The Nationals

And just like that it was over.

Joe's brief run with Coach Troy and the Nationals for a short spring baseball season closed with a loss to the Braves, 6-5, in the WNSL end of season tournament last weekend.  The last 4 games of the season were decided by one run.  An 18-17 win, a 4-3 loss, a 2-1 win, and a 6-5 loss.  

I was proud of Joe for how he pitched in the Braves' game.  Joe came on in relief - after Emmett and Ram - and retired all seven batters he faced, striking out three of the first four.  His control was great, which has not been the case as of late.  Joe has struggled uncharacteristically on the mound this spring, so it was nice to see him finish strong and have something to build on as he moves into all-stars and June baseball.

Several of Joe's teammates will move in to Prep baseball one the big field, as they're turning 13 years of age in the near future.  Eli, James, Jack, Bryce.  All good boys. 

A quick word about Eli, a player I quickly grew to admire this season.  Versatile, tough, very coachable.  A winner.  Excellent shortstop with great instincts.  An absolute animal as a pitcher.  Tough as nails.  He finished the Padres off in the Nationals' 2-1 win in between throwing up in the dugout after eating Hardees chicken tenders before the game.  (Insert Hardees' joke here.). I'd like to have had the opportunity to coach Eli, as I like his makeup.  He has that something.  Actually, he reminds a little bit of JP.  Quiet, determined, confident on the baseball field.

It was a blessing, for sure, to land with Coach Troy and the Nationals, and for Joe to be able to play with original Junior Dodgers Trey, George, Ram, and Nico.  During a recent game when Eli was pitching, I realized the entire infield was Junior Dodgers, all 11 year olds in an 11-12 year old league.  Trey at third base, Joe at shortstop, Ram and second base, and Nico at first base.  It made be proud to see that.  Very proud.  

It worked out well for Coach Troy and for our boys, too.  Troy had unexpectedly lost several of his players  before the season started, so I was able to land my guys as a group on a ready made team with a handful of players that had played together in past seasons.  It took some work on my part combined with dumb luck, but it happened.  

While it sucked for a variety of reasons to be left by Oliver Davis - formerly a close friend - without a baseball team to play with a week and a half before the spring baseball season started, the parents of my boys were pleased with the way the season unfolded.  Our boys were ready for 11-12 year old baseball.  Real baseball.  More than one parent mentioned to me how glad they were we weren't spending another season playing with inexperienced players against cupcake teams.  Baseball players develop, physically and emotionally, by playing against a higher level of competition.  The struggle is what make them tougher and, in the end, better baseball players.  

Winning games in a 9-10 year old league against opposing pitchers who can't throw strikes while at least two of your players' voices already have changed isn't my idea of good competition.  Some parents, like Oliver, choose the easy road for their boys.  They coddle them.  In sports and in life.  That's not any way.  To each his own, I guess.

Judging from JP's success and the success of his Dodgers teammates - Wes, Benton, Porter, Jonathan, and Elijah - I'm pretty confident my Dodgers' coaches and I did it the right way.  All of those boys were contributors to their middle school or freshman/junior varsity baseball teams this season.  All of those boys initially took their lumps when we moved them up, early, to the next age group in WNSL baseball.  They were stronger because of the struggles, though, and then won a state championship when they were 11 years old, too.     

As I've written, it was different for me to watch Joe and his teammates play baseball and not to be coaching.  A different vantage point, to be sure.  I suspect I will be back out on the field coaching Joe in the fall in one capacity or another.  

It was fun watching the parents of the Nationals' boys grow closer as then season progressed.  The players quickly bonded, too.  Joe is the kind of kid that manages to fit in wherever he is on whatever team his is playing for at the moment.  He's a natural leader.  Confident, charismatic, funny, and kind.  Always a good teammate and always coachable.  

It will be interesting to see what the baseball future holds for this group of boys.