All Seasons Must End

I have started writing this blog three times. It’s hard; I have a lot to say. My mind is spinning with emotional words, my heart aches, my fingers fly across the keyboard and then I hit delete wiping out an entire paragraph of what seems insignificant when it is committed to paper. The truth is I wasn’t ready, I didn’t prepare myself, I wasn’t finished and yet I have to accept that I saw some folks who meant A LOT to me for the very last time yesterday. There are young men that I have spent the last few years with that hopefully I will be able to follow through facebook or on the internet. But I know there will be some that will drop off my communication line and I will wonder about them as time goes by and I will never really know how their lives turned out. I can only say that the games this weekend made them better men. They will make decisions based on strength they know they have because they had to dig deep, they will not feel defeated because they know what it feels like to rally back time and again, they will have confidence because they have experienced losing a game when they were truly winners and they knew it.

I can’t begin to recap the emotional ebbs and tides we felt at the games. There is no way to illustrate on paper what we saw but I know this, I witnessed one of the best games in baseball history yesterday.

Now indulge me as I write an open letter to my son (and I suggest you do the same for your son if you are lucky enough to have one on this team). I’m not sure he will ever read it but someone who reads this will tell him that on the weekend of June 5th, 2010 I have never been prouder of him and probably not for the reasons you think.

Cole,

It’s hard to know what goes on in that head of yours sometimes because you are such a silent warrior. I wish I could live there, in your brain, for one game and know what you know and how you raise yourself to the level of competition that I have never experienced. I wish I could feel what you feel one time when you come across the plate knowing that you have brought your team closer to yet another victory. This weekend I wonder if you saw the tournament slipping through the team’s hands as you grabbed your teammate and held him back when I know you yourself probably wanted to charge the other team. I wonder if you felt like you had to personally stop the outrage so we could continue the charge. I was so proud of you in that moment. Certainly people would have understood if our team had left the dugout but nothing would have been gained and you clearly knew that. And when you hit the second home run on Sunday and started around the bases there was no big celebration or showboating, you merely took the bases, held up one finger and continued your pursuit of the victory. Then the game was over and we had clearly been robbed, the team did not want to leave the dugout and shake the other team’s hand but you lead the march. The newspaper asked you today what you thought of your performance and you replied that you would have gladly gone 0-5 with 5 strike outs for the win. Oh Cole, what a man you were this weekend! I have never been so proud of you.


Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this wonderful ride.


I love and respect you more than you will ever know.


Mom

I've Never Liked Roller Coasters They Make Me Sick

I don’t even know how to begin to recap last week’s games. I mean I feel like I have been to the biggest amusement park ever and ridden the wildest roller coaster known to mankind. It was tremendous, there were moments when I thought I was going to throw up and moments when I was screaming and then there was the moment of let down when the ride was finished. Truly worth the ticket price but I wanted it to end differently. I know I can be a little selfish but at 2:30 AM on a Thursday night when my blood pressure was off the chart I’m just saying I REALLY wanted the win.

 

I wish there was a way to describe the looks on our faces when Coach Lee took Jose out of left field, brought in Jesse only to turn him into the FOURTH infielder leaving only TWO outfielders (are you still with me) after WCU loaded up the bases with no outs. I kept thinking to myself “Oh Coach Lee they are going to think you are a genius or they are going to think you are something else……and I didn’t even want to go there”. I mean I couldn’t even get my brain wrapped around what could possibly happen outside of covering the bunt when the batter slammed one straight away to left center. I hung my head and knew there was no way Cole was going to get to the ball but as crazy as it is he did AND GET THIS then he made the throw to the plate and the runner was out. FOR REAL, that really happened. I thought I was going to jump out on the field, no really, I really thought I was going to. It was the most amazing thing I have seen in college baseball. I was a crazy woman, I just kept jumping up and down screaming I love that kid, I love that kid and when I looked around everyone else was jumping up and down screaming too. So at that point we were truly on the TOP of Space Mountain we went back down to the valley a couple more times and as crazy as it sounds we ran this same play again in the 11th (I think), four infielders and two outfielders and AGAIN instead of bunting their batter hit a long fly ball to center field, (I mean really how many times can a girl go to the TOP of Space Mountain in one night and continue to live) Cole caught it and started to make the throw and guess what-no runner-they didn’t send him from third. Now that, my friends, is respect. You know how this story ends by now. The ride on Space Mountain made me a little sick and kept me up most of the night thinking about different plays and opportunities but hey it’s baseball and it is what it is and one thing was for sure Thursday night you got your money’s worth and then some. My sister tried to leave three times. Both those teams played their hearts out and for the first time ever and after almost five hours of baseball I would have been satisfied for it to end in a tie. I can’t believe I am saying those words but both teams deserved a win after that night. My hat goes off to Coach Lee for coming up with the play and having the confidence in his team to pull it off.

A huge, huge thanks for the celebration that the Cliffords hosted on Friday night. If Dave decides he doesn’t want to paddle board anymore I’m pretty sure he could open a rib shack because I would certainly be there a couple times a week. The food was awesome and the company great. It is so nice to get to know the parents and the great sense of family we have developed for this team.

So it looks like we are off to Myrtle Beach. The bracket won’t be easy, NC State first and I am sure those Coastal Chickens (I think their proper name is Chanticleer) are going to be gunning for us like never before. We need fans folks. I mean really, unlike ever before we need fans. They will be out in thousands to support Coastal and they are tough fans to contend with so please, please come to Myrtle Beach. It’s not that far. Hey maybe we can have a tailgate if we can make it work. So come on lets follows these boys all the way. You know what the name of this blog is don’t you……that’s right

COFC ON THE ROAD TO OMAHA. Well we have just started up the first road now let’s get this convoy moving (ok I too, thought that was corny)

See you at the field.

I Hope They Had the Time of Their Life

I’m not exactly sure what it cost to have our Seniors’ jerseys framed for the ceremony yesterday but without a doubt it was worth every penny. I watched as each player walked out and tried to picture where they would be in five years as the Green Day song, Time of Your Life played over and over in my head. I’m lucky enough to say that every one of those players (with one exception) has had dinner at my house. I know more about some than others but I know this about ALL of them, they made the 2010 Cougar Baseball Program a TEAM.


My son has played on teams that have had great players and we have had the discussion that baseball is a ‘team of individual athletes’ but at the end of the day it takes the whole team to win the game. You can have the long ball hitters who lead all the stats but if they aren’t willing to lay down the sac bunt are they really part of the team or are they just ego driven individuals who happen to be playing a team sport? I’ve never experienced a team ‘huddle’ and couldn’t tell you who the ‘captain’ is per se but you don’t have to hear what they are saying to know that these young men are leading the charge.

I’m not sure that any of them read this blog and it really doesn’t matter because they each hold a special place in my heart and I will always remember them and hope that our paths cross again. I wish for them great success in life. I hope they remember all the terrific people who have contributed to their career and that each of them give something back to their community. I hope they pass on their knowledge of the game and help coach another young boy someday. I hope they all find jobs they are passionate about and that they experience unconditional love. But more than anything, I ‘hope they had the time of their life’.

All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go

So this week I have felt like the girl who was left at home when everyone else went to the party. The stomach flu put me on the disabled list for Tuesday’s game at Coastal (which has always been one of my favorite games of the season). I couldn’t believe I was going to have to miss this one. I mean really, the Chanticleers were ranked 4th in the nation (what is a chanticleer anyway-some kind of chicken) and we ALWAYS rally up for the competition. It was being held at the minor league stadium in Myrtle Beach and the best I could do was feel sorry for myself and wave goodbye to Ted as he pulled out for the game. He’s a great guy and everything but even he wouldn’t miss this game to sit home with the sick wife. He made sure I had some ginger ale and then booked it down Highway 17. I proceeded to mope around until the game came on the radio. Let me say I have new found respect for the folks who have to stay home and listen to the games on the radio. I’m pretty sure if I had had to watch the bobble dolls roll around the bases I might have thrown my laptop out the window so at least I had the benefit of live audio. That said, I found it very annoying and SORELY missed Tony Ciuffo. I mean he was the best with the color commentating and statistical analysis and I’m not gonna lie he gave me a personal shout out a time or two which was awesome. I wish I could tell you my perspective of the game from the stands but I guess you’ll have to read the box scores. I can tell you we beat those chickens again and it was a beautiful thing even from where I was sitting.

Wish I could say the same for the game against Wilmington. I was home again, the commentating was much better (I listened to the broadcast from UNCW) but we gave it away in the bottom of the ninth.

I do want to give a shout out to a couple of players who seem to be peaking at exactly the right time. Jamie Holler’s bat is coming to life and has had hits at critical points in the last couple of games and Dre Watts seems to be the man of all positions right now. One game you see him at the plate and the next on the mound and he’s doing a good job at both.

Next week I intend to ATTEND the games but in the meantime here are my top ten benefits for listening to the game from the comfort of your home:

10. Food is free.

9. You don’t have to sit next to any hecklers.

8. You don’t have to ride for hours in the car.

7. You can wear your pajamas.

6. You can curse at the radio and no one will think less of you.

5. You can watch the USC vs. FL game at the same time on TV.

4. You can text endlessly with Allisyn Miller for another perspective.

3. You can go straight to bed when the game is over if you want to.

2. You won’t get sunburned.

AND the #1 benefit to watching the game from home when you have the stomach flu is………………………………………….drum roll please………………………………

1. The bathroom is just down the hall.

Southern Conference play starts next week at Joe Riley Stadium.

See you at the field.

The Cycle of Life

I don’t think Cole will ever really understand or appreciate the value of being surrounded by his family until long after his college baseball career has ended but I can certainly tell you that I realize the value and was so happy this weekend when so many of our family members came to Boone and got to witness a great CofC performance. They drove from D.C., Chattanooga and Charleston and it’s hard to describe how proud I was that Cole had a good, no great, weekend and they got to witness it. Someday he will get what that means, maybe he gets it now, I don’t know but I sure do love that our family is so supportive. I hope this ride goes all the way to Omaha because I’m pretty sure there will be a lot of people there supporting #12 and the ALL the rest of the Cougars.

I understood what ‘hitting for the cycle’ was before this weekend but I don’t think I really got how difficult that was until the whispers started in the stands that Cole just needed a homerun left to hit for the cycle this weekend. I thought to myself “just a homerun” oh no problem, I mean really?? I hate to admit I didn’t think that was going to happen. Then he stepped up to the plate and I told my sister in law who was sitting next to me that this was going to be the one. I know, it sounds a little corny but I swear I get “the feeling” and it happens. I’ve gotten it before and told the person sitting next to me (and it’s not just for Cole). I’m not ready to sign up for the psychic channel just yet but I swear I do get ‘the feeling’.

There were so many great performances this weekend that I know I can’t note all of them but these were my highlights. David Peterson, I mean really, how do you get hit three times with the ball and stay on the mound and continue to pitch a great game. What a competitor that kid is! Jose continues to knock the cover off the ball, two homeruns in one game. (I wish he had hit those against UNC on Wednesday and shut those nasty hecklers up who were sitting next to me). We turned several double plays this weekend at the hands of Jamie Holler, Joey Bergman and Greg Blake. All three of those guys played tremendous defense. It was like watching a well orchestrated dance sometimes they were so in sync. And I have to give a shout out to Coach Lee for defending our team against our rude opponent at one point. I have just enough red neck in me to appreciate the puffed up chest and verbal challenge when it’s for the right reason.

I am starting to get this nagging feeling in the back of my mind and, ok, in my heart too about the end of the season. People keep talking about needing to get the 40th win and how many more opportunities we have to accomplish it and every time I think oh no, the season is almost over. This has truly been a great year for our “fan family”. We have made some wonderful friends and as much as I’d like to believe we will stay in touch I know I’ve been down this road before and rarely talk to folks that I spent years with in hotels and at baseball fields. So, I hope we make this season last as long as possible and maybe, just maybe, all my family can come to Omaha.

Mothers, Wins and Autographs

There really is a part of me that wants to be everyone’s mom. Ask the people I work with, they’ll tell you I mother them when they are hurting, I mother them when I think they are misbehaving and then I let them know that someone loves them when they are in need, the most important mothering skill of all. This weekend when the moms were told we were going out on the field with our sons I didn’t immediately think, ‘this is going to be awesome for me’. Instead, I thought this is going to be very tough for some of these guys and I can only imagine how their moms will feel when they hear about it. Don’t get me wrong I still think it was a great idea and I truly felt honored by it. I just wanted every boy to have a mama there on Sunday. I knew this was a great chance for Cole to honor his grandmothers and it meant so much to them to be able to stand down there and be so proud of ‘their boy’. I adopted Greg Blake and Ryan Daniels for the day since their moms couldn’t be here but when I turned back after the anthem and saw all the boys sitting in the dugout I just wanted to run over there and wrap my arms around each of them and just be their mom for that one brief moment. I know there was no doubt their moms love them and wish they could be here, I just didn’t want them to sit alone. I know, I know, we moms worry about this kind of stuff way more than our boys do, but let the record show if you ever need a surrogate mom I’m your gal.

So we moved right from the emotional feeling of wanting to be the “all mom” to watching the mom with it ‘all’ on her plate. There they were, The Shieder Family walking slowly out to the mound as fast as little Mack’s legs could carry him, he got his baseball and let it rip (okay it kind of dribbled out of his hand) but he knew what he was doing. He was throwing out the first pitch-really did it matter how far it went-there wasn’t a batter yet. He scooped it up and did it again. I took a quick look around because I didn’t have my BIG sunglasses on and I was at risk of major rivers running down my cheeks without them. It looked like I was in good company because my sister was just one pitch away from going in to the big ugly cry. I’m telling you I’ve seen a lot of moving things in my life but by golly (did I really say that) I think this one took the cake. That little boy, who wasn’t walking a couple of months ago, who got out of MUSC on Wednesday from major chemotherapy, who had a mask on his face, marched right up there to get the job done. I never saw a greater pitch, ever. My life changed Sunday because of Mack Shieder. He has courage beyond comparison, his parents have strength that is immeasurable, and the family is surrounded by love that is unbound. This young family can teach us so much. I am holding them up now as my example to live by and learn from. I thank them for allowing us this glimpse in to their lives and am happy that baseball could do some small thing to make one of their days better. Maybe more will come from this but if it doesn’t a lot of people saw the best pitch of their lifetime.

I want to give a HUGE shout out to Ryan Johnson who had his jersey hung on the wall of fame on Saturday. I have known Ryan for a long time. I knew he played for The College and I knew he was a very good pitcher but I sure didn’t know he was one of the greatest to ever wear a Cougar uniform. He’s a modest guy; he works hard now for the Town of Mt. Pleasant teaching young boys about baseball so he’s come full circle and that is a wonderful thing. I’m glad to call such a great guy my friend and proud that the College acknowledged him.

Oh those mighty Cougars how they roared this weekend. Friday night was beautiful. We went ahead early and although we gave up the lead we charged back and sealed the deal. Rodriguez was truly the man of the night at the plate and I would say Owen Brittle was the man on the mound. I think it takes a very special mindset to be a closer and I’m sure glad my son isn’t one because I would have to leave the stadium. Owen looks like he loves the challenge and God bless him for it. Kevin Decker had a very nice outing on Saturday night as we put another win in the record books. Sunday the story had a different ending and The Citadel won but I’ve got to give a big shout out to Joey Bergman for his major league play at second to hold the runners-it was phenomenal. My highlight moment of all the games this weekend was after game two when I had to run down on the field to tell one of the marketing guys something and looked over in the dugout and there was a pile of young boys surrounding Jose Rodriguez waiting for him to sign their hats. Now that, my friends, is a great thing. He was patiently signing away and those young boys thought they were sitting at the feet of a giant and that’s why I love baseball.

We're packing up to head to UNC on Wednesday (after we play USC Upstate tomorrow) and then on to App State for our last SoCon series of the season.  I can't believe how it has blown by.  I have so many memories from this year and am so glad that I have committed some of them to paper but I am sure there will be a future blog all about that. 

Until then,

See you at the field.

Baseball is Big-Life is Bigger

So the best laid plans don’t always work out and this weekend was a perfect example. We headed up to Davidson, planned on watching the Cougars take all three games, hang out with all our baseball friends, possibly grab a nice dinner and then get home Sunday evening in time to throw in some laundry and get ready for the week.

Instead we saw two games and spent Saturday in the emergency room trying to quiet an infection that flared up in Ted’s hand. While I paced around impatiently and simultaneously apologized to Ted (for being so impatient) and stressing to the nurses that we didn’t have all afternoon to spend at the hospital I realized further how hard it is to be someone’s caregiver and confined to a hospital.

Ted asked me what I was going to blog about this weekend on our drive home and I told him I really hadn’t had time to think about it because my mind was consumed with his getting well. I am pretty sure he will see a hand specialist tomorrow and we will get on a path of recovery but it made me think about the Shieder family and little Mack and how it must feel to be his mom and dad. I can’t help but think their minds are ALWAYS consumed with their little boy’s well being. The day of mindless playing must be the exception rather than the standard for this family. They have to be consumed with the next chemotherapy treatment, his blood counts, and whether they are exposing him to something that will be difficult for him to fight off. There must not be the routine “let’s go out and play” that our boys have experienced. I was shown again this weekend that baseball is big but life is bigger.

Next weekend is a big weekend for the Cougars. We play The Citadel. It is always a huge match up and you NEVER know who is going to win it but you can always be sure there will be a crowd. It’s going to be an even bigger weekend because we are going to be “At Bat for Mack”. The team will take bp in a shirt for Mack to raise awareness and money for this little boy and his family. Please come out to the field on Sunday (or all weekend for that matter) buy a t-shirt or a wristband or just make a donation to help make this family’s life a little easier. Sunday is Mother’s Day, celebrate your mom and take a few minutes to think about what it must be to be Mack’s mom and celebrate Laura Shieder because not only will she celebrate being a mother she will be celebrating her little boy’s second birthday. So see, baseball is big but life is truly bigger. I love the game and I love it even more when we can do something great because of the game.

The College swept Davidson this weekend and we had lots of heroes. Please go to the CofCsports.com website and read the game notes.

See you at the field.