Joe hit the sports trifecta this weekend. Basketball Saturday morning, followed by a baseball scrimmage at Ensworth High School Saturday afternoon. On Sunday, he played two Armada soccer games in the rain against the 2013 red and blue teams.
As Thomas was out of town, I coached Joe's basketball team in the 10 a.m. game at West End Middle School. I love old school gyms and for sure, it's one of those. For once, Joe's team - the Bucket Squad - had eight players, so we opened up playing full court, man-to-man, partly because I thought it would get the boys into the game early. I think my plan worked for the most part, as the boys played with energy and emotion from the opening tip.
I've been on Joe to shoot the basketball more and to play offense with confidence. He was more aggressive offensively in this game and scored eight points. The highlight of the game, for me, was when Nash drew a charge in the second half. That brought our bench to its feet, including coaches. I loved it. The other team was not very good, as indicated by the final score (40-13).
Saturday afternoon, the rain held off for the most part, so Joe's HBC baseball team was able to get in a scrimmage at Ensworth High School. Jude took Joe after his ICEE preparation class. I left a little early to pick him up, so I was able to watch a couple of innings.
The big field is tough for Joe and many of his teammates, which is to be expected. Joe hit a ball hard the last time at bat and grounded into a double play. As much as Joe loves baseball, he's got to get stronger iff he's going to keep playing in middle school and beyond. That's especially true if he's going to be a smaller kid, which appears to be the case.
Joe's attitude on the field is always great. In baseball, as in basketball, he's the ultimate glue guy. Encouraging his teammates, blocking for a pitcher warming up in right field during the game, hustling on and off the field. In the end, though, he's got to produce at the plate and develop more arm strength. That's the bottom line.
Yesterday, Joe's Armada team played two scrimmage games at Father Ryan High School in near constant rain. I drew the short straw, so to speak, and drove Joe there for the 11:45 a.m. start. Actually, I was comfortable as I sat in my camping chair, rocking and listening to Widespread Panic, shielded from the rain by my giant golf umbrella. I had jogging pants on and the rain jacket I bought last December in Portland, so I was good to go.
The boys won both games handily, as they should have, since their opponents were a year younger. It was fun watching Joe play in the field and handle the ball more, even at forward, since he's normally in goal. It will be interesting to see how much Joe plays in the State League games this spring, when his team probably will go with one goalie. He and Liam are fairly even in skills to my uneducated eye.
I cherish these busy sports weekends with Joe, in part because I know they're so fleeting. With middle school rapidly approaching, the days of running around all weekend to various recreational and club sporting events are numbered.
It was a good weekend. Youth sports, a lot of reading, college football, treadmill runs, and family time.
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