Well I could not be any more proud today to be a coach of the next generation of Warren High School baseball players! After a solid 7-1 start in pool play, we cruised through our first tourney game Sunday evening. Last night we showed up to play the 6 seed in our first game. I really felt despite beating them by mercy rule in the first game, we did not see their best. So I put a little pep in our boys steps before the game and let them know these kids were out for revenge and in order to get avenge our only lose, we had to have a win. Little fuggers came out and stomped a mudhole in their asses and walked it dry with a 15-0 win in 3 innings. They had one runner get to third and one to second. We saw 11 batters total and they only recorded 1 out on us in 3 innings. With the win, we advanced to the championship game against the "best" team in the tourney, with the chance to get them back for that 1 run loss on Sunday.
Before the game I had a little chat with the boys and explained to them the magnitude of the situation. "No one wants you to win this tournament. They don't think you can win it, or deserve to win it. This team already beat you and if that doesn't make you mad and drive you to leave it all on the field in a few minutes, then you are not a ball player. I need ball players, not kids who play baseball in this game. Give me 100% like you have been and we'll leave with trophies tonight..."
Our first batter of the game is a kid destine for D1 ball and he slapped a shot to third, then got gunned out and the tears were flowing as soon as his hit the bag. He was so amp'd to start the game off he couldn't help himself. We went 1-2-3 in that inning and were looking a little flat. We gave up one run in the first and they came off the field like deflated balloons, so I called a huddle again. I usually leave the ass chewings to the other two coaches and play the "cool coach" rule since I'm not a dad. But these kids have taken a liking to me and I felt it was time to show some fire, so I got them in the huddle and lit a fire in their ass. Next thing you know, we are 5-1, then 7-1, and then 10-3 going in to the 5th. We took the field in the bottom of the 6th with a 17-7 advantage, gave up a couple well earned runs and won it 17-9.
I coach with twice the fire I play with and that is saying something. I had an absolute blast coaching these boys in this tournament. They didn't play perfect ball, but it was as close to it as you are going to get from 7-8-9 year olds! I coach from the field as well as coaching first base when we hit and I was moving kids around last night with each new batter. No less than 3 times last night, I moved someone in to perfect position to make a play. Now that I have been doing that with them, I see a couple of them doing it on their own and that really makes me happy! Our SS and 2nd move paid off HUGE last night also! But I was most proud of two boys from our regular season team, my second cousin Jakob and aholdren's boy Austin. They played SS and 1st in regular season and are now our left and left-center outfields. (Austin also catches when he is not in LC.) Both of them played a great outfield last night and Austin did well behind the plate. They both hit well also. If you can keep both boys in the game, they are good ball players and they came to play last night!!!
