Confessions of a Baseball Mom

Snuggies Are Awesome: Part 2

Obviously, now that baseball is in full swing, my blog has become sorely neglected.  I have tons of pictures to share but I haven't had a moment to edit them.  I was hoping to get them done some time this week but since my mom is coming to visit tomorrow, it may take a little longer.

In any case, I am glad to see that I get the occasional visitor still.  When I look at the stats, I notice that most of the people who stop by are looking for pictures of clone troopers.  I am not sure if they are disappointed when they realize the only clone troopers here are Joseph & Jared.  But they are pretty cute so I guess they aren't too disappointed. So imagine my surprise when I got an email from someone from the Houston Astros, referencing my Snuggies are Awesome post. I have a hard time getting people I know to look at my blog so I couldn't imagine why someone from the Astros would ever come across it.  At first I was hoping he was going to tell me that the Astros were having a Snuggies promo day and that he was going to send me free tickets so I could get my very own.  While I might have been a little disappointed that wasn't the case, I did enjoy the video (below) and I appreciate him sending it to me.  

 

You probably have to be an Astros fan to appreciate who is actually in the video but anyone who loves the Snuggies commercial can't help but find the humor in it. And, no, I still have not ordered my Snuggie.  It's spring time now so it doesn't seem worth the money so I think I'll just wait until the fall.

That being said, we are very excited because we are going to our first game of the season on Sunday.  It is Youth Baseball day and we are going with Jordan's team.  The kids all dress in their uniforms and they get to walk around the warning track at Minute Maid Park.  This is a pretty big deal because you don't get to walk on the field very often.  We did it a few years ago with the Rattlers and the kids really had fun.  They don't get to socialize a lot outside of games and practice so it's fun for them to get to watch someone else play for once.  And now they are old enough to appreciate what they are watching which will make it even better.

On the subject of Jordan's team, they are doing very well.  They are the only undefeated team left in his division.  However, they still have 9 more games to play so anything can happen.  So far, they have only allowed 8 runs in the last 3 games and they have scored 31.  Jordan is our starting pitcher and he struck out 14 out of 18 batters in the last 2 games.  I think that's pretty impressive for a 9 year old.  

Joe's team started out okay but has already started to spontaneously combust.  On the plus side, we already have one more win that I originally anticipated.  Since we have only won one game, that isn't saying much.  I keep trying to be positive but even my cute tee shirt isn't helping right now.

Then there is Jared... he is on a great team.  They lost their first game last week but they are still doing well.  He has some really good coaches and a lot of great players.  I am glad to see him having a good season.  It's amazing how much more fun baseball is when you are winning.

Well, I guess that's the lowdown for now.  I need to get some laundry finished and get the kids off to practice.  I'll also try to post some pictures this week, if I can.  

Life is Not a Spectator Sport

As you may have guessed from my sudden disappearance (well not completely sudden, but you know what I mean) Spring is upon us and so is the new baseball season!  

All 3 boys are playing league this season which is likely going to be an exciting and completely overwhelming experience for me.  I love watching the boys play and the thought of all 3 of them playing at the same time makes me a little sad because I can't stand the thought of missing a game.  Take last season for example.... I watched every one of Joseph's games because Lance was coaching Jared.  Of course, the one day Lance couldn't be there, I had to go to Jared's game and I missed Joe's. Our friend Larry went to watch for us, and wouldn't you believe, half way through the game I get a call telling me Joseph hit a "grand slam" (Karen, that is a home room with bases loaded).   It was so exciting and so heartbreaking all at the same time.  I am glad someone was there to see it... I just wish it was me.

Anyway, Lance is coaching Jordan this season which leaves me responsible for figuring out how to get Joe & Jared to 2 different practice fields at the same time on the same days.  I'm sure it will all work out... however, I am likely to finish the season with a few extra gray hairs (which I definitely don't need). 

The last few weeks have been interesting.  You would not believe how much work goes into selecting a 10U league team.  Here, the kids have to try out and then they are drafted to a team.  Lance, Larry & I sat out at tryouts a few weeks ago and we evaluated all of the players.  Following tryouts, SEVERAL hours were sacrificed along with a lot of paper and printer ink, as we determined our ideal team.  I honestly think the baseball season itself will be less stressful than listening to the debate as to who our first round draft pick should be.  In any case, an agreement was finally made as all of our potential players were ranked.  Lance went to the draft and did a pretty good job of picking the kids he wanted for our team.  So far, he and Larry are very pleased with the outcome.  I guess the true test will come when the season starts on March 30. 

BTW, Jordan is a 10U Yankee, Joseph is an 8U Marlin and Jared is a 6U Yankee.  I guess the odds of getting 2 Yankees was pretty much the best I could hope for.  Asking for 3 would have been considered greedy.  The plus is, I have an excuse to have more shirts made. 

I wish I could say that we had something else exciting going on but baseball has pretty much dominated the conversation and most of our activities recently.  Jordan is pretty much finished playing with the Eagles select team.  He may play with them for the summer but we will probably be burnt out by then so we are thinking we'll just enjoy some baseball free fun.  Then again, old habits die hard so I am not going to say "no" quite yet.

The boys are doing well in school.  Oh and the Valentine's boxes were a huge hit.  When I went to Jordan's party, there were 4 other Lego boxes in his class.  None of them came close to the masterpiece created from my extreme OCD.  Of course, that was the goal and I always enjoy a little validation.

I guess that's it for now.  I am working on some new dugout sign designs for this season and I am hoping to sell a lot.  I really can use the cash.  It's a good thing I have cheap labor working for me!  I do worry that they are going to report me to the Dept. of Labor soon if I don't start paying them with more than beer.  

BTW, the picture at the top of the page was Jared at one of Jordan's games last summer.  I kept meaning to share it.  Everyone loved him because he would go to every game in full uniform.  The pitcher's helmet was just icing.

The Pitcher

 

Today, I am not even going to address the fact that I haven't posted in 2 months because I really have no good excuse.  We are busy, as usual, but certainly not so busy that I couldn't take a few minutes out of my day to post the latest and greatest news in our family.  A LOT has been going on and I have tons of pictures so I am going to make an effort to share a post a day for the next week.  I may not get around to it tomorrow because I have dugout signs to finish up.  But after that, I swear I will try.

For now, I want to share the big baseball news in our house.  This weekend, Jordan moved up to 9U kid pitch baseball.  This is something he has spent the last 2 years waiting for.  He has played coach pitch for the last 4 years, but in kid pitch, it's real baseball.  They get to pitch, steal bases and bunt... all things he has been anxious to do.  Yesterday, he had his pitching debut.  Unfortunately, the umpire was using the MLB strike zone, which is pretty unrealistic for 9 year olds who have a much smaller strike zone than adults.  So he did not get any outs.  Although, he didn't have much of a chance because our coach wanted to see how everyone else would do on the mound so he only kept him in the game for 1/2 inning (the whole game was 3 innings).  But to look at him, you would have thought he had been doing it for years.  He has so much confidence and athletic ability.  Really, it's not fair.  I have heard that in the first year of kid pitch, there is a lot of walking.  That was the case yesterday.  However, today, we played a great game against another team that actually tried to hit, rather than be given a walk.  We didn't win but we played our best game, yet.  And you would never know that these kids were brand new to this venue.  They did awesome!  When Jordan wasn't pitching, he was filling in for the pitcher which means he spent some time at first, second and third base.  He really can do it all!

 

The best part of the tournament, for Jordan, was getting to steal.  The bases were closed so there was no leading off, but they could steal after the ball crossed the plate.  Jordan is fast and as soon as he got on base, you know he wasn't going to waste any time.  He got to steal home... twice.  And I even got a picture the first time!  I am usually so excited by the play that I never get photos like that.  But somehow I managed to get it this time.  When I got home, I printed the photo for Jordan and he instantly took it up to his room and put it in the front of his personal scrapbook.  Cute, huh?

While we didn't come out with a win this weekend, I think the boys got some great experience and now they know what to expect next time around.  When we start playing tournaments with a more generous (and fair) strike zone, I think we are going to do really good.  I can't wait to get Jordan back out there!

So that's it for today.  In case you are wondering, everything is going well.  The boys are back in school, we have been doing a lot of work around the house.  And now it's back to baseball.  All 3 boys are playing and Jared & Joe have their first games on Tuesday.  It's all happening so fast, but it should be a fun season!  I'll be back on Tuesday with first day of school photos.  Until then, have a good day!

The Catcher

As I have mentioned before, Jordan played catcher this last season and he really liked it.  My favorite part about him playing catcher is those are the easiest pictures to get because he is close and the catcher has all of that gear which I think looks pretty cool.  Not in the literal sense, of course.  To be honest, I don't know how he lugs all of that stuff around in 90 degree heat.  And believe it or not, he never complains about it.  He complains that he doesn't get to play Star Wars Legos enough.  He complains that he doesn't get to ever see his friends enough.  And he complains that the grass isn't green enough.  Maybe he doesn't really complain about that, but it wouldn't surprise me if he did.  LOL.  Anyway, he got some really good experience catching this season and it was a lot of fun watching him develop.  He is such a good athlete and while catching is almost a waste of his speed, it is good for him because it keeps his head in the game every play.  I am finally getting around to sharing some of the pictures I took.  It was hard to pick a favorite because I like them all so much.  So I'll just post a bunch of them.  :)

Vacation Bible school is going well... for me and Lance.  Jordan is actually having a great time because 2 of his good friends are in his class.  Joe is a bit hesitant.  He thought he was going to Kindergarten at first, and apparently he isn't ready for that.  I wonder if we can send the Kindergarten fairy to our house to leave him some money to get him excited?  Anyway, we now know that is something we need to be working on.  Jared reacted just as I expected.  He is spoiled having me home every day and he did NOT want to go.  He had the death grip on Lance but I finally got him to stay after I showed him a bucket of trucks.  Today was a little better until we walked into the classroom full of kids crying.  He decided to join in the chorus and did not want us to go.  Of course, all I could think about was that the clock was ticking so I put him down, told him he would be fine and left.  We watched his class walk across to the other building 5 minutes later and guess what?  He was fine.  Go figure.  It is nice finally getting to sit around and do nothing and not listen to any arguing or fighting.  And even better, I don't have to listen to Oswald loop on my DVR every 30 minutes!!! 

I told the boys I would take them to the poor man's pool after school gets out so I am finishing up a few little things around here before that happens.  Getting lots done.  yay!  Hope you are having a nice day.  :)  TTYL!

BTW, I am posting a picture of him hitting, of course.  Doesn't his new uniform look SHARP?  I love that he pulls his socks up like some of the big league guys.  A lot of them don't do that anymore but 3 of our favorite players... Hunter Pence, Lande Berkman & Willy Taveras do and I think it's cute.

   

Party Time!

Today was our Rattlers end of season party and we had such a good time.  And even better, Lance has a sinus infection so he ended up not going to work.  Usually being sick isn't a good thing but in this case, it was pretty convenient because he would have missed out on a lot of fun with all of our friends.  And the kids had a blast.  They swam for 5 hours straight, only taking a break to have cake and to collect their trophies.  Since we didn't win any tournaments this season, our coach was kind enough to buy trophies for all of the boys.  Jordan couldn't stop smiling when we picked his up.  He has always wanted a really big trophy and this one by far is the prize of his collection.  (unfortunately, when he put it up on his shelf, it caused his Louisville Slugger bat to slide down and land on his baseball bank which broke in half.  That caused a whole new emotional breakdown.  I'm hoping that some glue will do the trick.)

Jared & Joe had a lot of fun, too.  They got to see their friends, Jonathan, Nicholas and Noah.  I think it's fun that they have almost as many friends on this team as Jordan does.   I always joke that we need to start a little brothers team as they get older.  In fact, the twins my play next season in league ball so we are hoping they will be on the same team as Joe.  And in other news, Jordan's coach may keep this team after all.  His son, Chase doesn't want to stay down in the 7U league so if he chooses to play up to 8U, then they'll just keep this team.  Of course, that means more rebuilding.  But I have a lot invested in this team emotionally and wardrobally (is that a word?) so I can't complain.  We're willing to stick it out if they are.  And hopefully with Lance continuing to gain seniority in his job, he may be available for most of the tournaments so that he can start pitching.  I guarantee that if he can pitch, we will win a lot more games.  So I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it all works out.  Of course, for now, I am just enjoying my summer vacation. 

The other good thing that happened today is Lance talked to Jesse (the dad who hosted the party) about his brand new pool.  He knows some guys who did it for a VERY reasonable price so now Lance is seriously thinking about getting a pool of our own.  I never thought he would come around to the idea but I hope he does.  I love going to our club pool but I would love having one in my back yard even more.  I think the main stipulation is he has to figure out a way to keep the batting cage. I am willing to work that out.  :)

Well, it's late and I have to get up early get the kiddos to Vacation Bible School.  I can't tell you how excited I am for that.  We have survived 4 weeks of summer vacation....  9 more weeks to go! 

I am posting a few more pictures here just for fun.  I'll try to get a better pic of Jordan with his trophy.   Oh, and Joe was SO excited about his $10 from the tooth fairy. It helps that Jordan made a really big deal about it.  He kept running around the house singing, "I have $10.  I have $10."  It was pretty cute, actually.  That's it from here.  Hope you all had a nice weekend!  TTYL!!!!

P.S.  Are you starting to wonder if Joe owns any other clothes?  LOL.

Baseball Mom Style

If I told you how much of my wardrobe is now composed of baseball mom clothing, I might be stripped of my title as a fashionista (not that I necessarily own that title... but I like to think I do).  The truth is, being a baseball mom means you have to support your team and as such, I have chosen to do so in style.  In my birthday post, I shared a picture of my black baseball mom shirt with pink crystals.  As much as I love that shirt, I decided it was time to up the bling a bit and go for a full on team logo. 

I contacted the owner of The Crystal Ranch and asked if she could do something with the Rattlers logo. I sent her the shirt I wanted it on and she came up with a fabu design.  I opted not to go with the crystals because the price would have been twice as much.  With the rhinestones, she only charged me $25 (I had already paid for the shirt).  Personally, I think that is a steal.  And although you can tell a little bit of a difference, it certainly would not be worth paying twice as much for the crystals. It's a shame you can't see how sparkly it is in real life.  Seriously, if you are looking to have anything custom made, contact Michelle.  She is awesome and would love to help out.  And her prices can't be beat.  Make sure you tell her I sent you because I am going to need more shirts next season and I am hoping to get a discount!

The other component to my baseball mom style is my purse.  Carrying a Coach purse to a ballpark is not really wise.  So when looking for an alternative in Harwin last year, I came across these bags with a baseball print fabric.  Most of them were not very attractive and I kind of made fun of them for being overkill.  Then, I came across this bag that had 2 layers of ruffled baseball fabric.  It is almost over the top but so darn cute that I couldn't resist for $12.  Had I known how popular it would be at the ballpark, I would have bought them all and doubled the price!  Honestly, I should be more worried about that purse being stolen than my Coach purse!  (I am totally not joking)

Today was our last day of baseball for the next 2-1/2 months.  I am a little sad but I think it will be nice to have a summer with no obligations.  Jordan's team had a really bad season and I think we need some time to reevaluate things.  We definitely plan to play again in the fall.  Just not sure with who.  Obviously, I am hoping things work out with the Rattlers because I have a lot of money invested in my own personal wardrobe.  But we will do what we think is best for Jordan.  I took LOTS of pictures of him catching today.  I will try to get them up tomorrow.  If he has gained anything from this season, it's lots of good experience catching.  So I can't say it wasn't worthwhile.

Other than that, it is pretty much the same old thing around here.  We have survived our first week of summer vacation.  We have about 12 weeks to go.  Yes, you read that right.  12 weeks.  They pushed the school year back until August 27 so we have an extra long summer.  Yippee! Actually, I am enjoying the lazy mornings and not having to sit in car lines so it's not all bad.  :)  Have a good one!

Baseball is Life

So, last week, as Lance was perusing my blog, he pointed out that he thought I started it so I could post baseball updates.  I told him that he made a good point.  But most of the people who read my blog (all 6 of you) don't really care about baseball so I write about the stuff you do care about... or at least that I think you care about. 

Anyway, I guess I should update the latest in baseball news because that seems to be ALL we are doing these days.   We have literally had baseball games or practice 6 days a week for the last 2 months.  Would you believe I am getting a little tired of it?  Shocking.  I know.  But I secretly love it and I am a little sad when we don't have a game.  The fact is, I love the parents of the kids that we play with and it is as much of a social event for me as it is for my kds.  I guess it's probably because they all understand the life of a baseball mom and we can all relate to each other.

Baseball games are also fun for the boys.  Jared is a ladies' man... and he is just barely 3!  The little girls LOVE him.  He and Joe bring along their little bag of toys and they entertain each other and all of the other kids with Bob the Builder trucks and legos.  They have a great time.  And, of course, Jordan is as social as they come.  A little too social. 

So, the Padres (Jordan's fall ball team) has had quite a run this season.  They have won 10 games and just lost their first game yesterday.  It was a MAJOR bummer.  But I guess it was bound to happen.  This is a team of great little ball players and I can't say enough about how much I love the coaches.  These guys are awesome.  So positive and helpful and extremely patient.  Jordan is still having issues with failure.  If he strikes out or misses a ball, he will walk off the field moping or crying and occasionally banging his bat on the ground.  He was almost ejected from a game because of his temper.  But it isn't really a temper.  It is just such an intense desire to be the best.  While it frustrates me and Lance to no end, I can't help but respect the drive he has to succeed. Unfortunately, that tends to be his downfall, too.  I keep praying he outgrows it because it is hard on him, us and the team.  But his coaches are great. They talk to him and they try to remind him that it doesn't matter.  Just go out next time and do it better.  I hope he gets that one day.  Preferably before the end of this season because we would love for these coaches to take him back next season!

Then there is Joseph.  He is the polar opposite of Jordan.  He is one of the smallest kids on the team and he doesn't have a care in the world.  He isn't there to win.  He is there because his daddy is there and he is excited to be a baseball player.  He strikes out nearly every time he steps up to the plate and he walks off with the biggest grin you have ever seen.  He knows that he has struck out. But it doesn't bother him.  The crowd cheers for him regardless and he loves it!  His team is also 10 and 1.  Lance and Steve have done an amazing job coaching these little guys. 

Last but not least, the Rattlers had another tournament this past weekend. There were only four teams playing.  Our team did not play as well as we are capable of playing.  We lost the first game. BIG.   But then we came back and won the last 3 to win the championship.  The boys could not have been more excited. Although the parents were almost as excited.  When we calculate how much money we have spent on tournament fees, snack bar purchases, gas and tolls over the last 4 months, I would say we have spent close to $1,000 to win that first place trophy.  But it was all worth it in the end.  Our guys deserved it. They played hard.

Jordan has been over the moon ever since.  He has shown his trophy to every neighbor we have.  He moved all of his "old" trophies to one side of his desser and placed this one all by itself on the opposite side.  I am waiting for him to ask me to purchase a spotlight for it.  He was funny the next day.  He came in and proclaimed to me that he could not finish eaching his lunch because all he could think about was his trophy.  LOL. Where do they get this stuff???

 

Anyway, I have TONS of baseball pictures I need to format and get posted.  I have a few here for you to look at.  Doesn't Jordan look like a serious baseball player?  I forget that he is only 6.  He has one of the best swings I have ever seen.  And I have seen a lot.  Did I mention that he hit 3 home runs in the tournament?  2 in 1 game.  Of course, as he came to 3rd base (both times) the coach was yelling at him to stop.  But he doesn't stop.  He is determined to score and he is fast.  The coaches call him the mustang.  They decided you just can't harness that kind of power. Of course, one day he is going to get tagged out and then it is going to be a different story. But for now, you can't argue with the kid.  He seems to know what he is doing.

Oh and he has been playing pitcher for the Padres.  in 8U, they don't really pitch (the coach does). But they cover the position for fielding purposes.  So on Monday, he caught his first pop fly.  He was backing up, caught it and fell to the ground.  He did not drop it as I feared he would.  Then he got up and fired it off to second base where the runner had started running without tagging up on the base.  So he got a double play to end the game.  Isn't that exciting?  (I am sure it is more exciting if you have any knowledge of baseball and what any of that means.  LOL).

Well, I guess that's it for now.  It is late and I need to get off to bed.  We have 2 more weeks of fall ball and then it will be just select for awhile. What will I do with all of that free time?  Maybe keep up on my blog?  Or maybe I'll start playing Spider Solitaire again.  Talk to you soon!

Here is a picture of the Rattlers with their tophies.  I hate that it was so bright so the picture didn't come out too great.  But you can see the smiles on their faces.  :)

I'm Melting

Gosh, has it been nearly a week already?  I really don't know where the time is going.  But it seems to be faster and faster.  Doesn't it?  Christmas is just over 3 months away.  I can hardly stand the thought.  Although, it is a fairly pleasant thought at the moment as I look at my weather.com thermostat.  It is HOT in Houston!  That is why I am sitting in front of my computer right now.  Fortuantely, Lance has not taken it away from me in an effort to save power.  LOL.

So here's the latest...

Jordan is feeling all better now.  It was the weirdest thing but I"m glad it's over with.  He only missed one day of school and didn't change colors all week.  He told me some other kids did so I know it wasn't just about his teacher being nice.  LOL.  I am optimistic that he will continue to do well.

Orientation went well.  Jared's teacher was Joe's teacher when he was 2.  So it's nice that we already know her.  And Joe's teachers seem really nice and excited about the year.  They are new to the school so they haven't become jaded yet.  LOL.  Really, I think you teach preschool because you want to and because  you love 4 year olds.  So I think it will be a great year.  2 more days and they start.

Yesterday was baseball tryouts.  We decid ed not to play Select again.  With Joe starting, I can not commit 6/7 days a week to baseball.  It is going to be exhausting as it is.  We have some friends who may be putting together a new select team in the spring so we may think about it then. But for now, we're happy with that decision. 

Tryouts went pretty well.  This will be Joe's first time playing.  He is in the 6U league and is one of the youngest kids out there.  I guess that goes without saying, considering he is only 4 years old!  They play coach pitch underhand in his league.  They don't waste time with a tee.  Either  you can hit it or you can't.  I like that.  Our neighbor, Steve, is going to coach in the 6U league because Nicholas missed the cutoff.  So, Lance told him that he will assist.  I think Lance is more excited than Steve is.  LOL.  He really wants to coach but it is hard to commit with his job.  I think that will work out nicely, though.  Oh and how do you like that snazzy new helmet?  He may may not be able to hit the ball, but he will look good trying (just like his momma).

Jordan moves up to the 8U league this season.  They play coach pitch overhand.  Jordan is pretty excited about that.  He did not like playing tee ball over the summer.  We know 4 or 5 of the coaches in that league so we are pretty confident that he will be drafted to a team with someone we know.  I didn't get to watch him but Lance said he did pretty good.  Must be his new bat.  :)

Next week is 'THE DRAFT".  They draft these kids just like the big leagues do.  Even at 4 years old.  So, now that the kids have tried out and the coaches have watched and rated all of the players, they will decide who they want to put on their team.  It will be interesting to see how it all works out.  I think they actually have their first game on September 11 so it will be here before we know it.

In other news, the Astros still suck.  I didn't even bother to stay up last night to see if they came back to win the game (not likely).  I played bunko last night.  Only 8 people were there so we didn't actually play.  We just sat around and talked which was fun.  We rolled for for prizes.  There are 5 prizes and only 7 of us could win.  I still lost. 

Not much else is going on here.   Lance is working and should be home in a few hours... I think.  We still need to catch up on 8 hours of Without a Trace before the new fall season starts, so I'm hoping we may started on that tonight.  Then it is back to school for another fun-filled week. Hope you're having a good one!

BTW, I uploaded more photos from tryouts.  The boys played at the park afterwards and I got some fun shots of them.  Check them out when you have a chance.  :)

Sticker Shock

So, I am not sure how many of you have ever purchased a bat, but I am quite certain, that I am still suffering from sticker shock after Jordan's latest acquisition.  Apparently, the four other bats he owns are not adequate for Humble baseball.  Playing on a select team has been awesome because of the talent of these kids.  Unfortunately, talent only seems to go so far.  We have found that the teams that beat us the worst had one advantage... the big barrell bat.  As such, most of the kids on our team are beginning to acquire them.  Since we don't want to be outdone, we have jumped on the bandwagon.  Really, Lance has been looking at them for awhile but I thought he was smoking crack when he told me what they cost.  But the sound of my little boy's heart breaking because he will be the only one on the team without one caused me to cave (and the 1/2 price deal Lance found online didn't hurt).  Jordan was pretty cute today because he spent the entire day waiting for the UPS truck to arrive.  Usually, I am the one impatiently waiting for the man in brown.  :)  He did pretty well when they went out to practice.  Since he has 2 months until the next season starts, he should be able to get plenty of practice in.  So that's the big news in the Miller house.  And to think I was worried about not having anything exciting to report today.  Have a good one! 

Not just a baseball mom...

I am also a baseball cousin!  Now that we are on a break from baseball, it is time to tell you about my cousin Jeremy West.  He has been playing ball for as long as I can remember.  He played in every league there was in Las Vegas. He eventually played for Silverado High School where they won the state championship and then he earned a scholarship to play at Arizona State.  He has always loved playing baseball and he is quite good at it, thanks to a lot of hard work and dedication. 

Jeremy's strength is hitting.  I once watched him hit four home runs off of four pitchers in the American Legion state tournament when he was a senior in high school.  It was pretty amazing.  That was when I was convinced he would go far.  3 years ago, he was drafted by the Boston Red Sox.  Since then he has played for their minor league teams and he is now on their AA team, the Portland Sea Dogs.  Lance and I often check their website to see how he is doing.  We were excited to see that he was selected to play in the Eastern League All Star game on July 12.  He is also in third place on the batting leaders list for the Eastern League which is pretty awesome.

The reason I bring this up is because we watched Fever Pitch the other night and we loved it.  Lance has been to a few major league baseball games over the years, thanks to his jobs at American & Contiental Airlines.  I asked if he had ever been to a Red Sox game.  He said it is near impossible and/or super expensive to get tickets.  So, he is now waiting for Jeremy to make it so he can get tickets for us.  LOL.  Really, we would prefer him to play for the Astros because it would be much more convenient, but it sure would be cool to see a game at Fenway Park, at least one time.

Here is a link with a little bit about Jeremy and the Portland Sea Dogs in case you are interested.  I will keep you updated on HIS progress and our quest to visit Fenway Park.  Until then.... GO, JEREMY!!!  We are rooting for you.