Coaching Middle School...

For all my readers: I've been off the computer the last few weeks. I know, what a shocker!

I've come out of retirement and I have a job (at least thru the middle of May, that is). I'm coaching middle school girls' softball. Oh, have times changed. I'm not sure who is learning more, me or them! The girls are awesome, would you believe there is 44 of them! After three weeks of practice, I now have three teams -- one A team and two B teams. Luckily, I have an assistant coach to oversee the two B teams. As for the A team, they are unbelievable. Of the 13 girls on the A team, nine of them have plenty of "club experience" and I'm anxious to see how we do in our nine-game schedule.

Many of the girls have already advised me that we will have our hands full with a couple of opponents. Our goal is to make the playoffs -- a one day affair on May 15 with the top four teams in the league going at it.

I must admit, I already have a favorite player. She's a real dynamo! She's maybe four feet, six inches tall. She catches. She pitches. And she plays infield (although it is hard to see her at second base). She reminds me of Billy, in my fiction novel, Billy's Victory -- the story of an 11-year-old boy who leads his Little League team to the championship. She has a great attitude and she is in sixth grade and will be a starter on the team, a team dominated by eighth graders. Our first A game gets underway April 6.

Can't wait.

Middle School Update (April, the 6th)-- Girls win! Girls win! My A team scored four runs in the bottom of the first and added two more in the third as they rolled to a 6-2 win this afternoon. One down and eight to go.