Top 10 at NXR!

Yesterday, JP ran a 15:15 at NXR in Cary, NC, finished in 9th place overall.  Given the strength of the field - the best runners from 12 states in the Southeast - and the time he posted, it's probably his best race of the season.  He didn't qualify for NXN in Portland, OR, as only the top 5 runners do but that notwithstanding, it was a awesome race.  It was a race I think he needed, too, from a confidence standpoint. 

Jude was there to see it in person, as I stayed here with Joe, who had a basketball game early Saturday morning and Rory's bar mitzvah and party later on Saturday.  Today, Joe has confirmation class at St. Henry's.

I was able to watch the live results of the race on the NXR website, which posted splits at two different points on the race before the finish.  At then first split, which looked like slightly over a mile, JP was in 49th place.  I was disappointed until I looked at the split times and realized everyone was still bunched very closely together.  Less than 10 seconds separated the leaders from where JP was running, as near as I could tell.

When the second splits were posted, I couldn't find JP.  My heart dropped, as I thought he might have dropped out for some reason.  I kept refreshing the feed and trying to no avail to locate among the long list of runners.  At one point, I called Jude, who confirmed JP was still in the race and nearing the end.

I looked again, as finishing times began to post.  Suddenly, there JP was, 9th place at 15:15!  A top ten finish at NXR!  Last year, he ran 15:38, so 15:15 was an improvement of more than 20 seconds.  That's what I'm talking about!

I did a little research online, too, and as far as I can tell, JP set the MBA recored at NXR.  Last, Jack Wallace finished in 15:17, so JP beat his time by two seconds.  I'm pretty sure it's the fastest NXR time in school history.  

I knew JP would be excited because his goal and been to finish in the top 20.  I all honesty, I wanted him to aim higher because I thought if he ran well, he could run under 15:20.  It's a tough, two lap course, too, with a big hill at the end of the race, so 15:15 is an outstanding run to be sure.  

When Jude handed him her cell to talk to me, I told him he finished in the top 10 and he shouted, "YES!"  I smiled as we talked and he told me about the race.  He said per the plan, he ran the first part half for the race fairly conservatively then, on the last flat stretch before the final hill, he started passing runners.  He thought he had passed as many as 20 runners before he got to the hill.  As he approached the finish line, he was spent and one kid nipped him for 8th place.  

JP executed a great race plan and finished on empty.  What more can you ask?  

Later in the afternoon, Jude and JP drove over to Winston-Salem, NC, so JP could tour Wake Forest University.  Ella Allen is in school there, as are several MBA graduates.  I'll be curious to see how the visit  went, as JP continues his whirlwind college tour.

JP races at Running Lanes in Huntsville, AL, in two weeks.  It's the finale of the cross country running season on a course he's run twice.  Running Lanes, last December, and the Southern Showcase, earlier this year.  I think he can run a sub-15, which would be awesome.

JP and Gabe Guillamondegui, post-race.  JP finished 9th and Gabe finished 25th.  Strong showing for the Big Red.

Starting line.

Wake Forest vist.

Growing

This morning, I dropped Joe off early at MBA so he could eat breakfast and school and go to Catholic Club.  As he walked away from my truck, loaded down with two backpacks loaded with books and basketball gear - one in front and one in back in the style of all middle school and high school boys - I was struck by how fast he's growing up.  

Joe seems to be finding his way at MBA.  It's hard, I know.  November has always seemed to be the toughest month for JP at school.  It's likely that way for Joe, too.  The first semester is drawing to a close and they're staring down the barrel of mid-year exams, which are a big part of their first semester grades.  It's a lot of work to get ready for exams.  It's a lot of pressure, too.  I see that and I hate it for them but it's just part of it.

As we discussed last night in one of my patented "man-to-man" conversations, this is a tough road but one that Joe chose for himself.  It doesn't help to complain about it.  Better to buckle down, do the work as best he can, and look forward to most of December off from school.  

Pretty quickly, Joe has gone from our happy go lucky pre-teen to a hard working, hard studying middle school student at MBA.  Childhood for him is over for all intents and purposes.  It's a difficult but necessary transition on the way to adulthood.  That being said, I sure do miss the days for Joe of youthful, childlike innocence.  

What's really cool, though, is to be able to talk with Joe about music, movies, sports, politics, books, or life in a way I might talk to a friend or peer.  He has opinions.  Well thought out opinions and I love to hear them.  He's so smart, so verbal, and so articulate.  I love that about him.  

It's a give and take, I know.  As childhood recedes into the background of my memories, my relationship with Joe will deepen in ways that will make it stronger longer lasting.  So much in life if fleeting.  Childhood.  Time.  

Relationship endure.  

Contentment

It strikes me that true contentment is the rarest of human emotions.  It's like a precious metal.  So hard to find, especially when you're actively pursuing it.  Instead, you find it when you least expect it.  It's in short supply but it's so very valuable.  Priceless, even.

I'm always striving . . . for something.  Professional success.  Financial security.  Physical fitness.  Knowledge.  More business.  A more productive, efficient law practice and office.  Health.  More time.  A good night's sleep.  All of it.

It's exhausting, sometimes.  All of the striving.  

I guess that's why, for me, it's so special when I because of fate or serendipity, I find a moment of contentment.  It's pure.  Fleeting.  Magical while it lasts.

Yesterday, I had a long day in Court in Nashville.  A lot of back and forth.  A lot of negotiating.  A possible hearing.  A satisfying day to be sure but a long one, at the end of another long week at work.  I had something late in the afternoon in Franklin that canceled, so I found myself done with my day, and my week, at 3:30 p.m. or so.  I drove to 12South and, still in coat and tie, I just . . . walked.  Sure, I made a few calls for work but, mostly, I just walked, people watched, and marveled at how much our neighborhood has changed.  There were people everywhere getting a head start on the weekend.

I checked in with Jude.  She was trying to finish an e-mail for work, then go pick up Joe from soccer practice.  I offered to grab him so she wouldn't be so rushed trying to finish up the work day.  As I drove over to MBA, windows down on a beautiful fall early evening, listening to Neil Young's Dreamin' Man Live 1992, a feeling of contentment began to wash over me.  

Joe's soccer practice ran 30 + minutes late, which, strangely, was perfect for me.  I sat in my truck, listening to Neil Young, and felt . . . content.  The work week was over.  The weekend was here.  JP was on the way home after cross country practice and soon, enough, Joe would hop in my truck and tell my about his day.  Jude was home finishing up work for the week.  The boys were going, together, to the MBA-Brentwood Academy TSSAA playoff game, and Jude I would have the night off.

A little wile later, after the boys had left and Jude was out running a couple of errands, I poured myself a bourbon - Calumet Farms 15, of course - and sat out on the back deck in my camping chair, in the middle of the fallen leaves.  It smelled like fall, as I sat in the darkness and sipped my bourbon.  It was a damn near perfect moment interrupted only when my cell rang as one of my best friends, Doug Brown, called to check in.  Having a few minutes to talk with Doug and his wife, Sally, only heightened my enjoyment of the moment.  My feeling of contentment.

Those are the moments I look for all year long.  Sometimes they're few and far between or hard to find.  Still, they're out there, waiting on me.

Bucket Squad

Saturday morning, after MBA Junior School basketball tryouts, Joe had a WNSL basketball game at J.T. Moore with his Bucket Squad teammates.  This particular group of boys - coached by our dear friend, Thomas McDaniel, has played basketball together for several years.  Fall leagues.  Winter leagues.  Summer leagues.  3-on-3 tournaments.  WNSL's March Madness tournament.  All of it.

The core players - Joe, Pike, Cole, Nash - have played together, well, forever.  At age 13 and with middle school and club basketball looming, their days playing together are numbered, which makes me more than a little sad and nostalgic.  

They have improved so much and play together so well as a team.  They trust each other on the basketball court, which allows them to play unselfish basketball.  They share the ball so well.  Joe always has been a good and willing passer.  As the boys have gotten older, though, and matured, Pike, Nash, and Cole have become more adept as finding the open man.  

When the boys on the Bucket Squad are firing on all cylinders - and they certainly were on Saturday - it's a beautiful thing to watch.  They are able to beat bigger, more individually skilled basketball teams Joe and his teammates play team basketball.  Each player has a role and fulfills it willingly and unselfishly.  It doesn't matter to them who scores or who gets the credit.  Each player celebrates the others' successes on the basketball court.

Joe is the facilitator.  Selfless.  Almost always makes the right pass.  Plays tough defense.  Always puts his body on someone to box them out for a rebound, even though he's often at a height disadvantage.  The smartest player on the court at all times.  Intense and excitable.  

Pike is the scorer.  Instant offense.  3-point range with a myriad of moves to get to the rim.  The quiet assassin.  His offensive game and range, at this point, are the best on the team.  He's starting to see the court more completely and to pass the basketball with more skill.

Nash is the enforcer.  The most physical player, by far.  He's also the most dangerous scorer because he's got a quick first step and gets to the rim for layup after layup.  He's the best rebounder, too.  As his handle has improved, he's perfected the ability to take a rebound on the defensive end and go coast to coast for a layup in traffic.  No fear.  Always plays with a smile on his face.  Also, by far, the player most likely to get T'd up by a referee, usually because he's laughing at a call with which he disagrees.

Cole is the biggest, tallest boy.  He's starting to play more aggressively, to rebound the basketball, and to drive to the rim against smaller players.  Still a little to emotional, he's prone to getting down on himself, but that's improving as he matures.  In some ways, he's the bellwether for this team.  When he's happy and playing well, it adds a whole dimension to this team.  He can drive but he can stick and outside shot, too.  

Rex is always the wild card.  He's the best athlete of the group.  When he's interested and motivated - usually when I've placed a cash bounty on rebounds like I did Saturday - he has the ability to take this team to another level.  His defense can be outstanding due to his athleticism.  He's deceptively long, so he can rebound, too.  His quickness allows him to get to the rim and his athleticism allows him to finish, too.  If he's motivated - and that's a big if - he's a difference maker.

Austin's game has improved tremendously.  Probably the sweetest, nicest boy on the team, he's got a bit of a mean streak in the paint, which I love.  He's a good rebounder, is staring to shoot the ball with more confidence, and even took a couple of 3-pointers on Saturday.  Just a great kid all the way around.

In Saturday's game, the boys got down early, 16 - 7, then went on an unprecedented run to win by more almost 40 points.  The passing was tremendous.  They pushed the basketball after every defensive rebound and even after made baskets.  They hit some 3-pointers but also made a ton of layups.  Joe had 10 points and played very well.

The other team's best player picked us his fourth foul early in the second half when he came over Rex's back on a rebound and threw him to the ground.  After his coach pulled him, he kicked a chair on the bench, drew a technical foul, then threw the chair into the stands before he was escorted from the gym.  Crazy.  

It's been quite a ride watching the Bucket Squad all these years.  I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts.    

JP finished third in the state (TSSAA DII) yesterday at Shelby Farms Park in Memphis, behind Drew Beroset (15:03) and Marshall McConville (15:25).  Overall, JP's time (15:32) was the sixth fastest.  Beroset's time was the fastest overall, as he edged out Clevleland HS's Owen Clemons (15:06), who won the AAA race in a deal with Asher Oates (15:14) from Independence HS.   

It its return to Memphis for the first time since 1969, the state cross country meet was run on a course that was deceptively difficult, I thought.  As I walked the course before the race, I was surprised to discover so many rolling hills and switchbacks.   Two laps over relatively hilly terrain prevented any runner from breaking 15:00.  

As it turns out, I think JP was at a bit of a disadvantage against Beroset and McConville, because they had run the course a couple of weeks ago at the Frank Horton "Night" Classic.  That's not an excuse, as no one in the state was going to beat Drew Beroset yesterday - he was that strong.  Still, it would have been nice for JP to have raced the course in the past so he could have had a better idea of how to approach it yesterday.

Incidentally, I met Drew Beroset's parents and Marshall McConville's parents during and after the race.  Very, very nice people.  I was able to convince JP to let me snap a picture of him with Marshall before the awards ceremony.  He seems like a fine young man.  His times have improved tremendously from last year, when he placed 16th in the state.  As I told his father, Marshall's improvement is a testament to how hard he worked in the offseason.  Hard work and dedication pay off in cross country.  Always.

I didn't fully realize it until I talked with Austin Weaver last night but Beroset set a blistering pace from the beginning of the race.  In fact, Beroset, McConville, and JP quickly broke away from the rest of the runners and it was clear that the winner would come from their group of three.  Austin pointed out that the three of them ran the first mile at a 4:30 pace.  Beroset completed the first half of the race in 7:32, which is absolutely smoking.  McConville and JP were right behind him at the halfway point.  

It was clear to me that unless something strange happened, Beroset was going to win the race.  While JP was five to 10 yards behind McConville at the 2.0 mile mark, he looked to be measuring him up.  I thought he might be waiting to make a move.  However, at 2.5 miles, I could see that JP wasn't going to be able to catch him.  I was concerned that with that realization, JP might take his foot off the gas mentally and allow the fourth and fifth place runners to challenge him.  That didn't happen, however, as JP finished as strongly as he has in a race I've watched this season to capture third place.  

I jogged over to the finish line to find JP immediately after the race.  He was staggering a bit, trying to stay on his feet.  When he saw me, he motioned me over.  He threw his arm around my shoulder and we walked away from the finish line as he mumbled incoherently.  After a few minutes of walking, he came back to himself.  We walked back to the MBA tent, as we discussed the race.  

What I was the most proud of, I think, is that without question, JP finished on empty yesterday.  He had nothing left at the end of the race, which has to be a satisfying feeling for him.  As I told him after the race, it would have taken his best race to win yesterday.  He ran a good race but not his best race.  That's the way it is in cross country.  

I'm not ready to write about the cross country season yet.  I'll do that later.  Also, JP is running at NXR in Cary, NC, in two weeks.  To end the season, he'll run at Running Lane in Huntsville, AL.  So, while the school season is over, his season is not.

I was proud of JP as I watched him recognized at the awards ceremony for finishing third in the state.  Seeing him on the podium with Drew Beroset and Marshall McConville was cool.  He's accomplished a lot running cross country at MBA for three years.  A 3-time All State runner.  Co-Captain, with Jack McDaniel as a junior.  Still, I think there's more to come.  A lot more.

Pre-race routine.

Coaches Tom Cirillo, Win Basset, and Roderick Russ.  Dedication personified.  

The three amigos.

JP and Jack "McDavid" McDaniels.  2025 co-captains.

The 2025 MBA varsity cross country team.

The Cali hat only comes out after the big races.

Proud parents.  

Walking in Memphis

It's just past 7 a.m. and I'm sitting at The Hub, a coffee shop inside of a church (the Mission) walking distance from our hotel.  A little bit of an odd setup but convenient this morning, for sure.  I can always find coffee.

In less than three hours, JP will run for a state championship.  I haven't seen that the boys are seeded, like they were last year, but based on each runner's best times for the season, I would place him third or fourth.  All four of the fasted runners are within 10 to 12 seconds of each other however, so it seems to be that anything could happen.  Whoever runs his best race of the season will win the state championship in my estimation.  

It's 57 degrees and will be 70 degrees or so at race time at 10 a.m., so the heat should not be a factor.  It's a bit overcast, though, and as of yesterday, there was a 30% chance of rain today.  My thought is that rain would favor JP, particularly since he ran on such a wet, muddy course at NXN in Portland, OR, two years ago.  That's just a guess, though.  Either way, as Coach Russ says, "it's a good day to run."

I think JP is ready.  I hope he isn't running this race with the idea that there's always next year, when he's a senior.  There is no next year.  There is only today.  I want him to be in moment.  To lay it all on the line and to give his all to win this race.  To compete.  To be willing to suffer.  To be willing to hurt.  To want more than anything to win.  Today.  

There is no next year.  There is only today.

I think he can win today but only if he's willing to go to the place he went to when he led wire-to-wire in 104 degree heat at USN's river campus when he won his first cross country race as a 7th grader.  When he finished the race, he had run so hard he couldn't see or talk for five to 10 minutes after the race.  I put a wet towel around his neck and, as he leaned on me for support, we walked around near the finish line until he came back to me.  

As I wrote at the time, that was the day the beast was born.  I knew, then - knew for certain - that he had something special.  Something within himself that would allow him to succeed in this grueling sport if he chose to pursue it. 

To win, today, JP needs to summon the beast again.  To surrender to him.  He needs to be want to return to that place, again, where there is no one but him, the pounding of his heart, and running.  That's the secret. 

I can't go there with him, not anymore.  But I can be there waiting on him when he returns.  And I will be.

State (2025)!

JP and the rest of the MBA cross country team leave campus at midday today and drive to Memphis for tomorrow's state championship cross country meet at Shelby Farms Park.  The boys run tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. in the first race of the day.  

Several of the smaller school division run today, so it will be interesting to see what kind of times the boys are posting.  I know nothing about the course, nor does JP, as MBA hasn't ever run at Shelby Farms - at least not that I'm aware of - so tomorrow's race will be more of an adventure than normal.  For reasons known only to them, the TSSAA decided to move the state championship race to Memphis this year.  This of course, inconveniences every family who doesn't happen to live in Memphis, particularly those in East Tennessee.  Go figure.

The boys are planning on driving straight to the Shelby Farms Park this afternoon to get a look at the course and, hopefully, to run it.  I hope they arrive in time for that, as racing for the state championship on a course with which you're not familiar isn't ideal.  T'hat being said, I think most of the other top runners - McConville and Beroset - haven't run it either, so they will be in the same boat.  

It's hard to believe that as a junior, this is JP's second to last cross country state championship race.  It seems like yesterday that he was racing at Sanders Ferry as a freshman with Samuel Trumble, Mitchell Chaffin, and Jack Wallace.  Now, he's a junior and here we are.  Tomorrow, he'll race with Gabe Guillamondegui, Wynn Humphrey, and Jack McDaniel.  The long red line of MBA cross country runners continues!

I'm proud of JP, Gabe, and all of their teammates.  They've been training hard since the summer.  So much work, dedication, and discipline.  So much togetherness which, in the end, is what it's all about to me.  I think, and hope, that these boys have built bonds that will last a lifetime.  

I was a little wistful thinking about it as I dropped JP and Joe off at MBA this morning, the first time all school year that I've taken them both to school.  

Roll Red!

 

Fall Classic!

For better or worse, my mom passed on her love of sports to me.  In fact, some of my fondest memories as a child are going to Vanderbilt basketball games with her.  I've never known a woman who loved sports - all sports, really - more than her.  One of the things I missed the most after her memory began to fade before she died was not being able to call her and talk about the Titans, the Predators, etc.  

It's only natural, I guess, that my boys have inherited my love of sports.  That very same love of sports that I inherited from my mom.  It's like an unbroken circle of which my mom, my boys, and I are all a part.

What means the most to me, though, is that JP's and Joe's hearts bleed Dodger blue, just like mine.  The boys have been blessed, for sure, to grow up in an era when the Dodgers have been competitive and in the mix every year.  12 division titles and five pennants since 2013.  And I've been blessed to be able share my love of the Dodgers with them during a period of sustained success that is almost unprecedented in baseball's modern era.

Of all the Dodgers' baseball games the three of us have watched together, last night's game probably tops them all.  Game seven of the World Series in Toronto.  A World Series in which the Dodgers were heavily favored and appeared poised to win handily after winning a Game three on Freddie Freeman walkout home run in the 18th inning.  a game I finished watching, alone, at 2 a.m. on a night when I had to go to Court the next morning - only to have the Blue Jay win the next two games in Los Angeles to send the Series back to Toronto with the Dodgers down, 3 - 2.

The Dodgers won Game 6 behind another sterling outing from Yoshinobu Yamamoto to force a game seven, the most exciting thing in sports.  

As JP watched upstairs with Martha Grey and I sat with Joe on the couch in the den, all appeared to be lost with one out in the ninth inning, the Dodgers down 4 - 3.  On a full count, Miguel Rojas hit one of the most unlikely - and timely - home runs in World Series history when Jeff Hoffman hung a slider.  Rojas jumped on the pitch and hit it into the left field stands.  What I'll always remember is Joe and jumping around the room while JP screamed and yelled upstairs.  It was an indelible moment that I'll remember forever.

After throwing 96 pitches last night, Yoshi took the ball, again, with the Dodgers in trouble in the bottom of the ninth and miraculous got out of the inning.  Heroically, he stayed on the mound for the next two innings and was the winning pitcher after Will Smith's two out home run in the top of the eleventh inning held up to give the Dodgers a stunning 5 - 4 win and their ninth World Series title.

When Alejandro Kirk grounded into a game-ending doubler play - Mookie Betts stepped on second base on a broken bat ground ball up the middle and threw to Freddie Freeman at first base - it was complete pandemonium at our house.  JP and Martha Grey ran downstairs as Joe and I yelled, hugged, and danced around the den.  It was sheer ecstasy, the kind that only a true sports fan can understand.  Just when all seems lost, your team rallies and give you a moment that you'll never forget.  

It was a moment the Dodgers will never forget either.

Kike Hernandez, the heart and sole of the 2025 Dodgers.

Someday, I know, JP and Joe will tell their children about the 2025 World Series.  I think they'll smile and, hopefully, think of me as they're watching Dodgers baseball games, someday, with their children.