80's on the 28th......little league and cup checks

Due to rain and sickness I finally got to see my youngest son's 1st little league game of the year. Considering he only had 2 practices he did great going 3 for 3. It is machine pitch so they at least get nice consistent balls to hit but for a 7 yr old wearing a nut cup nothing on the field comes easy. I remember those days of constantly having to adjust yourself not too mention actually testing to see if it worked. I saw him over there banging a baseball on his crotch to make sure it worked...at least he hasn't taken the next step and used a bat or even worse used a bat to cup check someone else. It'll happen guaranteed...it's one of those boyhood facts of life possibly even a right of passage. Cool thing is our little league here uses actual MLB team names and he has played for the Cubs 2 years in a row now so that's a bonus for me being the cursed fan that I am. Now granted they're still sponsored by local businesses but nothing can compare to the teams I played on as a kid........

Auen Distributing

The Elks

But sad to say that unlike his oldest brother who I used to fire off heaters to before supper knowing he could catch anything when he was his age or with his other brother who I'd make switch hit because 1. he could and 2. it made him concentrate and he would actually swing smoother and make much better contact I  just haven't tossed the rawhide around much with him much. The pigskin yes but mostly we've become a soccer family and Zack has grown up on the fields with me coaching both his brother's teams in both the spring and fall and now his. Cole and Luke have decided soccer is their game and both excel in it. I had always swore off coaching especially football because I knew I'd take it too serious and the kids would end up hating me. But after some persuasion...me persuading my brother for a crash course in soccer and to help me coach that 1st year I've now logged over 30 different teams. I did coach football 1 season and  it was a blast breaking them down and teaching technique and some of the finer points they had no clue about because their old coach was more concerned with his son being quarterback even though he couldn't throw the football. Sometimes I catch myself becoming that coach I don't like but I generally keep it in check and just try to encourage my teams to have fun and to play the game the right way and because they like it and not just because their parents do.