Once again, we all know the purpose of this blog is to tell it like it is...good and bad...highs and lows....the rocky and smooth....the startling and the predictable....shall I get to the point?
Here goes.....
Yesterday at 6 pm (interrupting happy hour, mind you....), Tink and I were relaxing and chatting about life. The evening game was cancelled early in the afternoon due to storms. The plan had been to drive to campus and watch the game and perhaps stay overnight....But the notice came an hour before we were to leave and therefore, we were home.
The call comes in from the big kid...."I'm not on the list to travel to Ohio...." Huh? What? Really? It seems that even with the limited appearances on the mound, he has one of the best ERAs and lowest opponent batting average percentages on the team. OK, he has struggled to regain his complete command, but that requires opportunity and coaching and he has had neither. Therefore, with his stats shining, we were all completely caught off guard on this one. In fact, over the weekend, if he did not come into the game when he did to shut down the opposition, they would not have been able to come from behind to win their first conference game. Also, keep in mind the coach walking to the mound and rather than telling him where he was failing in his delivery, he berated him and told him to figure it out....leading me to believe that the coach has no idea what he is doing, 'cause I could see that it was his release point.....and I ain't no coach...just sayin'.......
As the call came in, I had no time to develop a proper commentary such as "What do they know?" "Crazy..." and so on....but I was silent and just let him speak. And he did....speak....calmly...no cussin'...expletives and so on....very calm, rational....hmmmm...is my big boy growing up?
Here is what he had to say....."I needed to calm myself when I saw the list so I went into the film room and watched myself pitch for 45 minutes....then I came out..." What? They have film and never have the coaches had the players in there to review their swings and throws.....isn't this Coaching 101? When you have resources such as these, you use them...anyway.....
"I was going to blow, but then I remembered my hero, Chris Coaste (the 33 year old rookie). He had more #$^#** thrown at him, but he kept his head and plugged away. I am going to be the same way....."
Nice....baby is maturing.....now what....
"I am going to come home after my last class this weekend and dad says we are flying to Houston to meet with the pitching coaches at the baseball academy..." Oh, that's nice...a round trip ticket to Houston to meet a guy who can change the big kid's life....I'll fund that....
"Then I will work all summer and when I get back in the fall, I will throw 92 mph and shove it in the coach's face....." Not sure what he will shove in the coach's face, whether it is the ball or his fist (in a figurative manner, naturally). "Then I will destroy them..." Ahhh, here is my boy speaking...yes, destruction and mayhem (in a figurative sense, naturally). He is plotting his return in the fall to be quite memorable...."Then when I am drafted, I will make it known that they had absolutely no assistance in helping my game....." OK, revenge....in a figurative sense, naturally.....
Now what? Well, he is coming home tomorrow and he will fly to Houston if he can make an appointment to meet this uber-coach. I will stay home with Tink and Diva dog and make some of the kid's favorite meals. He gets the full "mama treatment" this weekend, complete with me actually offering to do his laundry. Yes, I will absolutely fluff and fold...anything to help the cause...Project Fastball on its way....
Just one note that I learned when I was the chair of my academic department (hating it every day...in a figurative sense, naturally...) from my dean....he said: "You don't have problems...only opportunities....." Yes, he is right and that is keeping it positive. If the kid had traveled to Ohio, he would have pitched one or two innings and returned to campus. This way, he can set up the summer in Texas and be prepared to leave home when he finishes the semester and baseball season. In a way, this opportunity is a gift from the coaches. If he had gone to Ohio, he never would have made it to Houston before June. Now he is ready to go. Stay positive, like Chris Coaste....watch what happens....
By the way, I will watch the games this weekend. Without Buddy on the mound, the bullpen has a big hole in it. Yesterday, the college ran an article about the return of the bullpen and he was mentioned as one of the stars of the weekend.....OK, the newspaper reporter gets it, perhaps we should send the paper to the coach to read and not use to line the bird cage.....Not angry here...just reporting the facts and seeing the silver lining in this cloud.
No comments:
Post a Comment