More Baseball

I sure do hope you all like reading about baseball, because that is probably all I will be writing about for the next three months or so.

Friday night, Sam's 2nd game was nearly canceled due to weather. Instead, it was cut short after the 5th inning, due to time constraints. The score was tied at 10-10. Sam showed vast improvement, both at 3rd base and at bat. He got two hits and an RBI. In the bottom of the 4th inning, he stopped a line drive with his shins (the ball bounced off his right leg, onto his left leg, and then back on his right leg). He has three very large bruises now. He's so proud of himself, though, especially since one of the coaches told him that all good 3rd basemen will take a few bruises for the team.

This week, Sam's school is having TCAP's (achievement tests), so some of the players have already indicated that they will not be at tonight's game. I assured the coach that Sam will be there. (He always scores above his grade level on those tests and doesn't do anything special in preparation, so I can't see why he shouldn't play.) I'll try to get a nice close-up picture of him in his uniform tonight and post it on here tomorrow.

Saturday, I took Sam to Baseball University to practice in a batting cage. He did well, but I'm starting to think that he can't see the ball clearly enough. He got glasses about a year ago, but they are torn up and unwearable now. As soon as I have the money, I'm going to get him contacts. We'll see how that improves his game.

First Baseball Game

Last night was Sam's first official baseball game. He played 3rd base and did very well. His team won the game with a score of 8-2. Scott and I enjoyed watching the game and were proud parents!

BASEBALL!!!!!

Last night, Sam's team had their first scrimmage game. They did it just for practice and didn't keep score. Sam looked really good. He did great batting and was a good third baseman. Scott and I enjoyed watching, despite the cold wind that would not let up.

Here are a couple of (blurry) pictures.

Youth Revival

Our church hosted a youth meeting with Greg Lintz this past Saturday evening. A dozen or so precious young people accepted the Lord as their Savior, and many more made decisions for the Lord. The atmosphere of revival overflowed into both services Sunday, with many people, old and young alike, getting things right with the Lord. In the Sunday evening service, the young people blessed us with a moving skit about how our sins hurt Jesus and with wonderful singing. Here are a couple pictures of the youth choir. Sam is in the front row, in an orange shirt.

Race Weekend

It's race time in Bristol again. Yesterday was the spring Nascar race, and Jeff Burton (my favorite) won. Yippee!!! Now, I'm not really much into Nascar, and I don't like the inconvenience caused by thousands of people coming into town. However, I had a great weekend!

The Bristol Tennessee City Schools are closed on Friday of Race Week. So, Scott and I took off work to spend some family time together with Sam. We went to the park and hiked, even though it was raining a little. It was good exercise and great fun.

After hiking, we stopped off in the Nature Center and were pleasantly surprised at all the animals on display and information available. We watched a snapping turtle snap at goldfish, and we held a corn snake. I went in there determined NOT to hold the snake. I willingly petted it while Sam and Scott held it, but I wanted no part of holding it myself. The older gentleman working in the Nature Center somehow persuaded me to let him put the snake around my neck, and Sam captured the moment in the following picture. (It's blurry because it was hard to stand still with a snake around my neck.)



Here's Sam holding the snake:

Baseball

For the past several years, Sam has wanted to play baseball, but for whatever reason, it never worked out until now. Saturday, we got him registered for Little League and purchased most of the things he needs. He was so excited, I wouldn't be surprise if he slept with his new glove Saturday night.

Sunday afternoon, I took Sam to the park, and we practiced baseball a little. I tried pitching to him, but I wasn't so good at it. He tried not to hurt my feelings while admitting that it would have been better if Scott had gone along with us. At one point, he said, "I'm not going to get good like this, am I?" Poor thing! He quickly assured me that he knew I was doing my best to help him, and he was grateful.

After playing baseball for a while, we walked on one of the trails at the park. It was great exercise and lots of fun. An added bonus was the nature we were able to experience. We saw lots of birds which I called ducks but Sam insisted were geese. Anyway, whatever they were, there were hundreds of them. Here's a picture, you can decide for yourself what they are. Feel free to leave a comment, letting me know what you think they are.

Sam's First Swim Meet

This past Saturday, Sam had his first swim meet. He was excited about it, and Scott and I were both very excited to go to the YMCA to watch him. Here is a picture of Sam in the pool, waiting for the meet to start.



Sam was the only boy in his age group who swam the backtroke. He, obviously won that one.



In the boys over 11-years freestyle, Sam and his friend Nic were the only ones. Amazingly, they tied.