There's always next year

I love the Cubs.

I shutter a little bit typing those four words. It’s something I thought I’d never say or do, unless I was on the losing end of some bet. Just a few months ago, in a life-or-death situation that demanded I say that sentence, I’d probably deliberate a bit between the worst-case scenario and uttering those four awful words.

But today, I say it proudly: I love the Cubs.

I hope my father-in-law, a lifelong follower of the Lovable Losers doesn’t read this – and judging by the number of hits my blog gets each week, he and many others are not – because I’d never hear the end of it.

I of course am not talking about the Chicago Cubs.

Our first season as coaches in the New Berlin Athletic Association coach-pitch/t-ball league ended Monday. Nick and I survived approximately two months as first-year coaches and our team – the Cubs – provided us with a ton of memories we won’t soon forget.

We watched players improve right before our eyes, picking up things we talked about at practice and applying them in games. The good players got better, and the players who started the season behind the rest of the pack showed skills I would have never predicted they possessed.

In our last game, Abby, who had not put a ball in play off live pitching during a game, finally did so in her second-to-last at bat. When she did, she ‘raced’ to first, her fingers in the ear holes of her helmet to hold it on, flashing a huge smile. The opposing team got her out, but it was a huge moment for our team and the parents. Our smallest player who often swung the bat so late the ball was already past the catcher, put a ball in play.

One week earlier, Jude, another player who struggled with live pitching for most of the season, hit three of Nick’s pitches and reached safely all three times. I texted Nick later that night: "3-for-3!"

Just days earlier, I spent a little extra time working with Abby and Jude on their hitting. The last two games, I felt like a proud parent.

Our final practice of the season was also a blast. We staged a players vs. parents game. Parents batted left-handed off the tee with small bats, enough to make anyone laugh. The players won, 19-7, thanks to some clutch hits and indecision on behalf of the parents while running the bases and playing the field.

The play of the game was when Leah took a sharp-hit one hopper off the chest. It bounced away to me – Nick and I played with our team – in center field, and instead of Leah feeling bad about missing the ball, she had the sense to cover second base, took a throw from me and forced out her mom.

That she knew to cover the base – something most of our players had no idea how to do a few months ago – showed that our efforts were not futile this summer.

Watching our players improve and throwing their fists in the air after making a good play, seeing the parents enjoy their time at games and practices, getting to coach my godson, spending time with my best friend, all the different personalities – even the challenging ones, teaching a game I love to kids eager to learn … how could I not love the Cubs?