It's game day, and I think I'm about as excited as the kids are. I slip on a pair of khakis and the green coach’s polo I was issued for game day. Running my fingers through my hair, I slip my ball cap on and head out to the living room where DJ is pacing nervously. "What's wrong, kid?"
"A little nervous I guess." He runs his hands down his white pants. I never understood why they have them wear white pants. They're a pain in the ass to keep clean and yet we expect them all to show up looking their best.
"Listen to me." DJ stops pacing and exhales a deep breath. "This is little league. There's no need to be nervous. You're a great pitcher, and you have an amazing team behind you."
He shakes his head. "You know if Ethan and his boy start pulling their crap, we’re done."
"I’ll deal with Ethan and his friend. I’m really hoping now that Vincent is around more Ethan will pull his head out of his…” My words trail off, realizing what about to say. “Well, let’s just say I’m hoping he’ll be better.” He exhales another breath and nods. “Go get your stuff, it’s almost time to go.”
He runs past his mother to his room. "Is he okay?"
"Yeah, a little game day nerves that's all. He'll be fine. He just needs to get this first game out of the way."
She nods and takes a step closer. "You're looking good, Coach." She runs her fingers through my beard and I lower my face, pressing my lips to hers.
"Really, guys? My stomach is already a mess," DJ teases, and we both laugh.
I wrap my arm around his shoulders and pull him into a headlock. "Let's go, you." I give him a noogie, and Stella ushers us out the door.
When we pull up to the field, other parents and players from our team are starting to gather around, and I’m thrilled. The last thing we need on opening day is for players to be late. The younger kids are on the field now. They're losing, but they look really cute out there. The score is only two to nothing and they're up to bat, so they still have time to score. "Awww look, baby. They're too cute," Stella gushes.
"I know, right." I love this game. It's great to watch no matter what age is playing.
"Trystan, the other team is arriving." DJ pulls my attention from the game.
"Okay, let's pull everyone together for our picture and then we’ll start warm-ups." We gather on the bleachers by an empty field. I let the photographer know that we're all here. He lines us up and snaps our picture as a team and then does each kid individually. We finish up just as the kids on the field are wrapping up. There's a lot of energy going here, and it's an amazing feeling. The kids are anxious to take the field and get to warming up.
"Briggs, I'm going to have you on first and, Vincent, you on third." I notice that Rick, Billy, and Jack and his family are in the stands ready to watch our game. I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face. Billy is starting to look good.
"You got it, man." Briggs slaps me on the back.
"Let's get out there and warm up, boys." They take the field and begin tossing the ball around while DJ takes the mound to warm up his arm with Mason. Vincent organizes half the team and Briggs works with the other half while I watch DJ and Mason.
The other team is gathering, and they’ve started to stretch and get ready. I exhale a deep breath and call my team back in so they can have some time as well. “Bring it in, boys.”
They all hustle back into the dugout, and I begin my speech about how this is a game and we are here to have fun. “Remember, boys. I say all the time this is supposed to be fun, but you are at the age now where games count and there are playoffs. If you work together you can make it there, but you have to be a team and you have to refuse to lose.” I chuckle. “My coach used to say that to us all the time, and it stuck. Play your positions, and we can go far. Now I've posted the batting order on the wall. Make sure you know your order and be ready to go. You all know your place in the field." The umpire comes over to ask us if we’re ready to go, and I let him know we are. Since we are the home team we take the field first.
The kids run over to check the order. "Coach?" Ethan calls to me in a questioning tone when he sees his spot.
"Show me you can handle it."
He chuckles. "Thanks, Coach."
The umpire calls the coaches over to talk to us. We all shake hands. He tells our opposing team, the Bears, to get the team ready to bat and we take the field. DJ is back on the mound, and he's gently tossing the ball around to Mason to keep his arm warm. When their first batter is ready, he steps up. I give DJ a nod of support, and he throws his first pitch. It's a ball. "It's okay, DJ, you got this," I call over to encourage him.
He lets out a deep breath and throws the next pitch. “Strike one,” the umpire screams out. DJ smiles and continues to do his thing, striking the kids out. He has a great arm, and if he can stay healthy he can go far. The second batter manages to get on base, but they throw him out at second when the next batter hits a line drive. "Way to go, boys. One more." DJ strikes out the third batter, and just like that, we're up at bat.
Mason is up first. He takes the plate and gets on first. Noah is next, but he strikes out. Next up is Ethan. "Okay, Ethan, keep your eye on the ball." He swings at the first pitch and misses. He steps out of the box, takes a deep breath, and steps back in. His father encourages him from third. The next pitch is thrown, and it's right on the mark. He swings and nails it into the outfield. The boys take off running as fast as they can. The ball is thrown in from the outfield, but it's too late. Mason has scored, and Ethan is on third. "Way to go, boys." Ryan and DJ both strike out, but we're up by one. The boys are encouraging, cheering each other on as they take the field for the next inning.
The game is moving along nicely, but it's a close game. We're winning, but only by two and they have two guys on base with only one out in the seventh inning. DJ has pitched the entire game because his pitch count has been low until this inning, and I think it's time to take him out. I call timeout and head to the mound. "Getting tired, buddy?" He shakes his head. "I think you are, but you got this. Finish this inning off strong." He nods, and I take my place back at the dugout to watch him throw his next pitch. The kid pops it up in between Ethan and Noah. Noah shouts that he’s got it, but Ethan’s not listening and continues to go for it. Noah shouts again, “I got it.” They crash into each other, and the ball drops. Ethan’s pissed, so he throws the ball wild putting it way out of Mason’s reach. Both boys score tying the game. Now they have another player on second. I shake my head. I can’t believe what I just saw, they’ve played a great game until this point. “Sam, warm up.” He stands near the dugout and tosses the ball lightly with Briggs.
The next batter goes up and DJ pitches a strike, but in the meantime, Ethan’s in the field pissed off and growling at Noah. I can’t hear what he’s saying, but I can only imagine. “Pull him,” Vincent says, pulling me from my thoughts.
“I don’t know what to do.” I let out a deep breath as DJ strikes the kids out. We need one more to pull out of here with a tie game. “Timeout,” I call to the umpire who puts his arm up and stops DJ from throwing the pitch. I wave Sam over and run out to the mound, and Mason joins us. “Awesome game, bud, but I’m pulling you. I can see you’re tired.” He nods but looks disappointed.
“Nice game,” Sam encourages him.
“Yeah, D. You did awesome.”
“Thanks, guys.” DJ and I walk off the field. We can hear Stella screaming for her son, and it makes DJ chuckle. “Just a heads up. She’s going to be like that at every game.”
I chuckle. “That’s what we call a Hockey mom.” He looks at me, confused. “She’s loud and proud, buddy.” He laughs and takes a seat.
The remainder of the game is an absolute disaster making me wish I had pulled Ethan. It’s the last inning of the game, and he just bumped Noah out of the way so he could try to catch the ball and again he dropped it. One is hit to Colton, who also drops it because he’s yelling he has it, but the ball really isn’t in his area of the field.
We end up losing the game seven to four. The entire team is now sulking as they walk through telling the other team ‘good game’.
“Everyone join me by the shed please.” The boys gather their equipment and slowly walk over to the shed we’re about to rebuild. At this point, I’m really hoping this project helps because if not, I have no idea what will pull these kids together. I note the parents are also gathering behind us, and I can see the disappointment on their faces. It’s never fun to lose, but it’s worse when you lose because you’re not playing like a team. “Wow, you boys started that game off so strong. I was really proud of you.” I pause, letting that sink in. “Then you fell apart.”
“That’s because Ethan’s a ball hog!” Noah shouts out, giving him the evil eye.
“Screw you. If I knew you and Landon could catch the damn ball, Colton and I wouldn’t have to cover so many positions.”
“Both of you cut it out, right now. This is a team game and you know what, Ethan, even if you’re better at catching than Landon, who cares. How is he going to learn if you don’t give him the chance to do it? He has to get game experience and I’m going to tell you, you’re not better a player than he is and that’s because you’re too busy showing off.”
He starts to talk back, but his father stops him. “Don’t even. Twice Noah shouted he had the ball and it was in his area of the field, and you tried to snag it from him. Let him play his position and you play yours.” Ethan crosses his arms, pissed that his father doesn’t defend him.
“You boys have a good team, but you have to be a team.” I sigh. “Ethan, do you remember what you said to me outside my house the very first day we met.”
“Yeah,” he replies with attitude.
“You were wrong, and if you give me the chance I’ll prove it to you.”
“How?”
“Play your position and your position only.”
He shakes his head with a cocky grin. “Fine, because it will only prove to you that I’m right.”
I shake my head. “Hands in, boys.” I put my hand out and everyone puts there’s on top of mine. “On three...Refuse to lose.”
Our hands bounce in the circle as we count and the entire team shouts, “Refuse to lose.”
“Who's ready for some pizza?” The team cheers. I turn to the parents. “Thank you all for being here today. It's opening day, and it's always exciting for the kids to be cheered on by their parents. I'm heading to the pizza parlor up the street. Pizza's on me, and I hope you can all join me.” I note that Landon’s mom is here today, and it puts a bit of a smile on my face. I hadn’t realized it until this moment, but I went to school with her. I knew her name sounded familiar, but I’m better with faces than I am with names.
When we’re climbing into the truck Stella says, "I got to talk to Daisy while we were at the field. She seems nice.”
“I’m pretty sure I went to school with her. I hadn’t realized that until I just saw her, but I recognize her face.” I start the truck. “She was nice then, but I don’t know her story now.”
“She seems shy. She didn’t really say too much other than she’s usually not home from work early enough to get Landon to practice. She said she appreciated you picking him up.”
I nod. “I don’t mind. Like I said, I wish my coach cared that much.”
“We told her she was now a part of the mom squad with Lori, Haddie, Stacey, Misty, Karen, and I."
I laugh. "The mom squad?" I question.
"That's so cheesy, Mom," DJ pipes in from the backseat.
"Cheesy or not, Lori’s son came up with it and it's stuck." We pull up to the pizza parlor with a line of cars following us. I hurry in because I don't want anyone to pay for lunch today. I go to the counter and order a bunch of pizzas telling them to mix it up between cheese, sausage, pepperoni, and veggie. The team comes walking in as I'm getting plates from the man at the counter. Stella directs everyone to the corner so we don't take over the entire place. It's hard not to though because the place is not that big.
I make note that Colton and Ethan are sitting on the end almost by themselves while the rest of the team is at the corner section of the pizza parlor. They’re mumbling something and I’m trying hard to listen, but I can’t quite hear what they’re saying. “Colton, where’s your mom today?” I want her to know what’s going on with these two.
He shrugs. “She couldn’t be here so I came with Ethan.”
I nod, but say nothing more and go back to conversing with the adults, still keeping an eye on the two of them. Briggs comes over and asks, “What’s up with them?” and he nods in their direction.
“I don’t know, but I’m planning on having a conversation with Colton’s mom.” The ladies all burst into a fit of laughter, pulling us from our conversation.
Misty, Haddie, Stella, Lori, Stacey and Daisy are all laughing so hard tears are running down their faces. “What’s so funny?” Billy asks, walking over with Rick and Jack.
“Hey, guys. Have some pizza.” I hug my boys and notice that JJ and Rachael aren’t here. “Where’s the family?” I ask him.
“Home, that’s why we're late to the party. I had to drop them off, JJ was tired and needed a nap.”
“Thanks for coming to the game.”
“No, problem, but it looks like you could use some help.” Billy nods toward the two loners.
“Ha, yeah. You down.”
He nods. “I’m down.”
“Boys, we have another coach joining us. This is Billy.” A smile spreads across Stella’s face. She knows how big this is. She excuses herself and comes over to hug the guys. She whispers something to Billy, and though I can’t catch it I do hear him tell her he’s trying. We may have lost our game, but that right there is the win of the day.