Hats Off

Today was the last t-ball game, or should I say love-fest in honor of Coach Dave. I guess I can't really say enough how beloved he is by all of the kids on the team (and their parents), although those of us who know him can certainly understand why. Throughout this season he has been totally dedicated, thoughtful, encouraging, lighthearted, fair, and approachable -- all the things you would want in your kid's t-ball coach. The kids are even talking about requesting to be together on Dave's team next year. I'm not surprised, really, but I'm extremely pleased to see him so happy and natural in a role -- and I'm tickled to see so many other people appreciate him for all that he does. One dad asked Dave how much time he spent on coach stuff each week, beyond the one hour practice and the one hour game. Dave thought about it and estimated that it was about another hour, but I know it's more than that. I've seen him poring over batting lineups and practice drills, and doing countless other things to get the kids more playing time and exposure to high-quality baseball. I'm especially glad that Dave's parents were able to be there to watch him in action today and see the team give him a nice thank-you gift after the game.

What's that? You're getting tired of me rattling on and on about Dave? Well here's one funny thing about the end of the season: Dave got an official league baseball for each kid and had them all autograph the balls for one another as an end-of-season present. But unbeknownst to him, the trophies that the boys got from the league turned out to be in the shape of a golden baseball glove - into which the ball fit perfectly. So each boy took home an autographed ball, nested neatly into the glove of the trophy.

What's that again? You're tired of me burying the lead? Oh yeah, Luke got his cast off yesterday. The x-rays show that the bone is still cracked but the doc was satisfied with all of the new bone tissue that had grown around it. Luke is not allowed to bike or skateboard for another week, but otherwise he's good to go. It was a real treat to see him get up to bat and play in the final game -- and even though his arm wasn't quite as strong as it was eight weeks ago, he still did a fine job and everyone in the stands was cheering for him.

Tonight we all (our little family, that is) went into the hot tub together for the first time in two months. We love being in the pool, but I guess it was just a little solidarity thing with Luke while he had his non-waterproof cast on that none of us went in the pool. But tonight we were more than ready to celebrate a cast-free lifestyle. Let the summer begin!