It’s been a tough couple of weeks with accessing the blog. I’m now able to get into it but can’t upload pictures. Wonderful. So, I’m using some older pictures and will provide a real time update.

First on deck, it is an end of an era. Zachary has spent the last two years playing for All Out. It’s been a fun filled time filled with great parents and kids. Coaching was pretty darn good too. But alas, between way too may games and lots and lots of travel, the team imploded. Everyone is going their separate ways. Last weekend was the last tournament together and once again, they finished in second place. Zachary did his part. He pitched the semi in pouring rain, which nuked his curve ball, but he battled, even after getting smacked right above his right knee cap on a really fast comeback hit. For the record, Zachary finished his October with a 4-1, win/loss record, including four straight complete games and 60-65% strike out range, with ball counts 60 and below. Room for improvement, yes…but not too shabby.

With the end of the team, that left all of us scrambling to find teams. And that was stressful. It’s hard finding a balance that fits the needs of your kids. For the first time ever, Zachary did not make the top two teams at his former facility. I can’t say we were surprised with the level of politics there. It’s hard to go back to a place that you left. So, we tried out for the other local team. They called us a half hour after try outs and offered. The amazing part is that as soon as Zachary walked in the door, all of their coaches knew him and wanted him. The head coach told us that they were not planning on taking another kid and then they saw Zachary. It’s good to feel wanted. As for his former team, thanks for giving him motivation.

In the midst of finding a team, we once again submitted a video to Tom to review. He had minor tweaks for Zachary to work on. At one point, Jordan gushed “wow, look at that front side”, meaning that Zachary’s torque is impressive. He lands with his front foot and hip squaring with the back arm still behind his back….that’s called torque and that means easy velocity eventually. The boy is flexible, for sure. Tom ended with Zachary by say, “son, you keep working and you will have mastered that form by high school”. So while we have local coaches saying one thing about Zachary’s pitching ability…..we have a bigger fish loving him. I’ll take what the bigger fish says all day long.

Mom Mom celebrated her birthday this week. We wanted to wish her an amazing day. Thanks for always being there for Zachary and us. We’ve definitely experienced some incredible times together, lasting memories. So Little Prairie Dog, here’s to many, many more celebrations. We love you.