Three years ago, Joe joined the Scott McRae and the WNSL Braves for the June all-star tournaments. Immediately, it was a good fit for Joe. Great coaches in Scott and Mark Erdman, great teammates, and families with whom we fit in well. That first June, everyone made Joe feel welcome, he contributed, and it was a great experience for him. I have a photo of Joe, after the Braves won the Donelson Tuneup Tournament that year, smiling proudly and wearing his championship ring.
Our decision to return a day early from Cooperstown so Joe could play with the Braves' all-stars in this year's Donelson Tuneup Tournament paid off yesterday, as the boys won the tournament for the third season in a row. Another championship ring for Joe to add to his collection.
The boys played tough on Saturday, tying a good Mount Juliet team, 3 - 3, in a game they easily could have won. Franklin beat them 6 - 4 in the second game of pool play, again in a game they could and maybe should have won. Joe pitched well, played flawlessly at shortstop and second base, and got a couple of knocks in the game against Franklin. For seeding purposes after pool play, however, the Braves ended up 5 out of 6 teams, which meant they played the 8 a.m. game on Sunday morning vs. East Nashville.
I unwound Saturday night, late, with a bourbon, as I fondly recalled the week Joe and I spent in Cooperstown and our travels to get there and to return home. Joe's great company and a top notch traveling companion. He slept throughout both legs of the flight home Saturday morning, Albany to Orlando, and Orlando to Nashville. It was nice to he back in Nashville, although our turnaround at the house was slightly more than an hour before we were on the road to Donelson.
Sunday morning, the boys struggled early against East Nashville. They were flat and got flatter as the game continued, as Scott aptly noted. East Nashville ran out of pitching in the later innings, however, and the Braves put them away rather easily in the end.
Next up, the younger of two Mount Juliet teams, who somehow wound up as the #1 seed. That game was a laugher, as Joe and his teammates pounded the younger, and smaller, Grizzlies, and eased into the tournament finals with plenty of pitching left. As it turned out, the tournament draw was favorable to the Braves because the older Mount Juliet team faced off against Franklin again. Mount Juliet raced to an early lead and held on for an 11 - 7 win. That set up the championship game, WNSL Braves vs. Mount Juliet Grizzlies.
Mount Juliet had three or four big boys, bigger than anyone on our team. They saved one of their horses to pitch. We did the same, however, as Harper took the mound to start the game. I coached first base, as I had throughout the game.
Mount Juliet's crowd - and it's players in the dugout - were loud throughout the game. Obnoxiously loud, if I am being honest. Walk up music blaring. A mother with a vuvuzela like horn that never stopped making noise. The players in the dugout were razzing Harper on the mound while he pitched, so much so that their first base coach - a really good guy - apologized to me for their behavior. Fortunately, our boys were unfazed by the Grizzlies' antics and just played baseball. Damn good baseball.
The Braves jumped to an early 2 - 0 lead after Joe and Lucas - a huge addition for Saturday afternoon's game - got on base with hits and were driven home in short order. We scored two more runs as Daniel and Bennett scored from third on passed balls. I knew we were in good shape with the Grizzlies' head coach started screaming at a his players. That's never a good thing to do if you want 11 and 12 year old baseball players to stay in the game, mentally and emotionally.
Harper pitched three shutout innings but began to tire after getting a couple of outs in the top of the fourth inning. The Grizzlies knocked him for three runs to slice the Braves lead in half, 6 - 3. He had thrown, roughly, 75 pitches. Scott walked to the mound, joined by the Braves' infielders, and quickly gave the ball to Joe. Perhaps I should say that Joe demanded the baseball because that's what happened.
Runners on first and second, Joe on the mound, the smallest of any of the pitchers for either team in the championship game. He had the biggest, er, heart though, and he went to work. Joe throws strikes and throws to contact, just like JP, and the first batter got base hit to center field. Stephen made the play of the tournament - maybe the play of his life - and charged the ball, then threw a perfect one bounce strike to Daniel to nail the runner in a close play at home. As the runner slid, Daniel gather the ball in and tagged him, hard, right in the face. Out at home!
As the umpire told me afterwards, "that's just a damn baseball play." It sure was.
A word about Daniel McRae. In many ways, he reminds me of Matthew Moore at 11 or 12. Both are great defensive catchers. Daniel may have a little more lively of an arm but it's close. He threw out four or five runners trying to steal during the tournament. Daniel is more athletic and has more speed. Both are good hitters, although Matthew was slightly more consistent at that age. Both leaders. I'm proud to coach Daniel.
Joe was humming in the fifth inning and quickly dispatched the Grizzlies. He got a base hit in the bottom of the fifth, then stole second and third base. The play at third base was close and the Grizzlies' coaches complained but he umpires ruled Joe safe after a brief conference. Joe and Lucas scored when Daniel ripped a two strike single past the shortstop with the infield in. 8 - 3, Braves, heading into the bottom of the sixth inning.
The Grizzlies players were really worked up during their last at bat, yelling and screaming at Joe as he pitched. With two outs, they got really, really loud. Standing next to Scott in front of our dugout, I shook my head, smiled, and said, "they're doing the wrong thing to the wrong guy. All Joe is going to do is throw harder."
And that's exactly what he did, strike two looking on a fastball. Then, as the yelling from the Grizzles' dugout reached a crescendo, Joe fired a fastball right down Main Street. Strike three, swinging! The batter never had a chance.
Fired up, Joe stalked off the mound toward our first base dugout. No excessive celebrating. No fist pumping. No pointing at the Mount Juliet dugout. Just a whole helluva lot of confidence in that walk. Lucas, running in from shortstop, got to Joe first, and lifted him into the air. The other Braves arrived and quickly surrounded Joe, pounding each other in jubilation.
Threepeat in Donelson.
I am so proud of Joe. Heart and soul of this team and, really, any team he plays on in any sport. Goalie in soccer and team captain. Point guard in basketball. Baseball in his hands on the mound with game on the line in baseball. The ultimate glue guy.
As I drove home, listening to Tom Petty and Mudcrutch ("Lover of the Bayou"), the western part of the sky began to clear during the last rain shower of the day. The sunset was beautiful. I admired it as I approached the Wedgewood exit on I65 South. My day was made perfect when I saw a spectacular rainbow in the sky. My sign of good luck and one of my favorite things in the world.
What a day to be a father!
No comments:
Post a Comment