Jude was out of town this weekend, in New Orleans, for a Tulane reunion. I was glad she went because it's not often she gets to see her friends - people like Jeff, Blake, and Terry - and they're all so special to her.
Too, I love weekends alone with the boys, when we figure it out, so to speak. Or "Guytown," as we used to call it. It's cool to spend extended time with them alone.
This weekend was a crazy one, however, as basketball began for Joe and he also had a soccer tournament - in Clarksville, of all places. JP had a fall baseball tournament at Shelby Park. The pace was frenetic all weekend and it began with the spaghetti supper and homecoming at MBA Friday night. A huge MBA win over Baylor, by the way.
Saturday morning, we were up early to watch Joe play basketball at JT Moore against the CPA team that's beaten his team pretty decisively the last few years. Fortunately, their big man - "Baby Shaq" the boys call him - wasn't there, so the teams were more evenly matched.
Joe's shot wasn't falling but what I loved - and I mean loved - about his game is that he worked hard and did all of the little things well. The winning things that a basketball team needs someone to do if it's going to have success. He rebounded. He played great, smart defense, tying several players up for held balls. His turnovers were down. As he usually does, he passed the ball extremely well.
Like his brother, Joe has a good sense of court awareness. He sees the floor well and gets the ball to his teammates in a position for them to score, no easy task for a 10 year old.
Late in the game, Joe's team was up by one point with a minute or so remaining. Coach Thomas called a press after a made basket that gave them the lead. Joe intercepted a pass in the backcourt, drove to the basket on a 2 on 1 fast break and when the defender committed to him, slipped a perfect pass to Asher for a wide open layup. A winning basketball play that put his team up by three points.
As the CPA team prepared to inbound the ball, Joe channeled his best Grayson Murphy, and turned his back like he was going to head back up court. The boy inbounding the ball threw a lazy pass and, suddenly, Joe reversed direction and jumped in between three players to intercept the ball. As the parents cheered - including me, of course - Joe dribbled up the baseline, turned a launched a 10-foot jumper from the baseline. Although the angle was tough - slightly behind the edge of the background - he arched his jump shot and it hit nothing but net.
Ball game. "Damn!" I said, giving my friend, Oliver, a high five. "Reggie Miller!" Oliver said, with a tip of the cap to Miller's eight point outburst in nine seconds in the waning seconds to beat the Knicks in the Garden in playoff game in 1995. I nodded my head and laughed.
Joe Miller.
Later Saturday and again Sunday, I watched JP play baseball with his new travel team, Harris Baseball Club. It's a good group of boys, I think, and I'm glad he's playing with them. This fall, they're playing three tournaments as 15-16 year olds, combining rosters with the 15's and 16's because not all of the boys are playing baseball. I've enjoyed watching Brian Harris interact with the boys and coach them during games.
JP's HBC team rallied Saturday night at Mickey Hiter field in Shelby Park to win 6 - 5. JP made the last out, playing shortstop, when he backhanded a sharply hit ball in the hole between shortstop and third base, then forced a runner at second. It wasn't an easy play but JP made it look routine. A solid play in a big moment. I was proud of him.
Sunday morning on the Old Timer's Field, the boys won again, easily, 5 - 2, before losing a heartbreaker, late, to Twitty City, 6 - 5. JP came in to pitch in a high leverage situation in the finale, giving up a 2-run double to a hitter with runners on second and third after Aidan P. struggled with is control and gave up two or three runs. JP got out of the inning, then pitched the next inning, which is where he rally stood out.
JP struck out two batters - looking - with his curve ball and had all four hitters he faced off balance. Aidan P. dropped a pop fly after JP fooled their second batter with a two strike - you guessed it - curve ball. Suddenly, the curve ball is a real weapon for JP. It's funny to watch batters walk bag to the dugout, muttering to themselves, after watching a curve ball for a third strike.
JP has developed confidence in his curve ball this fall. Such confidence, in fact, that he threw it a couple of times last weekend with a 3 - 2 count, which takes courage and, really, balls of brass, to throw it in that situation.
It's almost a 12 o'clock to 6 o'clock curve. Considerably slower than his fastball with a big sweeping break, or curve. The ball starts out in a high plane, then the bottom falls out as it approaches the plate and curves into the strike zone. Just like Dodgers' veteran and future Hall of Fame, Clayton Kershaw.
JP Kershaw.
A weekend full of sports. The boys went 6 - 1. Joe won his baseball game and three soccer games (combines score of 26 - 0). JP's baseball team was 2 - 1.
Now, that's a full lid, to be sure.
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