Moments Matter
I signed myself up for a couple of additional duties this spring that made regularly writing this blog untenable.
Those additional duties began to slacken just prior to my son and I taking our annual weekend road trip to Cincinnati for a couple of Reds games.
It was the perfect opportunity to actually attend a sporting event and have something to write about in this blog, but I had no idea what to discuss with my dozens of loyal readers. I wrote about the baseball road trip last year, and the Reds stink again -- just like the last four years. There was nothing new from either of those two angles.
I spent a few days cranking out unsatisfying content -- typing, deleting, starting over -- nothing of worth for my grand return to the sports pages. After coaching my youngest daughter in softball Wednesday night, I fired up some left overs at Sowers (0.25) Acres and sat down for the NHL Eastern Conference Finals Game 7. And the previously 3-8 in playoff series finales Washington Capitals actually pulled off a 4-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals -- this is super duper big!
During these Capitals playoff games, I have been in constant communication via group text with a number of Caps fans from our local SOFA "club" -- Slightly Overweight Fathers of Alexandria. By Thursday morning, I was sending out an email imploring the group to come together at some point (or points) during the upcoming series to enjoy this opportunity en masse. Hockey fans along the Potomac have a chance to experience a unique moment together, and I want to ensure that happens for me and my community.
I know, I know, I know -- this is only sports. But I am telling you, these moments -- as a player, or a fan -- are moments to be taken in deeply and remembered. I will be adjusting my regular pattern of life over the next two weeks, and hopefully enticing others to do the same with me.
Back to the Cincinnati Trip
During our trip to Cincinnati, we left the Friday night game during the third inning. The game had started late due to rain, and the Reds were getting crushed by the Chicago Cubs. And we had an opportunity to meet with a former high school cross country teammate, now living in Cincinnati, at our hotel lounge.
I probably had not seen John Dershem in the almost three decades since our two years running together at Richmond (Indiana, of course) High School. It was a tremendous opportunity to get reconnected in person to this former Marine and introduce him to my son. Those years running in Richmond put excellent coaches and teammates in my life with whom I experienced special moments.
I vividly remember the moment following our 1987 regional cross country meet in which we found out we had pulled off an upset and advanced to the semi-state meet for the next week. Nothing much was expected of us at the regional meet after we barely advanced from the sectionals the week previous. We knew we had performed poorly the week before, and we were determined to rectify that effort -- it was a moment worth remembering, one I won't soon forget.
Back to Coaching Softball (it was in there -- fourth graph, second sentence)
Before taking on an assistant coaching role for U10 girls softball, I committed to altering my default coaching style significantly. If you have nine young softball (or baseball) players on the field, there will most likely be about eight things being done incorrectly at any moment. It takes quite a lot of discipline on my part to stay on top of those mistakes, yet deliver "coaching" in a positive manner.
I checked in with my daughter a while back to get her assessment on how I was doing. She told me I was good -- not yelling too much, not being too hard on anybody, and definitely energetic and humorous enough to keep it fun. She also told me that she likes it when she makes a good play in the field, because we lock eyeballs, I give her a point, and we both smile. She likes that moment.
Wednesday night, our opponent had a runner on first and third with two outs, my daughter behind the plate, and our team clinging to a two-run lead. A ground ball got hit to third, and our third basemen fired the ball to my daughter who was covering home (I was honestly hoping she would have thrown to first for the easier force out). My daughter snagged the throw and applied the tag to end the rally.
I came out of the dugout and locked eyeballs with my daughter as I pointed at her. I couldn't see her face behind the mask, but I know she was smiling...and I know what that smile looks like...and I love it. It was a moment worth remembering, one I may never forget.
Memorial Day Weekend
This weekend, I will hit the pool, I will see family, and I will watch sports. And I will remember the fallen. And I will make a memory or two...just like the fallen would want us to.
Those additional duties began to slacken just prior to my son and I taking our annual weekend road trip to Cincinnati for a couple of Reds games.
An early Saturday evening in the outfield at Great American Ballpark.
It was the perfect opportunity to actually attend a sporting event and have something to write about in this blog, but I had no idea what to discuss with my dozens of loyal readers. I wrote about the baseball road trip last year, and the Reds stink again -- just like the last four years. There was nothing new from either of those two angles.
I spent a few days cranking out unsatisfying content -- typing, deleting, starting over -- nothing of worth for my grand return to the sports pages. After coaching my youngest daughter in softball Wednesday night, I fired up some left overs at Sowers (0.25) Acres and sat down for the NHL Eastern Conference Finals Game 7. And the previously 3-8 in playoff series finales Washington Capitals actually pulled off a 4-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals -- this is super duper big!
During these Capitals playoff games, I have been in constant communication via group text with a number of Caps fans from our local SOFA "club" -- Slightly Overweight Fathers of Alexandria. By Thursday morning, I was sending out an email imploring the group to come together at some point (or points) during the upcoming series to enjoy this opportunity en masse. Hockey fans along the Potomac have a chance to experience a unique moment together, and I want to ensure that happens for me and my community.
I know, I know, I know -- this is only sports. But I am telling you, these moments -- as a player, or a fan -- are moments to be taken in deeply and remembered. I will be adjusting my regular pattern of life over the next two weeks, and hopefully enticing others to do the same with me.
Back to the Cincinnati Trip
During our trip to Cincinnati, we left the Friday night game during the third inning. The game had started late due to rain, and the Reds were getting crushed by the Chicago Cubs. And we had an opportunity to meet with a former high school cross country teammate, now living in Cincinnati, at our hotel lounge.
My old high school cross country teammate John Dershem and I in Cincinnati.
I vividly remember the moment following our 1987 regional cross country meet in which we found out we had pulled off an upset and advanced to the semi-state meet for the next week. Nothing much was expected of us at the regional meet after we barely advanced from the sectionals the week previous. We knew we had performed poorly the week before, and we were determined to rectify that effort -- it was a moment worth remembering, one I won't soon forget.
Photo from Richmond Palladium-Item coverage of our 1988 (a year after the one discussed above) regional cross country meet. RHS runners are Jason Craig, Antonio Rodriguez, myself, John Dershem, and Karim Hamad.
Back to Coaching Softball (it was in there -- fourth graph, second sentence)
Before taking on an assistant coaching role for U10 girls softball, I committed to altering my default coaching style significantly. If you have nine young softball (or baseball) players on the field, there will most likely be about eight things being done incorrectly at any moment. It takes quite a lot of discipline on my part to stay on top of those mistakes, yet deliver "coaching" in a positive manner.
I checked in with my daughter a while back to get her assessment on how I was doing. She told me I was good -- not yelling too much, not being too hard on anybody, and definitely energetic and humorous enough to keep it fun. She also told me that she likes it when she makes a good play in the field, because we lock eyeballs, I give her a point, and we both smile. She likes that moment.
Wednesday night, our opponent had a runner on first and third with two outs, my daughter behind the plate, and our team clinging to a two-run lead. A ground ball got hit to third, and our third basemen fired the ball to my daughter who was covering home (I was honestly hoping she would have thrown to first for the easier force out). My daughter snagged the throw and applied the tag to end the rally.
I came out of the dugout and locked eyeballs with my daughter as I pointed at her. I couldn't see her face behind the mask, but I know she was smiling...and I know what that smile looks like...and I love it. It was a moment worth remembering, one I may never forget.
Memorial Day Weekend
This weekend, I will hit the pool, I will see family, and I will watch sports. And I will remember the fallen. And I will make a memory or two...just like the fallen would want us to.
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