BASEBALL IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER! SO WHY DO I MISS BASKETBALL?

Nothing compares to Baseball Season!  You can sense Spring is just around the corner. Trees begin to bud. The birds chirp a little louder and the Grass grows a little greener!  The 'Boys of Summer' trade the batting cage for the diamond, shagging balls like 'Willie Mays Hayes' in "Major League"! Yep! We are a Baseball Family.

Then why do I miss Middle School Basketball?

Experiencing a basketball game allows the spectator to get caught up in the wild cheers of the crowd, the squeak of the shoes on the court and the referee's whistle piercing the air.  Basketball is a fast paced, heart pounding spectacle where five athletes run and gun up and down the court for four intense periods of play.

Baseball, in comparison, showcases the skill of each player on the field. It's a dual between the man on the mound and the lone hitter swinging the bat. What you see is poetry as the Short Stop effortlessly dives to stop the ball...and in one, smooth motion, throws the runner out at first. You may hear the crack of the bat as the hitter takes one 'Deep' for a Home Run, or the sound of defeat as the Umpire yells,  "STRIKE" from behind the plate.

If Basketball is Rock N Roll, Baseball is Smooth Jazz.

This year was my kid's first season playing competitive basketball. He messed around with recreational leagues, but nothing compared to his middle school experience.  I knew it would be an adjustment the first time I heard the Coach correct the team's grammar. When asked a question, there were only two responses, 'Yes Sir' or 'No Sir'.  None of this, yah or nah.  The team wore ties on game day.  Bad grades were not tolerated.  The words, 'Hard Work' and 'Hustle' took on a whole new meaning. They ran for what must have felt like days, not hours.  Sit ups, push ups, weighted balls, free throws, play books, weeknights, weekends...basketball was a full time job.  On this team mediocrity was unacceptable, Coach was looking for excellence.

What I didn't know at the beginning of the season was just how excellent this group of kids would become.

I am not speaking of their season record, which was an impressive 20-5 with a 3rd Place finish in league play. I'm not referring to the 3 kids voted to the "All County Team."  I am talking about the transformation from goofy boys to excellent young men.

This team suffered a heartbreaking 41-40 season ending loss last week.  As they headed to the locker room after the game, we parents struggled for the words we would say to our sons. A few long minutes passed and we were summoned to the locker room. In the center of the room stood the boys, encircled, arm-in-arm waiting for the cheers from the locker room next door to subside.

What happened next? Coach stood in the center of the circle. One by one, he looked each boy in the eye and told him how much he loved him, how much he meant to the team and how his door, and heart, would always be open.

These boys started the season with different backgrounds and goals. They probably thought Coach worked them too hard and expected too much.  When they left the locker room that night, they knew they were brothers. They talked about next year and an eventual high school championship. Were they Disappointed? Yes. Defeated? Never!

At the start of the season, I thought the goal was a Championship.  Coach knew the goal was to make Champions. And that is exactly what he did.