Super Nova

Happy Memorial Day. It's been a big weekend. Mam's travel softball team played in their first tournament...after a whole five practices. And holy cow was Mam excited! She was jazzed to play with her new team, thrilled with her new uniform, even happy to have a ponytail put in her hair, now that she's got the official ribbons to match her uniform.

This is the first time she's had a shirt with her name on it, so that's pretty cool too. And there's something about having your sweet little girl, out there with her last name emblazoned across her back and the mean-looking black and red that's just...well...kinda cool. She never has been a girly girl and now it's official.

It was already obvious that travel softball is very different from travel baseball. But the differences become huge when you're in the middle of it all. First of all, you've got girls instead of boys, so you can do things like this before the game:

Boys don't really sit still for that sort of thing, but I've noticed that the Nova coaches pull the girls aside as a group for talks all the time...during practice, before games, after games, whenever.

And then there's this:

If you've only been to a baseball tournament, you'd never know what this is. This is the whole team, doing their customized Nova cheer, which they do before each game. It's got simple choreography and totally gets the girls fired up to play every time. They have lots of other cheers they do during the game too. During the season, I admit they kind of annoyed me. At tournaments, it's actually kinda fun.

Why yes. Yes, Mam is wearing mismatched socks...one red and one black. They were issued two pairs of socks to go with their uniforms and were asked to wear red socks for their first game Saturday. Once they had won their first tournament game, they were to wear one black and one red. The first game went well. The second game, at 6pm on Saturday, went well too. This picture is from the third game, where they'd changed to their black jerseys.

The third game was at 8am on Sunday...requiring Mam and me to leave the house at 6:45 to get there at 7:15 for warm-ups. They played a really challenging opponent to whom they lost by a single run. Mam played super well, getting two hits, one run, one RBI and an out at second base. I was so proud of her. As the youngest player on the team, it's nice to see her making some great plays, even if she's not the best player on the team.

The other thing about softball is that the coaches and manager care about building team spirit, about the girls forming friendships, about the parents getting to know each other. Novel. I know. In that vein, they arranged to have lunch for the girls between games. Since our games were far apart on Saturday, we all went home, but Sunday, they decided to put on lunch...at 9:30 in the morning.

I didn't think much of it until the girls ate and started to play. They were all playing together like they were best of friends. Mam knew none of these girls before joining the Nova team, but didn't hesitate to put on a clinic in tree climbing...

and when it came to a rousing game of How-Many-Nova-Players-Fit-On-A-Tiny-Tire, Mam was right there in the mix with all the other girls.

These girls and their parents are great. They're nice, they play with heart, they speak all different languages and yet, they're a team...a team where the girls really enjoy each other.

So, when the Nova lost in the first round of bracket play...KO'd by some incredible 9-year-old fastpitch pitching, they were tired, but still enthusiastic.

I wasn't sure about this whole travel softball thing, but I'm sure now. This is going to be great.

Blah, Blah, Blog

I don't know what it is about this time of year exactly. Maybe it's the relief of having the birthdays over with. Or maybe it's the craziness of baseball and softball season. I took a hiatus from blogging about this time last year as well. But this year I also have a job and I've been working out like a crazy woman. I'm not totally sure what's up with that either, but the bathroom scale? It's not up at all. In fact, it's down, so I feel the need to keep working out like a fiend. I doubled down on yoga this week, made it to pilates, ran about 10 miles (total). I've also been at school a lot, taking kids to the library, helping kids with writing, helping kids with reading, helping them construct bird nests, serving lunch.

At the same time, turning 40 doesn't seem to be agreeing with me very well. I'm facing a very classic mid-life crisis and dealing with it poorly. Here I am at 40. I've achieved most of what I set out to do. I'm in desperate need of a second act, but I don't know what that is and I'm not willing to do less parenting to achieve it. Hmmm.

Anyway, so where were we anyhow? Well, there was this:Smunch started his baseball season as a member of the Phillies. He has a nice team. I like them. And, much like last year, he's one of the better players on this team, where he's one of the weaker players on the club team. It's probably good for him to have the contrast.

And there's this:Mam seems to be enjoying playing with the Pink Butterflies. And I'm enjoying being the team manager again, but parents really are crazy. I feel ridiculous having to tell another mom that her 5-year-old daughter canNOT play with those big earrings in her ears because she really might tear her earlobe off. It's very obvious. It's not my kid...and yet, I'm responsible. And I ask them not to bring snacks for their kids to eat during the game because it's very distracting both to their kid and to the other players. The game is only an hour. I think they can wait. FEED them before you come for heaven's sake! But several parents don't take my pleas to heart. Their children are a problem. Apparently, I also need to ask them not to bring toys for their daughters to play with during the game. Ugh. At least the girls themselves are fun.

One of my other high school buddies finally saw fit to turn 40 as well, so my group of friends all attended her party in The City. It made for some fun photo opportunities.And all of us were there...which is always nice. This will be a fun year that way.Got to hope it's this good ten years from now!

Spring break came and went. I took the kids up to the zoo for part of one day, but mostly we were at home, waiting for Smunch's next baseball practice to occur. So, it wasn't quite the fun spring break one might hope for. We spent the final weekend in Manteca, playing at at baseball tournament with the Mavericks.

There's not a lot to do in Manteca, but they do have one heck of a baseball facility there. Each field was built as a replica of a famous ballpark. On Saturday, the Mavericks played a double header at Yankee Stadium. Apparently, the tournament organizers weren't really up on the habits of 9-year-old boys because their games were scheduled back-to-back at 6:30pm and 8:30pm. Although they didn't get back to the hotel until 11 that night, they were all psyched to get to play under THE LIGHTS at least.Now, the day before the tournament, the coach sent the parents an e-mail saying that not everyone was going to be in the starting lineup this time around. This time, he said, he was going to field the most competitive team he could. I knew what that meant. It meant we were driving to Manteca to see Smunch play just a few innings of three long games. Bummer. That's pretty much the way it played out too, but the Mavericks played respectably. The mercy rule was never invoked. They always played to the time limit. And Smunch even managed to walk, steal second, have a short conference with the coach...steal third,and finally score the tying run by stealing home.He never actually got a hit during the tournment, but he had a good time, even though he didn't play much. And the hotel had a pool, so he and Mam got to swim with the rest of the team before their lackluster game at Fenway Park on Sunday. Who could blame them? They were tired. They hadn't slept well at the hotel. Their opponent was relatively local and their team got to go home early and sleep in their beds Saturday night.

I admit it was kind of fun, but I was still left wondering why we bothered. While Daddy kept score on his iPad, I took over the controller for the outfield scoreboard. At least that was mildly entertaining.

And last weekend was Easter. I guess that ought to get its own blog entry. I didn't take nearly enough photos, but that's O.K...

Team #3, Tournament #2

Smunch is now playing on his third baseball team of the season. Is it still "the season"? I'm not even sure anymore.This time around, Smunch refused to be #1, opting instead for #3, despite the fact that he's the smallest kid on the PONY All-Stars Red Fireballs...by at least two inches.See him out there during the national anthem? Yeah, that's him. The shrimpy little kid in the middle.

I hate to admit that I haven't been enjoying the All Star team as much as either of his other teams. Some of the parents take things seriously enough to be real jerks on occassion. The coach is no exception. He's normally a great coach and a nice guy, but if things get a little intense during the game...well, I'd call yanking a kid out in the middle of the inning for bobbling the ball a couple times an excessive move. And he thinks it's cool to cheat, by secretly coaching the kids while he's pitching to them. Nice role model, dude.

Still, I hide most of this distain from Smunch. Despite the fact that he sits on the bench for half the game and has been relegated to playing catcher...a position that could be important, but his coach seems to consider disposable...he's happy to be there. He's going to all the practices with little complaint. And he had practice every day last week, so a little complaining was probably in order. He's really been a super sport out there.He's rarely put in a position where he really gets to play much defense, but he's hitting the ball, driving in runs and scoring a few too.He doesn't get to bat much either. Apparently, he's permanently stuck at the bottom of the batting order. Still, no complaints.

The Fireballs played in their first tournament last weekend. They had three games...Thursday, Saturday and Sunday...in a town about 45 minutes away. The Thursday evening game was windy and cold. Daddy didn't look happy as he kept score on his iPad.This is no longer an official duty, but the coaches get a kick out of all the data he can capture about the players.

The team was only just finding its feet at the tournament level. Many of the boys had never played in a tournament before. They lost rather handily, 12-6.The team they played on Saturday had already lost twice. The Fireballs started out strong, but faded towards the end, still coming in with a 21-15 victory. Smunch had a great game and had three great hits, making it to base every time. He even made a couple of good moves in the outfield. Despite being a scorcher, it was a fun day.Sunday was a fun day too, even though the Fireballs lost to a team that made it to the championship finals. Smunch didn't have a great game, hitting into the third out of the inning...twice. He still didn't let it get him down. I know I've said it before, but even though he can be a real pain in the rear at home, Smunch turns into an awesome sportsman-like kid in the unlikeliest of situations. Gosh, how I admire that!Now, if I could just turn everyday into a game.

Tournament Time

I know this is starting to sound more like The Ryder's Baseball Diary than an account of the interesting moments in our lives. Truth be told, our lives are all about baseball right now, so it's as appropriate as it can be.

Smunch's club team, the Thunder, has been practicing all season for a single tournament this weekend. One shot at glory.Too bad I took that photo during warm-ups. There were few heroic plays like this in the two games on Saturday...at least not by Smunch's team.

But the organizers made the tournament a big deal for the boys, complete with a stencilled path of stars between the batting circle and the plate.Each player was introduced over the loudspeaker before batting, with their cool team-chosen nickname. "And next up to bat, Smunch, the S-man, Ryder!" It was cute at the very least. Smunch's team all got painted with "whiskers" as well...just to make them look extra cool.Turns out, the tournment circuit is a completely different experience than what most of the boys were faced with during the regular season. The basepaths (the distance between bases) is longer, the balls are harder and take weirder bounces, the opponents hit the ball to the outfield as a matter of course and the rules are all different. It's entirely coach-pitch. You get six pitches and you're done no matter if you foul them off or not. (We never saw a player strike out on strikes alone.) The defensive pitcher (the kid who stands next to the opposing team's pitcher coach to field the ball) stands in a circle. If/when the ball gets back to the circle, all play stops. The strategy is different. And although teams are still limited to five runs per inning, the tournament includes a "mercy rule" stating that the game is over once one team is 10 runs ahead of the other.This rule proved crucial to the Thunder.

The Thunder were scheduled for two games on Saturday and one on Sunday, so we arrived bright and early at the field for warm-ups before Smunch's 9am game.It was bright and sunny and warm...a marked improvement over the weeks of cold and drizzle we've had to this point.

Smunch played right field and second base. I strongly suspect he plays right field (where only left-handed batters are likely to hit the ball) because he's one of the weaker players on the team. The fact that they gave him a shot at second base was nice, but he had no spectacular plays there. Mam, as usual, held court with the other younger sisters, having finally warmed up to each other now that the season's almost over.The Thunder's first game lasted just 45 minutes, then ended according to the Mercy Rule...LABT 13, Thunder 3. Ouch. It was eye-opening to say the least. The Thunder isn't a bad team. It turns out they just aren't very good, especially with all the new rules. I suspect they are also playing against teams that have practiced together a lot more and not just for a couple of hours most Sundays for the past few months.

Smunch was mad. As the last kid in the batting order, he got to bat only once and popped out to the pitcher in his one attempt. "We were AWFUL!!!" he spouted, with not a little vitriol in his voice. I'm somehow going to have to get used to managing this kind of frustration and anger in him. Compared to the other team, they did look pretty awful. Compared to his regular season team, they rocked.

We went home for several hours and returned to the park at 3:15 for his 4pm game. More warm-ups. They don't look bad warming up.The game, however, was much the same as the first one, lasting about 10 minutes longer, but with a similar result -- Cambrian Pumas 12, Thunder 2. Smunch, still batting last, got to bat only once again. This time he made it to first on a pretty little line drive between second and third. It was beautiful. And the next batter drove him over to second. When the third batter hit a giant fly ball to the outfield, it looked like Smunch would score and he started for third, only to have the ball caught and have to dash back to second with a slide to the base to stay safe. *phew* And then he was forced out at third by the next batter. And the game came to another abrupt end.

Today, game 3 is at 3:30, but I don't expect to be blogging about it. They'll be playing a team that beat both teams the Thunder played yesterday. And they'll be missing two of their best players. But maybe Smunch will get more field time. And maybe he'll get to bat more than once. It's all possible. I still expect it to be a short affair. Fortunately, Smunch seems content with the idea that he can go out there, have a good time and learn from the better teams.

Today will mark a farewell to club team play, but the All-Star team will be set to go. Should be an interesting sight to see... I think we'll spend tomorrow watching the big boys play. Timmy's on the mound. Buster Posey's on first. The weather should be fantastic. The Giants may not win. They'll be facing Ubaldo Jimenez, the Rockies' pitcher who is having an incredible season (to Timmy's current slump), but it should be a fitting end to the weekend...