggled, the old ball coach pulled him aside and worked his swing. I’m happy to report that he’s starting to hit again….although we’re still waiting for that home run power to return. Hopefully, it will be this weekend at Ripken.

With that said, we really had a frustrating few weeks. After Zachary missed a game, he suddenly was pulled from third base and was sitting the pine. And when he did play, it was exclusively right field. To make matters worse, the kid’s dad who replaced him at third base made a really infuriating comment to us about Zach better watch out because his son was coming for third base. To say we were upset, would be an understatement. We finally called the coach to inquire why he was in the dog house. We were told he wasn’t and they moved him because he was struggling with his hitting. We cleared the air but are not sold on the explanation. The next game Zachary started at third and rotated with the other player. It is true that kid has a stronger arm but Zachary definitely is the better fielder with a slightly weaker arm. We really don’t mind him learning multiple positions, but we don’t want him exclusively in the outfielder because they get less playing time. So as they move forward, it will be something to keep an eye on.

We also brought up his lack of pitching. To date, Zachary has only pitched 9 innings. And yes, he has struggled with command, but it’s hard to get that under control when not given opportunities. Last weekend, in 90 degree heat, out of nowhere they decided to put him in a game. Second inning, down by twelve, one out, with the bases loaded. Not exactly an ideal place to build confidence. My heart sank as he walked to the mound because that team was hitting bombs against one of our better pitchers. Zachary battled, got out of the inning and worked the next. He really only gave up one bomb, that the left fielder messed up and let get behind him. To say, we were happy with him would be an understatement. We keep telling him to trust the process, an old Tom House statement. He just needs to get more comfortable with his release point so we’ve been working on command to a specific spot. So, we keep working behind the scenes. It’s not where you start but where you finish, that’s a mantra that we repeat everyday.

This weekend, we head to Ripken. I think the boy is primed to shine. Watch out world, the Korean bomber is about to explode.