National 46ers move to 4-0

Well, the guys made it through the first round of the league unblemished after two really close calls and a not-so-close call. We rallied in the bottom of the last inning to beat the Twins 9-8 in the season-opener, rallied for five runs in the top of the last inning to beat the Rangers 8-6 and then scored seven times in the top of the first on our way to beating the Rockies 10-5. Tonight we scored six times in the second inning to take control and never looked back on our way to an 11-5 win over the Twins as we begin our second round through the league. I'm not sure whether it's a good thing or not considering our momentum, but we have the next couple of weeks off. It'll be good to savor the success for awhile and use practice time to get even better.

I was scared we were going to have trouble at the plate after we only had three hits in the first game, but the kids have crushed the ball ever since, and they're learning more and more about good, aggressive baserunning. We still have a lot of things to work on, though. They have a lot to learn about the game, which is encouraging because they've done so well so far despite all the mental mistakes.

The kids have been futile in their attempts to drench me with ice water the last two games, but Steven Williams got nice and soaked when they missed me and got him tonight. I'm glad the kids are having fun with it. Hopefully they can keep it up and not choke like Mississippi State has done this season.

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Returning to baseball, this time in the coaching box

It's been almost four years since my run as a pitcher for the OHS Chargers came to an end. But, this spring I've gotten back into the sport by doing the next best thing: coaching my own team. I'm the head coach for the Nationals (or, 46ers depending on who you ask) in the 13-14 year-old league of the Oxford Park Commission. It has been challenging so far, with a few talented kids and a bunch of other guys who give it their all every play. I have a couple guys assisting who know about the game, and after about six or seven preseason practices, we had our first game Tuesday against the team most predict to win the league.

We came out slow, but used a seven-run third to take a 7-1 lead. After making a few substitutions, the Twins rallied to tie it at 7-7 in the fourth. They took a one-run lead after an error allowed a run in the fifth, but we rallied the troops for two runs from the two most unexpected players in the bottom of the inning to get the 9-8 win. The kids gang-tackled me after the post-game talk, but it's OK. Hopefully they had fun and learned something about themselves and will be able to carry it over to the rest of the season. Only 13 more wins from being undefeated. Ha. Kudos to the National 46ers fan club for keeping the atmosphere lively.