Josh Beckett Makes a Kid Cry....

.....but in a good way. He's all heart.....



The follow-up interview is here. In other news, Air Bud caught the first pitch at Petco Park.

Passing Down a Love of the Game

Here's a good article from Moms Team about "Passing the Baseball Torch" from generation to generation. It's a selection from a book by Dan Clemens, called The Perfect Season.

Making the big leagues is one-in-a-million, so one of the best things we can do for our own kids and other baseball players we coach is to simply instill a love of the game, so they can enjoy it as much as we have for so many years.

How does one come to love baseball? According to Clemens, it comes from two sources:

1. From our experiences on the field. I will never have a true appreciation for ice hockey because I never played - I can't even skate (on blades or wheels). But I know what it's like to play baseball - to make solid contact, steal a base, rob a hit, strike out a batter, or just kill time in the dugout. I loved it and thrived on it. And....

2. From the people around us - the stories they tell, the lessons they've learned, the players and teams they follow, the experiences we share with them. This is not about instructing our sons to swing correctly or driving them to succeed. It's about creating good memories and being a fan of the game.

Pouting Kid Gets a Souvenir

This is too good not to post....

UPDATE.... This kid didn't even need to pout much at all, thanks to a generous young fan...

Being a Team Player.... and Parent

Here's a great article at the Hickory Husker in Indiana about the often lost concept of being a team player, and perhaps equally important, being a team parent. As we finish our All-Star season, where the "stakes" can seem pretty high, a good question to ponder is - did you attend games to support the team, or just your own child? There is a clear difference, and I have experienced each.

Myers Park 9's Are State TOC Champs

The MPTLL 9-Year-Old All-Stars won two games on Thursday to complete an improbable run and win the 9-Year-Old State Invitational Tournament of Champions. The team, managed by Arthur Morehead, also won the District 3 TOC in June. They are the first Myers Park team ever to win two banners in one year.

This completes a successful summer for our Myers Park Major and Minor League division teams. The 10's and 11's also won their District 3 TOC's, making a total of four new banners for the league this year. At the Little League Baseball level (9-12), this matches our banner total from the previous 23 years. Congrats to the 9's and all the Myers Park teams.

Tribute to Derek Jeter

On the heels of his 3,000th hit, the complete Derek Jeter experience is here, thanks to MLB.com. Whether you're a Yankee fan or not - he just might be the best role model in sports.

District 3 Tournaments Begin This Weekend

The official NC District 3 Little League Tournaments begin this Friday at various locations around the county. Three Myers Park Trinity teams won their first tournaments, and three will now try to win the District and advance to the State Tournament. Here are the schedules:

11-12-year-old District Tournament at Pineville / Myers Park.
10-11-year-old District Tournament at Myers Park.
9-10-year-old District Tournament at Mint Hill.

In addition to these District Tournaments, the 9-year-old State Invitational Tournament is being hosted by Myers Park. Good luck to all the teams.

Honoring the Troops on Independence Day

On Independence Day, here's to the men and women serving our country both at home and overseas. One MPTLL family was recently featured on Fox Charlotte about their son, Timothy Sawyer's service in Afghanistan. Timothy's brother, Stephen, played on Al Browne, and his father, Pierce, helped coached the team.