Wednesday

Matthew called to ask me if Sea World/Disney World was near where we going in Florida. I told him no, but they probably have stuff nearby. He wasn’t excited about the outlet mall when I told him about that!

Matthew’s team scored the 5 run limit in the top of the first, and help a good Braves team to four. Then the Braves turned a lucky outfield catch into a DP, holding the Rockies scoreless in the second. Against an easy pitcher Matthew grounded the first pitch past the pitcher, but the 2B threw him out by a step. The Braves tied the game, then everyone was sent home just before the tornado warning sirens sounded.

I totally agree we did good letting Andruw go…as do thousands of LA fans who have figured out they got a bad deal. At least its only a short contract. But you are right, there are lots of Braves fans who wish we still had him. As for Joey Devine, sometimes a guy just needs a new start. Hopefully Boyer will blossom after 2 years of injuries, etc. They say he could be a starter or closer.

I’m pulling for the Spurs. Every time I see Chris Paul, I think that the Hawks could’ve drafted him.

Told my boss that work is driving me crazy…I disagreed when he said we were having fun. Doing something no one else in the country is doing doesn’t motivate me - providing for my family does. He says we shouldn’t have to work 11-12 hour days, but we’re not making progress to lessen the load. He has set up a half day review for Friday morning.

Leaving early all this week to get to ball games.

Tuesday

Went to IKEA last Thursday night. Ceil is looking for some cheap out-of-stock IKEA fabric, and she’s looked on line and called the 800 number. They say she’s got to check the store. I ran the numbers as we drove down there, how much each trip costs. At some point soon it’s better to buy more expensive fabric.

Saw the no-hitter immediate aftermath on ESPN last night. Will and I watched the Hornets-Spurs. Was that lang in the green Braves cap?

I went into such detail on Will’s inning on the mound because right now he thinks he isn’t playing well, when in fact he is. He does hit hard grounders or popups the last week or so, but they’ve been playing on fields where the mound appears close. The conditioning from basketball has helped his catching in particular…he will spring out and pounce on a bunt, fair or foul.

Jeremy should bat leadoff, but as good a baserunner as Will is, it’s my opinion that he shouldn’t hit fifth…cleanup is bad enough, as he steals more bases and scores more runs than everyone save Jeremy. Anthony hits the ball hard, but Will gets stuck behind him on base. Will draws more walks and HBP than anyone, but he often finds himself with two strikes against him. He’s not much of a thinker at the plate. But more thanmost years, I'm fine with whatever the coaches let him do.

Matthew’s baseball career may end tonight…it’s their first playoff game. Hopefully I can get out of here.

Those were the days when we played softball. I only rarely pitched as well. One time I made two straight diving catches in left, so my buddy Hurt made a diving catch for the third out of the inning.

Ceil has to take Will to Roswell Area Park at 4:30 for his 5:30 game. That’s just south of Roswell High…

Ballet recitals are a different world. Now Anna is getting to be one of the older girls, though we do know a couple of younger ones. Sunny did great…one of the best in her class. Anna always knows here stuff and has a big smile throughout.

Meet the Wildcats

Jeremy...bats leadoff (P, RF)...has been a welcome late addition at the plate & in the field, as well as providing lots of team spirit. Excellent baserunner.

Nick...1B...usually bats second, sometimes pitches & plays outfield...has been an above average player, playing most of the year wearing an ankle brace. Co-captain.

Audie...SS/P/sometime OF...a more consistent SS than Will, has had an overall better year offensively & defensively than last. Has had ups & downs pitching, like last year.

Anthony...3B/RF...hits the ball hard most at-bats, though unluckily right at people the first month and a half. Makes many plays at third, though he looks uncomfortable running bases.

Will...has played every position except RF for the Wildcats. Coach pitches him mostly in relief. Has had his best year ever catching...blocking pitches, throwing out runners, and fielding bunts.

Chris...CF/P...also has had a much better all-around season than last year. I had never seen him pitch before, and he's done well.

Ritchie...P/OF/2B...also has been given more chances & has come through in all areas.

Michael...2B/RF/P/C...MOP of the tourney championship game, he wears it on his sleeve when he struggles.

Andrew...LF/P (but can play every position)...he has proved he can contribute everywhere, he doesn't back down at the plate. One of the team's best baserunners and fielders.

Jared...2B/P/RF...has also improved offensively, defensively, and pitching this year...playing more confidently as well.

Trey...3B/1B/C...keen eye at the plate, he gets his cuts. Heads up in the field as well.

Vince...C/RF...was becoming a lefty force at the plate when he broke his thumb, causing him to miss a month. Did well behind the plate, allowing Will and Audie to play the field at the same time.

Bryce...last year's leading hitter hurt his hip at the beginning of the season...his pitching has also been missed.

Recent Wildcats Stats

Wildcats Offensive Stats since April 26...
...of the games I have attended long enough to keep score.
I have missed all or parts of at least 4 games since then.

Will .722OBP, .500BA, 7 runs, 5 rbi, 2 SB
Jeremy .650 OBP, .563BA, 10 runs, 3 rbi, 7 SB
Chris .533 OBP, .500BA, 4 runs, 5 rbi, 2 SB
Ritchie .538 OBP, .400BA, 4 runs, 4 rbi, 2 SB
Jared .533 OBP, .222 BA, 3 runs
Nick .438 OBP, .357BA, 6 runs, 3 rbi, SB
Anthony .400 OBP, .357BA, 5 runs, 5 rbi
Audie .353 OBP, .333BA, 6 runs, 8 rbi, 4 SB, CS

Michael .353 OBP, .214 BA, 2 rbi

Trey .333 OBP, .231BA, 2 runs, rbi

Andrew .308 OBP, .182BA, 1 run, 3 rbi, SB

Vince 0 - 3 since returning from injury.

These stats of course do not tell the whole story,

but they are a general indicator of individual performance.

Welcome Facebook Readers

I missed my high school reunion last fall, but was able to view pictures of the event by signing up for Facebook. Now Will and many of his Living Science friends are into the craze, so Will invited me to be his friend. When I accepted and set up my profile, several of his friends asked me to be thier friends.

As a comparitively old geezer, it appears to me one of the things a Facebook user does is broaden his/her network by gaining as many friends as possible. I can handle that...I can accept any friendships to give these users more friends. Other than that, I doubt I'll be much of a Facebook dude.

One thing I may be is put a link to this blog on my Facebook page, giving Will's friends a chance to read my recaps of Living Science events, Flight basketball games, and Will's baseball games. These I write to fill grandparents in on thier grandchild's activities. Also posted here are various photos, as well as email texts of day to day events in my life, and the Murphy household. You'll find that shoes and baseball are ongoing themes in this blog.

Welcome, new readers. Be sure to leave any messages/comments/critiques. Use the search engine to find Senior Retreat and Expedition recaps.

No Visible Means of Support

The Wildcats lost all three games in this weekend’s Alpharetta Tourney. Will played shortstop in Friday night’s loss that Ceil attended. I took Anna & Matthew to our small group cookout.

Saturday morning Will started the 11:30 game at third base, against the Alpharetta Eagles. The Eagles were a small team with a good starting pitcher, and they played the Wildcats tough. Will caught popups in the first and third. In the second with a runner on first Will dove to his left to spear a grounder in the hole. He had no chance to get the runner at second, but he quickly got to his feet and threw out the batter at first.

In the bottom of the first Will singled through the hole into leftfield, but the next two batters flew out. Will led off the fourth inning with a walk, stole second, advanced to third on a groundout, and scored on Ritchie’s single.

Later Ritchie made a great second-inning play in rightfield. With a runner on second, the batter lined a one-hopper to Ritchie, who charged the ball and came up quickly firing. I thought he was throwing home, but instead the throw went to Nick at first, barely beating the batter. The runner was held at third. Unfortunately, later in the game the Eagles were able to perform the exact same rare 9 – 3 play.

A close game the whole way, the Eagles tied the game in the top of the fifth, scoring two runs when rightfielder Vince, in his first game back from a month-long injury layoff, couldn’t make a sliding catch of a sinking line drive. The Wildcats went back ahead in the bottom of the inning.

The game featured a base umpire who let us know he had umpired last night’s state playoff game at Lassiter, who made sure everyone within earshot knew he controlled the game. He barked at the opposing coach for asking his own shortstop if he had made a tag, and loudly warned Will he would be tossed if he applied another fake tag on a runner.

Will came in to pitch the last inning, against the top of the Eagles order. The little leadoff hitter looped a line drive that shortstop Audie made a wonderful running and leaping catch. The next batter hit a popup that the second-baseman didn’t go hard enough after, and the ball dropped in for a hit. The Eagles by now had learned they could steal on the Wildcats catcher, and soon the runner reached third on a passed ball. Only then did the base umpire call a balk on Will, allowing the tying run to score.

Rattled, Will walked the next batter, before striking out the cleanup hitter for what should’ve been the third out. The walked batter also stole second and took third on another passed ball. The next batter looped a cacheable line drive up the middle. The centerfielder was playing way too deep. He meekly charged, then allowed the ball to bounce past him for a double. But Will got the next batter to ground back to him to end the inning.

Third Staight Tourney Loss

The 5:30 game against the Cumming Force started out well. Howie was the starting pitcher and Will the catcher. The leadoff batter double to right and took third on a nifty 3-1 putout. The next batter hit a grounder that Howie knocked down. The runner charged home, but Howie was able to deliver the ball home in time for Will to tag out the sliding runner. Then second-baseman Jared reached across his body to make a remarkable catch of a line drive, for the third out.

Jeremy led off the bottom of the first with a walk, stole second, took third on a groundout, and scored on an error. Sixteen more Wildcat batters would reach base, and eleven would be stranded.

Defensively Will’s second inning was even better. With one out the batter let himself be hit, and later took off on a stel of second. Will quickly threw down, but the ball sailed over to the right-field side of the bag. But the throw arrived so early that shortstop Audie continued across the bag and reached out, made the catch, and ran into the runner, while at the same time tagging him out.

After four more batters reached, a pitch popped out of Will’s mitt and bounced behind the right-handed batter. The runner on first took off for second. Will raced over and scooped up the ball, thinking only a perfect throw would get the runner. His throw to Michael was on the money, and the same magnanimous umpire called him out.

This ended the inning, but the Force had gone ahead 3 – 1. This turned out to be the final score, as neither team was able to plate a runner in the next 5-1/2 innings. The Force had eleven more batters reach, and they stranded a total of seven for the game.

Will reached base all three times. He singled to right in the first. Down 0 – 2 in the fourth he popped a slightly high pitch into short leftfield. The shortstop went back and called for it, but he was not able to make the catch, as the ball fell out of his reach. He walked in the sixth.

Will had one more defensive highlight up his sleeve. With runners on first and second and no out, the second straight batter bunted. Pitcher Chris ranged far to his right, near the foul line, picked the ball up and fired the batter out to Nick at first. Nick then noticed the lead runner had rounded third and was slowly trotting home. Nick ran at the runner with the ball still in his glove. The runner had thought the ball had gone past third! As the runner neared home, Nick tossed to Will at the plate. The runner retreated toward third, but Will made a smart play, charging at the runner at full speed, finally diving to tag out the runner…and knocking him down at the same time. This completed the double play.

Uke

Will is big into Facebook these days, in addition to guitar hero.

See that picture of Uecker in the SI article on the Brewers? Didn’t realize he was in such good shape…must be a prank.

adidas EX-4.0

Stumbled across these shoes Monday and threw them in the trunk. Will was playing kickball in his brand new New Balance shoes, so I told him to look in my trunk. Joel thought they looked cool, paired with his kaiki shorts.

He's worn them to practice tonight and last night, and they look good. Will's not one to jump on the latest brand...he's not an Under Armour fan at all.

They're perfect for him...the synthetic leather doesn't get dirty.

If a tree falls in the forest...

A huge tree in the backyard fell Monday. It was one of several trees growing on the steep bank leading down to the creek. Ceil and Anna heard it fall. The tree fell across the creek, of course, and is basically more in my neighbor's yard than ours. It seemed relatively healthy, and it didn't seem to have been a victim of the drought, where soil around the roots may have eroded.

When we moved in 13 years ago there was only one tree across the creek. Now there are three in our yard, plus another in my neighbor's. When it warms up I'll have more clearing out to do down in the creek...I like to keep it relatively debris-free, a twice a year job.

Tuesday

Ceil isn’t a big fan of MarriedLife. We have small group Friday, but Will probably has a game. We don’t mind missing his games, and a teammate lives just around the corner, but we still feel a little guilty at leaving him alone. He doesn’t mind, but we enjoy watching him play.

Ceil’s parents had paid for A & M’s Veritas from Jan – May. We’ve paid for registration and books for next year…without any promise of help.

Our new, young, busy small group leaders are pregnant. Old leader Lee’s family switched to Johnson Ferry…and they were the ones that knew the new leaders the best. Us and another couple go to NP, and 2 other couples go to JF. Seems like we’re splitting up in the fall, but I don’t know exactly how.

3rd of 3: The Pistol

Is that not Jerry West playing D?

Sunday & Monday

Anna's class danced the call to worship at both services at Eastside Baptist. We attended the 9:15 service, and Ceil & Anna stayed until after the dance in the 11:00. Ceil's folks hit the road, and I took the boys out just after them, trying to beat the P.F.Chang's crowd. We barely did, and were actually seated five minutes before the girls arrived. Lunch went well.

Finally had time to watch the Braves in the afternoon, and they were rained out. Ceil went to Dekalb Farmer's Market, and I helped M with his Lewis & Clark book.

After work tonight I went to pick up Will at Living Science. Played kickball with Willis, Joel, Andrew, Russ, Pierce, and others. The Flight basketball boys are played June 1st before the WNBA Spirit game.

Ernie mentioned Lang the other night...did you hear?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwParJoeQkc

A Long Saturday

Saturday: Up at 5:30 to take Will to his ride to Tenneessee, then back home to clean up a bit.

Anna had a doubleheader dance recital, but most of her dances were in the afternoon show.

Matthew walked and scored twice, once walking with the bags full. I made a fool out of myself, hollering that a member of the gung-ho Devil Rays missed third. Tracy actually appealed it, but Jay signalled safe. I gave my umpire friend a hard time. After the third out was recorded on the next pitch, he confessed he was watching runers touch home. I confessed that the third-baseman had been been standing on the base, blocking the runner's path.

M & I stopped by Chick-fil-A with my parents. I was able to stay for the entire 2 pm recital, which was above average. Suuny F also did a fine job in several dances, but I didn't see her parents.

Afterwards I slipped out and ran back up to downtown Woodstock to retreive Will. They finally won, besting a team from Chattanooga. Josiah, Isaac, and David chided Will, and all the boys had napped on the return trip. Thinking Ceil would bring her parents, I husted Will over to his Wildcats game, despite his begrudgement.

After losing game one, Will arrived during the second inning of game two. They promptly batted around. Angry, Will drove the first pitch over the shortstop's head. The hit bounded through the gap to the wall in left-center, and Will cruised around to third...driving in the two base-runners. He plated short one inning and caught the next, tagging out a runner at the plate for the third out...preserving a ten-run lead, thus ending the game.

We again ate at O'Charley's, and a waiter remembered our group from the previous night. I napped in the car while the others shopped Target.

More Engel Photos

Chattanooga Game Two: Similar Result

Friday I took off work and drove Will back to Chattanooga for the Lions next game. The opponent turned out to be the mighty Gwinnett Barons, last year’s home school national champions. Josiah George was the only available pitcher, and he fared poorly, walking eight.

The Lions were unable to muster much offense, with only five runners reaching base. Josiah’s triple was the only hit. Twice Lion runners reached third and tried to score on ground balls, but both times with a huge lead the Barons opted to get the runner out at home, preserving the shutout.

Will played centerfield, making a nice running catch of a line drive. Later he ran down a line drive hit deep in the gap, to hold the batter to a double.

At the plate he hit a sharp grounder the second-baseman was unable to handle, and later popped out.

Also on Thursday...

Thursday afternoon Anna had her regular ballet session, while Matthew’s Rockies had a game at six. He had his most productive offensive game of the year. Down two-strikes in the count with a runner on third, Matthew fouled off a pitch before hitting a sharp grounder. The first-baseman made a nice stop, and barely beat Matthew to the bag for the out…but the runner was able to score from third.

Matthew notched another RBI in the next inning, when he walked with the bases loaded. He took second on a fielder’s choice and third on Stephen’s single, before scoring on Grace’s inside-the-park grand slam. In the fifth Matthew led off the inning with a walk and took second on a wild pitch. He scored from second on Grace’s single to right.

With Coach Tracy unable to make the game, the Rockies won in a route, easily besting the Pirates 17 – 6.

Wildcats Batter

One Day, Two States, Two Games

Ben dropped Will off at Harrrison Park in East Cobb, just in time for his 7 pm Wildcats game, meaning Will was able to play in two ballgames in one day, in two different states. Blessed Trinity took advantage of some timely hits and a few favorable non-calls from umpires to win the game.

Will played another good game, throwing out three baserunners while catching. He picked off a runner at second for the second time this season, threw out a runner trying to swipe third. Later with runners on first and third, Will threw out the runner trying to steal second.

At the plate Will reached base, then stole second and third. Later he hit a line drive up the middle, just to the right-field side of second. Unfortunately the second-baseman was playing out of position, and he was able to make the catch.

Wildcats Catcher

Historic Venue, One Hitter

Will’s NCA Lions played in Chattanooga’s old Engel Stadium this week. Built in 1929, the old stadium played host to New York Yankees exhibitions, Negro League games, and years of Lookouts seasons.

Thursday’s game was played during intermittent drizzles, and with several Lions teammates unable to make the trip due to end of the school year exams, the team was able to field three regular starters, who had to play unfamiliar positions.

The regular centerfielder James had to play shortstop, and his twin brother Josiah, usually the third-baseman, had to catch. The rest of the team included three semi-regulars, and three young players who had barely left the bench all year.

Will was the only pitcher of the nine, and under the circumstances, he pitched a gem of a game. Friday I copied down the scorebook of the game, and discovered he pitched four no-hit innings before allowing a sole safety in the fifth inning. Without his best stuff, he pitched three scoreless innings and did not allow an earned run.

The Lions committed four ill-timed errors, that extended innings. Still, Will struck out five batters.

Will had rode to the game with Ben Hoffer, and on the way they spied an aromatic BBQ place, and after the game they stopped for a bite. The place was a run-down cinder block hut in a not-so-nice part of downtown Chattanooga…a place few sensible people would dare go.

Engel Stadium, Chattanooga

Will is playing three games in this Chattanooga ballpark:

Historic Engel Stadium is the former home of the Chattanooga Lookouts. The stadium opened in 1930 and saw its last Lookout game played in 1999. The dimensions are enormous as the stadium is 325 down the left line, 318 feet down the right field line, and an incredible 471 in dead center, which was the longest in professional baseball history. A new fence was added to shorten the distance in centerfield.
Hall of Famers that played at Engel Stadium: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays, Satchel Paige, and Harmon Killibrew who is the only player who hit it over the 471 foot centerfield fence.

The Yankees played an exhibition game, and occasional Negro league games were played here.

Work

Things sure have changed at work. Mike, Vikki, Melody, Maureen, and long-time temp Nichole have quit or moved on. All worked on EZGo. I took over for Mike, but no one took over for me! We have two new people, including Darryl. Randy is real busy too…it’s not the good old days, but our sales are up. Sue, Damon, Matt, and Eric moved over to TMP to handle the Imperial Bus account. Brad works in our office now, and he’s a great guy.

We’re going to Destin in June and Myrtle Beach in July…looks like we’ll put off Washington DC for another year. My son played baseball in Huntsville in April, and this weekend plays in Chattanooga, so that should be a fun trip.

weekend recap

Here’s a recap of the last few days…

Friday…dentist in the AM, haircut at lunch, left at 5 pm. Almost bought a Frank Thomas ChiSox jersey, and did get a pair of white Chuck Taylors. Took Anna & Matthew to McDonalds, dropped Anna off, then took Matthew to BP, then to small group. Got to shoot baskets for a while, as the older CPA just got a nice backboard.

From there I left early and drove to Canton for Will’s game. Bad directions, very frustrating. Will was sick, and had been hit and was sore from all the diving he does. The whole team played poorly and they lost to a clearly inferior team. Will walked was HBP again, this time in the back. The lighting was poor, and he failed to catch a high pop in short left-center. Wouldn’t have been so bad had he not been goofing off.

Saturday…some housework and errands in the morning…I quickly washed the van in the rain. Ceil had to go down near the airport to a home school book fair…she sold almost $300.00 in books. From there she drove north of Woodstock to Will’s science fair. Luckily Will’s DH was cancelled, but Matthew got to play.

Matthew walked and scored. Just as he came up to bat a second time the opposition called time and brought in their best pitcher. M had some good cuts, but struck out. Playing second, he fielded a grounder and almost threw out the batter at first…it had been a slow roller and M was playing back, so the batter beat it out. The Rockies played well with only 9 players…barely losing to one of the best teams. Coach Tracy has let every player pitch now, and the game might’ve been different had Joshua not allowed 5 runs the inning he pitched.

That evening I took Ceil clothes shopping, to the Buckhead Abbadabbas and Perimeter Mall. She dislikes clothes shopping, but Sunday afternoon managed to find several items.

Sunday after church Ceil and Anna went off shopping. Will wrote a paper, and all afternoon Matthew wanted me to pitch tennis balls to him. All told he hit over 100 balls, be it with a tennis racquet. I was firing them in there. Got to see a little of the Hawks, as well as good chunks of the Sat and Sun Braves games…more MLB than I’d seen all season.

For some reason Mondays are always frustrating here at work. Had a 2.5 hour meeting on Tuesday’s trip to Augusta.

Pistol Pic 2 of 3

Dig the stripes...many reproductions of this uni don't have both sets. The Hawks wore three sets...white, green, and blue.

Thursday

Wild about Smoltz, now Hampton hurting again…though Hampton’s earlier comments did not inspire much hope.

Will got sick, coughing etc…hadn’t slept much the last 2 nights. Yesterday’s doubleheader was against arch-rival Crown, who fared better in last week’s tourney. Will played well but his Lions didn’t, losing both games. He said he had “a few” singles. Got home after 5 pm to take a shower, before returning back to Sandy Plains Harrison Park for the Wildcats game.

They only had nine again, against a great Milton team. I was running late because of month end. In the first Will went back on a pop into short left-center, and made a sliding catch just before colliding with Audie, the center-fielder. Will limped badly the rest of the game. With the bases loaded, the hard-throwing pitcher hit Will near the shoulder, so he was in poor shape. He made a two-out diving catch of a line drive at short to end a rally, and drove in a run with a deep sac fly.

The Wildcats were ahead 4 – 2 with two out, bases-loaded and nearing the time limit, before this really big “14-year old” hit a grand slam to win the game. Will went to bed when we got home, bypassing American Idol, and didn’t emerge until after 10 this morning. Luckily today’s doubleheader was cancelled.

Because I’ve been working so hard (but really because my boss wants to butter me up to give me more work), I get to take Ceil out for a nice dinner. I know she’ll want to go to Canoe.

ProKeds

Will has been reading about Pistol Pete. Love the uni, the blue socks. As a 15-year old I wore similar suede ProKeds...I had these off-white ones, as well as a red pair and a navy pair. Like Will does now, I wore them out.

Weekend

We need to get to DC for Anna and Matthew, but this year is not looking good.

As I watched the last 2 minutes last night I wondered if Reid and Lang were there…they were, 12^th row. It would be great for the Hawks if Garnett and some of the Celtics were suspended…but terrible for the NBA.

Last Friday Will pitched well in a tourney game, striking out the 3 & 4 batters. They were already losing, and did not qualify for the home school world series in Florida in late May. Friday night I got to take Matthew to his batting practice.

Saturday Matthew got his first hit of the year, a double down the first-base line. He scored his team’s first run.

Later Will’s Wildcats won a doubleheader. He played shortstop and catcher, and threw out a base-stealer at second. He went 2 – 5 with 2 triples, several RBIs, three runs scored, and was HBP. He also hit a screaming line drive that the SS caught. Rented Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Saturday night, and ran Ceil over to Perimeter Mall.

Got sick that night and felt bad all Sunday. After church we ran to Costco and Harry’s, spending way too much money. Now it’s month-end, and we’re still not catching many breaks here at work. Yesterday I did make it to Matthew’s practice.

Will has 3 games tomorrow, two on Thursday, one Friday, and two Saturday. He could play another Sunday if we wanted to go to Canton.

Portrait of a Star

Thursday

Gas is crazy…weird these east cobb BPs are running out so much....$3.639!

Will reached base all 3 times Wed night…BB, E6, single. Scored from second…he had stopped halfway home because the throw was good, but the pitcher cut it off with his back to Will, and threw to first…allowing Will to waltz in. Made 2 good defensive plays…a nice scoop playing first, and a tough bounce playing second. They won their seventh straight, so everyone is loose, playing well. Two guys pitched that needed the practice, developing more depth.

The high school team won easily Wed morning…Will played second again. …Will is pressing at the plate, popping out and striking out before launching a deep multi-RBI double to left-center. They play two tomorrow.

Work…good and bad days…

See the interesting response I received on Rowland’s Office this week, under that post with all the comments about going to the Tuesday game? Funny.

Good Seinfeld last night…Bozo the Clown, George trampled grandma escaping the fire, Jerry heckles Kramer’s date at her work, then she runs away and has her pinkie toe cut off…then gets the promotion over Elaine.

Will's Next Tourney

Round One…they are playing the Gwinnett Barons, last year’s National Champions. Their JV team recruited Will this spring…Will has a friend that plays JV, but it’s too far over there to consider for next year.

If they lose they’d go into the loser’s bracket and play once or twice tomorrow, with doubleheaders Friday & Saturday to win the tourney. Not sure if it’s double-elimination or how long pool play lasts.

It’s the HWSA 2008 East Regional Qualifying Tournament…I just found this website…teams from across the SE will be there. http://www.hwsa.net/ Hopefully this website will continue to update the schedule.

FYI…amazingly, after this past Saturday’s doubleheader Will’s jersey wasn’t dirty. His pants were…and he had torn a hole in them (they were new two months ago).

Tuesday

Matthew had some sort of virus…he’s ok now. I noticed that he hit golf balls around the yard yesterday and today, because I saw were he left his little bag in the yard. Can’t get him to play a par three, though. Not that I ever play.

Sat I took 285 around the west side to get to Stockbridge. On the way back I went through town…it was slow and heavy, but didn’t stop. I called the team, who had stopped to eat, and told them to take 285…they thanked me. Last night I took 675 to 285 around the east side, then 400…made great time.

Will’s team is winning because there are more players contributing. Will did ok this weekend…batted .400 and a .600 OBP, but three other guys did better, and a few more did not quite so good as Will. I still wish he’d bat third, not fourth. And they won despite the fact that Will was unavailable to pitch…he threw 60 pitches Friday. He pitched one scoreless inning Saturday but struggled…29 pitches.

Ceil always struggles when we’re so busy. Should be a fun week…Joel Norman comes tomorrow to stay with us while the rest of the family is at Jekyll.

Was offered tickets to last night’s Nationals game, but all 3 kids had stuff, so I worked late.

Matthew's Saturday Game

We got to Matthew’s Saturday game in time for him to take some cuts in the batting cage, and he was hitting well. I thought nothing was unusual when he sat with a few teammates as others warmed up their arms. But then he came up to me, saying he didn’t feel well. I encouraged him to give it a try, and he started the game in rightfield. Matthew chased a hard grounder into the corner near the fence, and quickly threw in to the cutoff man, who wheeled and fired home in time to nail the batter at the plate. But Matthew came off the field almost in tears, he felt so bad, and Ceil took him home...perhaps a stomach virus.

I’m glad I stuck around, as the Rockies came back to make a game of it. Then the Pirates loaded the bases with no out, and the Rockies turned a triple play. Cameron caught a soft pop near first, and threw to shortstop Daniel to double off the runner at second. Daniel then threw home to catcher Stephen, who easily tagged out the runner trying to score from third.

Will's Friday & Saturday Doubleheaders

Here’s a recap of Will’s Friday and Saturday baseball games…

FRIDAY: LIONS DOUBLEHEADER:

Friday afternoon the NCA Lions split a doubleheader. Will played second-base in the first game and was the starting pitcher in the nightcap. He got several hits in the two games.

STOCKBRIDGE TOURNEY GAME ONE:

After Matthew’s Saturday game I hustled to the car and sped the 50 miles south to Stockbridge, making it in time to see the last out in the bottom of the first. The Wildcats had jumped out to a 6 – 0 lead over the Yankees, and won the four inning game 6 – 4. Will walked twice, once with the bases loaded, and stole two bases.

Will started the game at shortstop and made a great relay to save a run. On a single to right the runner from second tried to score. The throw came in off-line, toward Will. He caught it, wheeled, and threw an off-balance, sidearm throw just in time to nail the runner at the plate. Later he had two putouts at first base.

STOCKBRIDGE TOURNEY GAME TWO:

Next the Wildcats beat the Cobras 8 – 4. Will pitched a scoreless first inning, then caught the rest of the game. He made a putout at home, completing a fifth-inning double-play.

Will thought he did poorly at the plate, though he was actually as productive as anyone…

…in the first he had an RBI groundout.

…he had a scalding line drive in the fourth inning, but right at the shortstop.

…the centerfielder couldn’t catch Will’s deep fly in the sixth, allowing Audie to score. Will then stole third and scored on a grounder to the pitcher.

Tournament Semi-Final Game

The Wildcats won the 1 pm semifinal game 10 – 2 over the Bulls Sunday.

Again Will had a productive offensive game…

…With runners on first and second in the first, Will laced a line-drive single up the middle, driving in Nick from second to tie the game.

…With two-out in the second, Will dribbled a grounder to third. Will broke out of the box fast, intent on making the play close at first. He tried to toss his bat out of the way, but instead it bumped his knee. I had watched the third-baseman fail to field the grounder cleanly, but quickly recover to make the throw, which barely beat Will to first for the third out. I saw Will make one last leaping stride to the bag, and he immediately started limping after that. He grimaced as he slowly made his way off the field.

…Still smarting as he came to bat in the fourth, Will worked the count to 2 – 2, fouling off several pitches, hanging on at the plate against a tough pitcher. He almost seemed relieved when the next pitch game in behind him, and he took the pitch in the leg to get to first. With a runner on third Will stole second without a throw, and scored from second on Andrew’s single, still with the noticeable limp.

Will played third the entire game, throwing out two runners at first. One was a nice backhand catch over the third-base bag. He then quickly made a quick off-balance, across-the-body throw all the way across the infield strong and accurately, easily getting the runner at first.

After the game we had to await the outcome of the next semi-final game, so the entire team escaped the sun and ate at Quiznos. Will kept an ice pack on his knee, and felt a little better before the final game began.

Tournament Championship Game

The Wildcats faced the tough Elite team, who had blown out their three opponents as well. Will started the game at first base, and had all three putouts there in the first inning. He moved to left when Andrew came in to pitch in the second.

The Wildcats scored first, when Will led off the bottom of the second with a line-drive single down the leftfield line. He advanced to third on two singles, and scored on Chris’s single to left.

Up by three, the Wildcats couldn’t hold their lead, as Elite scored eight runs (five unearned) in the third. With three pitchers out hurt and five others already spent, the Wildcats turned to the seldom-used Nick, Anthony, and Michael. Nick, Andrew, and Anthony struggled, but Elite couldn’t adjust to little Michael’s off-speed pitches, and they were unable to score for four innings.

With every new pitcher Will shifted positions, moving from left to third, then second - all in one inning. He then caught the rest of the game.

Down 8 – 3, the Wildcats crept back inning-by-inning, and Will played a big part…

…In the fourth Will walked and later scored on a wild pitch.

…Down 1 – 2 in the count, Will singled through the hole into right, driving in two runners to tie the game. He reached second on a fielder’s choice, and scored the go-ahead run from second, on a single to right.

Defensively the Wildcats turned a double-play in the fourth and retired the side in order in the fifth. In the sixth Elite threatened, when a runner reached second, where he took huge leads off the base. With two out the heavy hitter was intentionally walked. On the next pitch Will fired a strike to Audie at the bag at second, the throw beating the runner back to the bag by a mile…the out ending the inning and swinging the momentum back.

In the top of the seventh the Elite leadoff batter led off with a bad-hop single to right, and stole second off the pitcher. Needing a run to tie, the next batter bunted. Will sprang out and scooped up the ball, and fired to Anthony at third, who easily tagged out the lead runner…another huge play. After a walk, Anthony again got the lead runner out at third. With one out to win, Audie fielder a routine grounder at short. A slow runner was chugging to second, but Audie threw to first, where Trey couldn’t handle the low throw, and the tying run scored. Will then caught a foul pop to end the inning.

After an exciting but scoreless eighth and top of the ninth (including two double-plays), the Wildcats finally scored to win with two out in the bottom of the ninth, to win the tourney.

Hitting off the Front Foot Again?

New pants get dirty quick!

Will on the Lions

Photos Ceil took Friday

SS Josiah, also a Flight basketball player.

Thursday

At work we had a young girl down from Chicago this week. Co-worker / Lindburgh resident Randy usually takes care of her, since they don’t let her rent a car. Randy went out of town, so the task fell to me. Last night Ceil and I took her to Nuevo Laredo Cantina and had a good time. The kids enjoyed being home alone…Ceil had picked up dinner for them at Moes, after hitting IKEA during Anna’s ballet session.

Will is playing Friday afternoon, his team just tied the game. Tomorrow’s DH is at Stockbridge High School…Sunday too.

I missed last night’s Braves game. Sounded nice…we’ll miss Moylan. Hopefully Mike Gonzalez will fill that spot. Think Cox overuses certain relievers?

Anna is looking forward to being a babysitter. She competes with Will in the neighborhood for pet-sitting duties.

More on the Van

Got the new van home last night. Ceil seems pleased.

While I was sitting in the dealership Monday evening, Ceil called to say the Civic wouldn’t start. Battery, I hope. She had it jumped and it worked yesterday, and last night when I moved it. But this morning it wouldn’t start. I saw my neighbor, and ran him down to give me a jump. It scared him, as it was still dark. Got a guy at Wal-Mart to clean up the connections…he checked to find the battery still in good condition. We’ll see.

A “rule” I broke Monday…I wore a Callaway golf pullover into the dealership. Probably better to not dress so nice, huh? The salesman commented on it, steering the subject to golf. Golfers usually have more money and can pay more for cars, right?

Wildcats 7 - 3 Win

Will played his usual good game Wednesday night, helping lead the Wildcats to a 7 – 3 victory over the Titans. He was the team’s most productive offensive player, going 2 – 2 with 2 runs scored, an RBI, four stolen bases, and getting hit by a pitch.

The Wildcats tuned four double-plays in seven innings. Will played first-base the first two innings and recorded four putouts, and was involved in two of the double plays. Twice while Will was in centerfield the batter singled to center with a runner on second, and Will was able to hold the runner at third.

Playing shortstop two innings, he almost made a great play in the hole on a slow grounder that the third-baseman should’ve cut off. Will caught the last two innings and made several tough blocks on bounced pitches, holding the Titans scoreless despite runners reaching third in both innings.

At the plate Will was hit by a pitch with two out and one on in the first. He tried to get out of the way but couldn’t, and was stranded at second.

Down 0 – 2 in the count in the third inning, Will hit a hard grounder past the shortstop for a single, driving home Audie to tie the game. Will easily stole second and third, and scored on Chris’ groundout to third, putting the Wildcats ahead to stay.

In the fifth Audie took off on a steal, and the second-baseman moved over to cover second. Will slapped an outside pitch through the vacated hole for a single. Again he stole second and third, and scored on Trey’s single to left.

The Wildcats were without four injured players: Bryce broke his hip, Ritchie had a deviated septum surgery during spring break, Vince broke his thumb, and Nick hurt his leg. Hopefully Ritchie and Nick will be available for this weekend’s tournament in Stockbridge.

Car Shopping = No Fun

Shopping for a car started out fun, before all the realities set in. I started to research my mental list of favorites / possibilities. Running them past Ceil certainly shortened the list. Last week I researched on line at night, after long days at the office.

I was ready to get an SUV if at all possible, a seemingly cooler option. Ceil preferred a minivan. The Kia Sedona kept popping up as a viable candidate. Motor Trend compared it to the competition, and it beat out the Chrysler Town & Country and Nissan Quest, and came close to besting the Honda Odyssey. It was safe and scored well in several other places…and a slightly used model loses an incredible amount of value, making it a great deal. Ceil hated the thought, though.

Friday I mentioned to Ceil that we could go out and kick some tires that night, and she took me up on my offer. We drove over to Peachtree Industrial, where there were a bevy of dealerships. But when we drove past a Kia dealer, it killed the mood. We wound up driving down to Lenox, then on to Jalisco for dinner. I was sure I heard her say the Toyota Sienna was ugly. To me that said only a Honda would do.

So Saturday I hit the Odysseys hard. They were so expensive, with few of the new body-style (2005 & newer) under twenty grand. That afternoon Ceil suggested we ride out Cobb Parkway to visit a used car dealer favored by Conner’s parents. While there we saw a Mazda MPV next door. Ceil mentioned she would take another Mazda.

Next we rode up to Carmax, where she could have a look at a variety of vehicles. She hated the Jeep Commander but liked the Chrysler Pacifica, two American models that seemed to lose value quickly, making for a good deal. She also liked the Honda Pilot SUV, a little less expensive than the Odyssey. Thankfully, our salesman wasn’t overbearing. Later at home I discovered that not all Pacificas had the third row of seats we needed, greatly narrowing that selection. I did find a nice used car dealer in Stockbridge that sold Pilots pretty cheap, coming off leases.

Saturday night I went to bed feeling like I’d made progress, but knowing there were still pieces to the puzzle. All these vehicles got sorry MPG, even the Pilot. At church Sunday I spoke to Lee, and we discussed Mazdas…which get better MPG than any we’d looked at. On the way home I had an anxiety attack. We really couldn’t afford this new car payment and keep our kids taking classes as well.

Sunday afternoon I poured over the spreadsheet of cars I’d compiled, re-sorting based on differing criteria. Whereas one of Ceil’s friends talked of giving up Anna & Matthew’s Veritas classes to pay for the car, my thought was the car shouldn’t be the priority. I researched Mazda’s, finding some a little older than we’d originally looked at. The prices were much lower than Pilots, Pacificas, and Odysseys with similar miles.

Monday I focused on four candidates. My first two choices had been sold. The MPV on Cobb Parkway had a few thousand more miles, cost a grand more…and had been in two wrecks, according to the Carfax. That left a silver one in Stone Mountain. Drove over after work, test drove it, and bought it. A 2002 with a few more features than the one we had. Dealing with the dealer I felt beat, and there wasn’t much excitement when I got home. Not the perfect car, but hopefully safe, reliable, economical transportation.

Car Talk

I did dicker with State Farm a little bit and got the settlement up, which was good - my research showed the value was much less. There were ads for vans like ours, but with even more miles…at a much lower sell price. So I was surprised to get as much as I did (but I didn’t let it show, instead I tried to get more). State Farm is also going to pay for a couple extra days of the rental car.

I am looking only at used cars…hopefully a 2005 or newer. Ceil wants another van…a Honda or Toyota. The Kia Sedona is supposed to be a quality, good-looking van. It’s value drops much more in the first few years than the Honda or Toyota…I could get a 2006 or 2007 Kia with less than 20,000 mikes for over $3,000.00 less than a 2005 or 2006 Toyota with 20,000 to 30,000 miles. There are also a lot more Kia’s for sale than Toyotas and Hondas.

I was also looking at SUVs that have the third row of seats, like a Ford Explorer, Jeep Commander, Chrysler Pacifica, or Honda Pilot. There are deals on slightly used Pacificas, but I think Ceil wants the minivan.

I knew about the used cars being better deals, but when I bought my little car I knew it was going to be a Honda or Toyota. They weren’t coming off the price of the slightly used ones enough, so I bought new.

I was thinking about how that van got wrecked…right after Ceil put a new blue South Carolina sticker on the back!

Luckily we have no baseball games this weekend, as I’ll be busy trying to find a car!

Weekend Ups and Downs

Friday I left work at 9:45 am, only to find out shortly afterwards the Huntsville game was rained out. It gave Ceil a break, and I spent some needed time with Matthew…we ate lunch at Moes, went to the pet store, and caught the 2:45 showing of Alvin and the Chipmunks. That night we all went back to see National Treasure 2.

Saturday Will and I left a 7 am, picking up DJ’s big brother Ben for the drive to Huntsville for games with his high school team. The game was delayed until 1 pm Alabama time. Game one was tied three-all when Will hit a 2-run HR…he had a big smile on his face rounding the bases. That put them ahead to stay, and they won 8 – 4. It was his first High School home run, and the first one I had seen hit by anyone on his team this spring.

In game two Will was moved up to 6th in the order, and went 4 – 4 with a ground-rule double. They were winning going to the bottom of the sixth, then the opposition scored seven, earning a split of the DH. Will played second-base in game one, relegating his friend Isaac to the bench. He pitched the first inning of game 2, then played centerfield the rest of the way.

Once Will was on third with two out. He would take a huge running lead trying to distract the pitcher, who paid him no attention. So with a 2 – 2 count he took off on a steal of home. He appeared to slide in under the catcher’s tag…but the left-handed batter had swung and missed for strike three…ending the inning.

Another time he slid into second on a double play ball and spiked the second-baseman. The fielder was hurt, but he stayed in the game. Will’s coach gave him five as Will ran off the field. Later in the game Will slid into second on a similar play…perhaps making the fielder think twice, and the batter was safe at first.

Afterward eleven of us ate at the Huntsville Ryan’s before heading back to Atlanta, and we didn’t get home until after 1 am.

Sunday Ceil and Anna went to church, and on the way home a van turned in front of her. Ceil couldn’t possibly stop, and smashed into the van. That van spun around and hit another van. Ceil and Anna are ok, just a little sore. I made sure their soreness was noted on the accident report. The van is probably totaled.

That delayed our Macon trip, but we were able to get my parent’s large yard mowed, a big flower bed weeded, and the gutters and roof cleaned…but it was after 11 pm before we got home. Now I’m exhausted, with lots to do here at work and at home.