"Hitting Machine"

The evening came to an end with a usual our pizza from our dear friends’ restaurant. Everything continues to come together and the evening was very quiet. We talked about watching a movie but this never came to pass as we were busy doing other things and really the family room is not exactly conducive to watching a movie. We are still without any furniture in the room other than the beat up recliner and glider. These are very sufficient now and my television viewing has decreased tremendously since the conclusion of the Olympics. I did watch a little of the Democratic National Convention which made for some good television.

I am forced to “sit on the sidelines” this presidential election which could be a good thing for me. I don’t know who I would vote for and realistically I don’t know if I could pull the lever for either candidate. My political leanings are more left than right but I try to go for the best candidate regardless of the party affiliation. I see flaws in both candidates and do believe the next four years will be a challenge for either candidate. I won’t go into my political views on either candidate because that would be even more boring than a normal post!!! I will keep my opinion to myself.

I was awake early this morning and off to the gym for an 18 mile run. I am about half way through the training regime and today marked one of the longer runs to date. I had to get to the gym with enough time to get back home in time for my son’s baseball practice. My timing was very good and my run was just as good. I felt great the whole way and an idea about my new position popped into my head while I was running. It is amazing where these things come from because I wasn’t necessarily thinking about the new position yet the idea simply appeared. This is one of those ideas where it probably needed to occur yesterday since it was tied to a conversation I had yesterday. However; all is not lost because I really like the idea and somewhere down the road I will be able to use it.

The run was over and I came home to pick up my son for his baseball practice. My wife would be joining us this morning as well because one of our friends was at the ball field with their son and they wanted to talk. The practice went well and once again I was on the field helping out. There were about half as many boys due to the holiday weekend but this did not deter those in attendance to make the best of the practice.

I was watching my son and I am not sure if baseball is his optimum sport. My son likes to be in motion and today I watched as he fielded his position. Of all the boys on his team he seemed to be the one who was most ready. My son was always on his toes and baseball is a game of patience since some positions don’t see any action. My son thrives on action which is why he seems to excel at soccer. He is constantly running towards the ball in soccer but in baseball he needs to be more stationary. I think he would be better served playing soccer in the spring time which once again presents a conflict. All of these sports run together with baseball overlapping with soccer in the fall and spring. I also believe my son would be very good at football but my wife is hesitant to make this leap with good reason.

Yes, my son was in constant motion at the practice and when it came his turn at bat he didn’t fare so well. There are many moving parts to his swing which causes him to miss the ball. There is nothing that won’t be cured without practice and we will practice his batting. He only hit two balls out of the ten and those two balls were fouled off. I think his eyesight is fine and it does come down to more practice. He didn’t seem down at all after his batting session and moved right back on the field. He does have a wonderful attitude and as long as he is doing something he is a very happy boy.

My son’s baseball practice concluded and we headed home for a few hours before my daughter’s softball practice would commence. The children just relaxed and I puttered around the house for a few hours. Now it was time for my daughter’s practice and off we went again. This is pretty much what it will be like for the near future and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I missed this activity for two years and hopefully there won’t be any complaints from me. I enjoy watching my children and this afternoon my daughter was a “hitting machine”. My daughter’s softball coach is wonderful and has the girls in constant motion. Today was devoted to hitting and each girl took their turn for a lengthy batting session.

My daughter was one of the last girls to hit and I was simply amazed as to how well she hit the ball. I lost track as to how many hits she got but I do know she only missed the ball once. The first pitch from the pitching machine was returned right back up the middle and hit the pitching machine. My daughter was in a “zone” and couldn’t miss the ball. She hit everything pitched and her hits were up the middle, to the left and to the right.

This little girl had it “going on” and took a huge step in her softball prowess. I could hear the coaches saying, “We got another hitter.” Yes, she was hitting the ball great and when her batting session was over the parents in attendance gave her a huge ovation. Everyone noticed how well she hit the ball and she was grinning from ear to ear. Now I know who to turn to for hitting instruction for my son!!! Seriously, it was an amazing display of hitting and she was truly the “hitting machine”!!!!!