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Thursday, May 9, 2024

Game 38 - There Was a Phillies Game?

1967 Dexter Press Philadelphia Phillies #11
Blue Jays 5
Phillies 3
Game 38 - Wednesday Afternoon, May 8th in Philadelphia
Record - 26-12, 1st Place, 2 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies' seven-game winning streak came to an end, as the Blue Jays defeated Aaron Nola and a quiet Phillies offense by a score of 5-3.

What It Means:  I caught maybe an inning of this game on the radio as I drove to our oldest son's high school baseball game on Wednesday afternoon.  He's having a relatively successful season and we're proud of the work he's put in to get to where he is.  It's been a daily challenge though as we've navigated both real and perceived slights, extremely questionable coaching decisions and an overall lack of any kind of positivity or joy that should come from playing baseball.  

I'm coming to learn one of a parent's biggest challenges is attempting to cope with the feeling of helplessness that comes when you sense your kid isn't getting a fair opportunity to do something he loves to do.  There's a small degree of comfort knowing I'm not alone in this feeling, as the other baseball parents we talk to have e-mailed or confronted the team's coach to complain about his lack of communication, lack of caring and overall lack of productive coaching.  The most bonding the team has done revolves around the required skill of them having to avoid a clipboard or a helmet when it's thrown by this coach at least a few times a game.  That's not great.

Still, our son doesn't want any confrontations from us on his behalf and he's focused on putting in the work, even if it's not recognized this year (or next).  We've been asked by him not to complain.  Partly because he's smart enough to realize it ultimately won't help as he's got another year of high school to go and partly because he's opted to take the high road knowing his high school baseball coach is going to be a minor character in his life's story.  His memory banks are filled with coaches who have been a huge, positive impact on him and there's really no reason to remember the guy who occasionally grunts in his direction.  I've told him he's learning how not to coach when he eventually has the opportunity, and he's loading up on stories to one day tell his future players about what he endured and how he dealt with it.  He's wise beyond his years sometimes and I've reached that juncture in life where I'm having life lessons learned and reinforced by watching him.

What Happened:  Oh, there was a Phillies game?

Featured Card:  Tony Taylor approves of working hard but having fun while playing baseball.

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