Pirates Win!

 AJ had one of those little league seasons that builds character.  It was the first year of kid pitch, and this made the pace of the games slow down considerably compared to last year as batters faced pitchers who had never pitched before.  There were balls rolling in the dirt, balls flying overhead and the occasional ball that hit the batter, on accident, at least, at this level.

The group of boys on the team was wonderful.   They were full of fun and so endearing that they were very easy to cheer for.  AJ skipped a grade last fall, but due to the birthday cut offs for little league, he plays "down" with his old buddies from second grade.  These are the kids he grew up with from preschool on, so they hold a special place in my heart as we watch them get older.

The Pirates were 0-10 going into their last game of the season.  The hits were few and far between, and in several games the Pirates did not score any runs.  It was a good lesson for AJ in perseverance.  By about mid-way through the season he was pretty down and wanting to quit, saying "we are terrible.  It's no fun."  I talked with him about how some seasons, some jobs, some experiences in life are like that and you just have to show up and keep trying your best.

The last game of the season we were not expecting a win.  Then suddenly we strung together three hits in the top of the third (the last inning due to the time limit when games move so slow with kid pitch).  The dug out went wild.  And somehow we managed to hold them off for another half inning, making defensive plays that had not been made all season.  Pirates for the win!

The season was celebrated by a team outing to Dairy Queen.  One of these things is not like the other--notice that little orange Giant who sneaked onto the team bench for ice cream?