Finding Happiness and Peace.

(Left to Right)
Top Row: Zack, Gabrielle, Contal, Luke
Bottom Row: Vondri, Arthur, Cami, Xavier

Hey guys. Thanks for the comments. Just gonna jump right into it...

Past couple have days have pretty much drug on...the weather has been shitty and so is the general mood of not only me but the club as well.

Wednesday. So I guess it is assumed that I am the Minimes coach now because the fucker named Sebastian has yet to show up for their practices, leaving the kids with no coach. I get calls the day before either by him or Chris saying that there will be no one there. I have said this atleast everyday I have been here...

What would happen if I was not here?

There is no way I am going to let these little kids sitting at the field with no coach so I am glad to do it, but the lack of structure is starting to kinda get to me. So I had a ball with the kids as usual. They never fail to make me smile. It is a breath of fresh air. They feel like they can say anything to me in French like I am one of them. I find comfort in that. They just think that I know what they are saying and keep rambling. With the older guys/kids, they make fun of my French attempts (which is expected, I know) but it gets old. I'm trying with them. I don't have to try with the little ones. I haven't been with them long enough to see improvements but I hope I am making a little impact on their carefree lives nonetheless.




Cami and Vondri

Earlier in the day, after the Minime practice, Chris and I were walking up the field (our practice was on a practice soccer field) and we saw some kids who were not affiliated with the program fucking around on the field. It wasn't a big deal, but I walked up with Chris and he told them that they needed to put our equiptment down and hang out somewhere else. All was cool, and they left no problem.

Next I had the Cadet practice. So I ran them through their drills but I wanted to focus on hitting more today. I lined them all up in the outfield with bats in their hands. Now if you were just a passing Frenchman, you probably think that some American kid is running a zen-hitting exercise. These are the drills that I picked up during my college years. What helps is that I am absolutely crushing the ball and they can see I know what the hell I am doing. They all mimic my moves and I can see them incorporate them in Bp. Now let me tell you about Sam...



When I first showed up at the gym in BG to start coaching, I so this beanpole of a kid with some raw talent but I didn't think it was going to be enough. His swing was awful, his arm motion was subpar, and he could not field a hard hit groundball.

Now...

If you saw Sam play...you would think he is a different person. I take pride in the fact that EVERYONE is saying how much better Sam has gotten. He has a better arm, fields ball pretty cleanly, and has a pretty damn mean swing. He really sponges what I say. I reward his progress by always taking a little extra time before and after practice to work with him. Not only do the younger Cadet kids ask for some personal lessons but the N1 guys genuinly want my advice.

After their practice and some personal pitching basics with Dimitri and Marc, the N1 guys strolled in. I was getting pretty tired at this point and told them to warm up in the outfield and let me have a seat. After about a 10 minute break, the Sun broke through the sky. Massive clouds formed and I got a picture that I will always keep in my mind. Chris and Olivear were throwing in the outfield and the landscape behind them was breathtaking. When I make this into a book, this picture will be the cover. The picture doesn't do it justice and the lower half is kinda dark...but I didn't want to miss the opportunity. A light breeze, the ball being tossed back and forth, a light breeze, God's sun rays breaking through the sky. Just incredibly peacefull.



We took our normal practice with BP following. My arm is about 98% so I threw bp to the guys. I always hit last and I love to see the guys rush to the deepest parts of the field. I just wanted to crush a ball so I could imagine it would land in the pillows of the sky. Once, I got the image in my mind with my ball sailing threw the air in right field, I stopped my bp short and ended practice.

I had the softball girls today and they were just being little whiny bitches. Kinda got me in a bad mood for the rest of the night but I remedy'd it with a shrimp pasta dinner with creamed oyster sauce. Followed by a tall stiff rum drink mixture, that partially numbed my physical and mental aches and pains. Love you guys and I will talk to you soon. Au revoir.