Where have you gone, Joe Dimaggio?

Yeah, I know it's old news, but I wanted to talk about Alex Rodriguez admitting that he once used steroids. They said that he was the biggest name to get caught. SI called him "The latest and greatest to fall". He has dashed the hopes of thousands of baseball fans nationwide. His transgression is monumental news in the sporting world. But I wonder, why?



The reason his fall is so great is because we have placed him on such a high pedestal. In fact, that's the reason he gave for trying steroids in the first place. He was attempting to live up to the impossibly high expectations fans, sportswriters, and even himself placed on him. He had the richest contract in history which implies he is the best player in history, so he succumbed to the temptation to improve his game pharmaceutically.



He was already the best player in the game and by his own admission the drugs didn't make any noticeable improvement, so he stopped. The question that is frequently asked by fans who feel betrayed is, why would a player already at the top of the game use steroids to enhance his performance? I think the more honest question to ask is, why wouldn't he?



Let's be realistic here. A very high percentage of baseball players from the 90's at least tried steroids and other performance enhancing drugs. Some kept with it, some didn't, most found a middle ground that they were comfortable with. There wasn't any consequence to getting caught using, so why not use? A-Rod was, and is a very talented baseball player. He, more than most didn't need to enhance his performance. Yet he fell prey to the same temptation as many journeymen who needed the boost just to make a minor league roster. Why should this surprise us?



He is just as much a fallen, broken human being as anyone. If you were told that by taking a pill you could improve your job performance and increase your wages, wouldn't you take it? Especially if you knew that most of your co-workers took it, nobody cares if you take it, and you might lose your job without it. Of course you would take it, even if you were the best employee at your office. Why wouldn't you?



A-Rod is going to suffer in the public courts for a while, but we fans are a forgiving sort if we think the evil-doer is truly repentant. That's a shame for those players who are now guilty by association. I believe there were those in the Steroid Era who chose not to indulge. Against the culture of the game at that time some players stood their ground and played clean. Sadly, as the list of players who used grows longer, the shock value of each successive name shrinks. That diminishes the achievement of the players deserving of our respect. When I hear about another one outed as a user I don't bother to ask why. I think of those who didn't use and I wonder why not? The question I would love to answer is, does that player really exist?

Rachel's big day

For her eleventh birthday, Rachel was able to finally get her ears pierced. We told her she had to be in 5th grade. She had to wait until soccer season was over before she could do it. Here's the story in pictures.
Before: A little excited and a little nervous.

She chose to have both done at the same time to minimize the trauma. You can see a little more nervousness.
Apparently, the trauma wasn't totally eliminated.

After: She proudly displays her birthstone earrings.

My little girl is not so slowly turning into a young woman. Pretty girl, isn't she?

Football

It's been a while since I updated this, so here's some new information. David has completed something that I never had the guts to attempt when I was in high school. He played freshman football.
He was not the star of the team and he didn't even start any games, but he got in every game and he played hard when he was on the field. He usually played for 2-4 plays in a game. Here is is on defense over on the far side of the field just to the right of the official.
The team finished with a record of 8-1, with their sole loss by a single point.


He doesn't think that he wants to do it again next year. It's a lot of work and there's not much payoff getting in the game for 2 or 3 plays. I'm glad he toughed out the season and gave a good effort. I'm proud of him for even trying.


He looks pretty tough in uniform, doesn't he?

Here's a video of him on offense. He's number 41 in the white, at the left side wide receiver. This shows about the extent of his playing time. Throw a block while we run the ball up the middle.

The Legal Eagles

I've told you about Rachel's softball and Drew's baseball but I have yet to mention David's season. He was on the team sponsored and coached by Judge Paul Lawrence again this year. The core of this team has been together for about seven years, David joined three seasons ago. Two years ago they won the league three title, which is the championship that Drew just won this year. Judge Lawrence is a great coach. He knows a lot about baseball and he is always positive and upbeat. The two biggest things he has taught his team are good fundamentals and individual confidence. The team has a few breakout stars, guys who would do well on any team, but there are more of the average type player, guys who fill out the roster but don't particularly excel. These are the players that Paul squeezes the most from. That's what makes them fun to watch. There's no perceived hierarchy of stars and scrubs. They are a team.

They had another good regular season, with only one loss. That was a combination of skill and luck. We beat a couple teams two or three times, and our tough games were rained out. David played almost everywhere but catcher. He was one of the regular pitchers. They liked to use a pitcher for usually only one inning unless he was really doing well. (If they could get out of an inning with 10 or fewer pitches it was worth $5 to them. It happened a few times.)

It's fun to watch the progress a player makes from the beginning of the season to the end. David's ERA went down over time and his batting average went up. I think with a knowledgeable coach he could really be a decent pitcher. He has good form and good control, all he needs is some velocity. If Greg Maddux can throw 90, David ought to be able to throw 50.

We had a disappointing end to the season. For whatever reason, most of the team wasn't really mentally into the tournament. We met our nemesis, Jefferson's team (we split the regular season) in the semifinals, but we couldn't get over the hump to put them away. The mental fatigue continued in the following game and our season ended with a whimper. Still, it was a fantastic run, it was fun to see, and I wouldn't have wanted to be on any other team. It was a great situation to learn and play baseball.

As they do every year, they had a post-season party at the Judge's family home on Lake Bloomington. We did some swimming and some tubing. (and by 'we' I mean the kids). The adults ate, talked and took a pontoon boat ride. Paul announced that he intended this to be his last year as a coach as most of the team is going into high school and will undoubtedly be involved in many other things by next summer. However, we tried to convince him that we should have one last hurrah and give it another go next year. He wouldn't commit, but I'm keeping my hopes up. If it is the end, I'm glad we had the opportunity. It sure was enjoyable to see my son be a valuable contributing member of a winning baseball team.

You gotta get up pretty early to fool me

Being a parent is one of the hardest jobs in the world. Unfortunately, it's also one of the easiest jobs to get. There are millions of unqualified parents in the world who simply wanted to have a little fun and instead got a little bundle of joy.

There is quite a bit of joy in the job, even though it's a pretty big responsibility. Your task is to turn out a decent human being that is more of a benefit to society than a detriment. The good news is that you get several years to accomplish this. The bad news is that you pretty much have to figure out how to do it on the fly. That's why people have more than one child - the first ones are practice kids. I'm sure that studies will show that the most successful children are not the firstborn (a common myth) but the secondborn. Those who were raised by parents who finally know what they're doing. Everybody knows that a poor dress rehearsal foretells a good performance.

It's tough, but it's fun too. There are times that you can enjoy the position of power more than you should. You think,"I don't feel like mowing the lawn", or "The garage could use a coat of paint", or "I need a cold drink but the refrigerator is all the way out in the other room" and you seize your authority and tell your child to do it for you. After all, what good are kids if they don't fetch?

You have to seize these opportunities as they arise, because the kids don't stay naive forever. You only get to pull the Let's-see-who-can-hit-the-softest trick once. Per child. Maybe twice for a firstborn. Until they mature and learn, you the parent are the smartest person they know. You answer all the questions they have whether you have the truth or not. They don't know the difference. You can tell them whatever you want for your own amusement. Of course, I would never do such a thing, as I am trying to raise decent human beings. Who believe that I am smarter than they are, which for the time being at least, is true. Someday that might not be the case, but for now is is fun to outsmart them.

Saturday is Drew's birthday and school starts tomorrow so last night he had two friends come over to spend the night. We gave them free reign to stay up as long as they like (as long as they were fairly quiet) since they could all sleep in today before school starts the next day. They only thing I told them was that if they were still up when I got up to go on my paper route (4:00) I was going to take them all out with me.

When I came downstairs there was a light on in the family room. Drew was in the chair at the computer with his feet up on the back of the couch, head back. Jacob was face down on the couch. Travis was back in the corner laying on the bean bag chair. There wasn't a sound from anybody. I decided that I wouldn't bother them and I left to do the route. My first few deliveries are just a couple of houses away, so I walked them over before I got in the car to do the rest. When I came back to the house, I thought I would test a theory. I walked around the back and peeked in the window to the family room. Sure enough, all three of them were up and about, thinking that they had fooled me. They were pretending to sleep so I wouldn't make them come with me. I went back to the front of the house, came in the front door, and slipped around the corner. Busted!

I did not make them go on the route with me because frankly, who does that punish? Me. I simply told them to go upstairs to bed, and I better not see them when I get back. When I returned there was snoring emanating from Drew's room so either they finally dropped off, or their deception is getting better. Regardless, I won that round.

I don't mind them having fun, since it was the last day of summer vacation, but I don't like the fact that they not only disregarded my instructions, but they tried to trick me on top of it. We'll have to see about that. I did happen to notice, the grass is getting a little long, and the van is pretty dirty....

An undefeated season

Two years ago David's American Junior Baseball team dominated their league, losing only one regular season game. They rode their momentum through the tournament to the league 3 title. This season, at the same age, Drew's team followed a similar pattern. They also rode the momentum to a league 3 title, but their regular season was unblemished.

We came into postseason play with a record of 16-0 and held the top seed in the tournament. After a relatively easy opening match, we ran into a difficult opponent in the second round. Our pitching staff had difficulty finding the strike zone and we quickly found ourselves in a 8-0 hole. We gallantly fought back (as we did several times this season) with 17 unanswered runs to advance to the championship.

AJB pulled out all the stops for the big game. They made sure the baselines were fresh, they dragged the field until it was smooth, and they even painted home plate white. The grounds crew took extra care to create a little decorative chalk design behind the plate.

In case you can't tell what that is, it says "L III, 305 v 308". We were the home team, number 308. They also had a temporary sound system and pregame player introductions.

It was a hot, mostly windless afternoon. The weather was no deterrent as the crowd was large and evenly split. After one inning we clung to a slim one run lead. After two innings we were tied. At the end of the third, we trailed by a pair. The magic fourth inning showed us putting a big six runs (the maximum per inning) on the board to lead by four. The fifth was another big one that put us ahead by an unreachable 8 runs with two to play. The almost unnecessary top of the sixth produced no runs, so we possessed a mathematically-insurmountable 8 run lead which clinched the title.

Here's Drew receiving his medal and trophy after the game.

The Champions:

The happy boy with his trophy:

Here's one of his best efforts in the big game. It was a grounder through the left side for an RBI single.

It was a beautiful ending to a perfect season. Coach Tony (to the left in the Cubs cap in above photo) worked his team hard and the hard work paid off. They played well, they had fun, and they were a pleasure to watch. Congratulations boys. Let's do it again next year.

Softball finale

Rachel played softball again this season. The season finished up this Friday with the tournament. Every team makes the tournament, regardless of their record. Good thing, because our record was, shall we say, unspectacular. The team failed to notch a victory all season.

The teams usually play one base to a hit, maybe stretching it to a double if it's a really good hit. Nobody got more than a double all season. Rachel did better this year than last. She was a more aggressive batter and she got a few hits. Our first tournament game went into extra innings and we lost a heartbreaker. During our next tournament game we were the home team. The opposing coach was playing to win in the top of the first by sending his players on the basepaths, taking the extra base. Our coach decided to match his intensity by having our girls run aggressively during the bottom of the first . Rachel's first at bat was with the bases loaded.

I told her to be swinging up there and she did. She sent a hard liner down the first baseline all the way to the outfield grass.

She was very excited to find herself standing on third base after a bases-clearing triple!

The other coach's aggressive style came back to bite him in the end. Our bats woke up and we ended up with a victory! The tournament is all about momentum. Of course, our momentum stalled in the next game. Oh well. Rachel tried hard, had fun, and showed improvement. I would call that a successful season.

Just wait 'til next year!

Rachel's Baptism June 11, 2008

A couple of years ago Rachel made the decision to accept Jesus as her Saviour. Dawn and I prayed with her in her bedroom after we had all attended a baptism class for kids. She wanted to get baptised immediately, but we kept putting her off, mostly to make sure that she understood the significance. She finally wanted to be baptised in the lake at church camp this year. She gave me the privilege of baptising my third child into the faith. Here are some shots of her big day.

This is my son, in whom I am well pleased

I have been very lax in blogging for the last several months. Maybe the novelty has worn off or maybe I'm just too busy. Most of the time I just don't feel like I have anything of value to write, so I don't. Whatever the reason, I absolutely have to mention the accomplishment of Drew this past year. Just like his brother before him, Drew has successfully completed 4 books in his AWANA journey and has earned the Timothy award.

Over the past 4 years, Drew has worked very hard every year to finish his book for that step of AWANA. Every year there are others who reach the same milestone alongside him. Every year that group gets smaller. This year it was just Drew and one other boy who reached the summit. I think that says a lot about the character of those boys. Lazy, unmotivated people simply won't reach that level. Hours of hard work is required to complete the curriculum. I know he has put in that time and effort, much of the time at his own inspiration.

Of all the accomplishments Drew might achieve, whether academic, athletic, or musical, this is the one of which he should be most proud. This is the award that means the most. Any other award represents a fleeting success, but the Timothy award symbolizes the Word of God hidden in his heart. What goes in must come out, and a diet of scripture can only reap benefits in his life. These are the moments that make me a proud parent.

Congratulations, Drew. May these verses overflow your mind and heart and fill your soul. Your work has been noticed by your family, friends and peers. Well done, good and faithful servant.

Some action shots

Rachel dribbles down the court
Becca giving her best effort

Drew at the line

David shooting two

The return of Upward basketball

Hey sports fans! Upward basketball season is now upon us. I've been a little lax with my posting the schedules; we already have two games under our belts. Fear not, there is still plenty of basketball to be played, many opportunities to see my daughters show their skills. This is Rachel's third year in the league and Becca is lacing up the hightops for the first time. We play in the new gym at Eastview every Saturday. Here are their schedules for the season. As always, check back each week to see updates on the girl's performance.

Jan 5
Becca 8:30 She took the court for the first time ever and did a fantastic job. Rather than standing around and watching like all my other children did their first times, Becca moved without the ball and tried to get involved. Of course, at times her movement was pointless and she frequently lost track of where the ball was, but she played hard and had fun. She put up an amazing stat line for her very first effort recording a double-double with two points and two rebounds. Alas, her contribution was not enough as the Lady Aces fell 38-36 in a thriller.
Rachel 2:30 Even though Rachel is in the younger grade for her league, she still is one of the tallest girls out there. It's fun to see her gain control of her abilities and learn how to play properly. You can see her thinking on the court. She tries to anticipate where an open spot on the floor will be and she attempts to get there to receive a pass. For this game her coach had her bringing the ball up the floor to set up the offense. I'm not sure I really see the wisdom in that decision. Unlike her uncle Dan, she cannot go left. Luckily, the defense didn't pick up on that fact so there was no advantage lost. Rachel put up an even more impressive stat line than her sister, scoring a season-high two points to go with her incredible four rebounds, not to mention the blanket defense that is the hallmark of the Leman family. The Rockets began their season the right way posting a 33-30 victory.
Jan 12
Becca 9:30 The girls were assigned positions in practice this week, Becca is a forward. Her job is to 'get open' and shoot the ball. Like every other child learning basketball, the admonition to 'get open' is a difficult one for her to grasp. She did some more aimless running and skipping around the floor in her attempt to contribute. She was in the right place at the right time to snatch a key rebound and she poured in a new career high 4 points. Perhaps more practice is needed because this game wasn't even close. They were embarrassed 52-40 as the losing streak continues.
Rachel 1:30 Rachel was relieved of her point guard duties this week. She had a decent game, but we were overmatched. We kept it close for a while, then fell behind, then caught up, then just when we thought there was a chance for victory (or at least a tie), we tossed an errant pass out of bounds in the last seconds. The final score was 27-25 but it wasn't that close. Our winning streak is snapped at one game. Rachel put in two points and pulled down two rebounds. Her friend Kristyn was on the other team. We're waiting for the rematch on Feb 23.
Jan 19
Becca 8:30 She wasn't feeling well so she missed her game. We think they lost.
Rachel 1:30 The 4/5th grade league is a rough one. They are allowed to steal the ball from their opponent now, and most of the other teams seized that philosophy early on. Our team finally has adopted that strategy and it is starting to pay off. We were locked in a low scoring contest for much of this game. It came down to who had the ball last in the final period. There were fouls committed in the final minute which results in automatic points on the board due to the running clock. This caused some confusion about the final score, but after further review, we prevailed by a single point 26-25. Rachel was held scoreless, but she did haul in two rebounds. She definitely made her contribution on the defensive end of the floor. She is very quick, and they put her on the other team's highest scorer. Rachel kept with her and contained the threat.
Jan 26
Becca 8:30 Cancelled due to a down power line that cut the power to the church.
Rachel 1:30 W 36-24. Rachel didn't score this week, but she did pull down 4 rebounds. She had some great defense with one steal to go with 3 jump balls she caused.
Feb 9
Becca 8:30 W 48-40. Becca is starting to coast. Her interest in the game isn't as high as it was at the beginning of the season and her effort reflects that. She only touched the ball once by grabbing a rebound. She was scoreless for this game.
Rachel 1:30 W 42-14. Rachel had 2 points today to go along with one rebound and a steal. She really enjoys playing and it's fun to watch her go full tilt on the court.
Feb 16
Becca 8:30 This one wasn't even close. We got our tails handed to us. Becca put forth her usual effort and touched the ball one time. She failed to score any points or contribute in any other statistical way. I asked her after the game if she had fun and she told me she did. Then I asked if she had more fun on the bench or on the court. Without hesitation she admitted that the bench was a lot more fun.
Rachel 1:30 This game made up for Becca's earlier massacre. We fought hard the whole time and built a pretty comfortable lead. In the final period we let it slip away a little bit and almost gave it all back. Carly, who was on Rachel's team a couple of years ago, was the best player on the other side and we kept her in check pretty well. We won the game by about a second, as the other team made a desperation shot just after the buzzer sounded. Final score 38-36 win. Rachel didn't score but she had 2 rebounds and a nice steal.
Feb 23
Becca 8:30 Becca really didn't need to show up today. She never touched the ball and didn't do much else on defense either. The only highlight of the day was to watch the absolute joy on the faces of the other team when the game ended. They were thrilled to get their first win of the season. Too bad it came at our expense. We lost 38-35.
Rachel 1:30 This was Rachel's best all-around game of the season. She scored six points, grabbed 2 rebounds, and snatched 2 steals. She played hard the whole game, and at one point she threw herself on the floor chasing a loose ball. It certainly was enjoyable watching her play this one. This one was the rematch with Kristyn we were waiting for. We prevailed this time, 31-19.
March 1
Becca 9:30
Rachel 1:30

Happy Birthday Dawn!

Guess what she got for her birthday! A digital camera! Whoo hoo!! Looking good!

What a woman!

Giving Thanks

I know it is extremely cliche, but seeing that this week is Thanksgiving, I want to remember those thing for which I am thankful.

• I am thankful for my family. I have four terrific children and a fabulous wife. I do not claim to be a parenting expert, but somehow my kids have turned out to be pretty good people. They do well in school, they are polite, they are talented and are just plain fun to be around. Even better, I seem to have hit the spousal lottery. I am married to a wonderful woman who constantly does all the little things that get taken for granted and add up to a thankless job. I usually notice, but I often fail to acknowledge.
• I'm grateful for my extended family. I have parents who love me and still show it. I'm proud to be a brother to my siblings who are great people with great families. I have been welcomed in to Dawn's family, and they show it too. I'm thankful that within all the extended families, there are no broken homes, and the bond of family remains strong.
• I am thankful that I have a home. It's getting older and slowly falling apart, but it beats living in a cramped apartment or under a bridge.
• I'm glad I have a job. There is an element of ennui after 15 years of service, but I have a regular income that pays the bills (almost).
• I am thankful for my church. The one hobby I have maintained into adulthood is my music, and the church orchestra gives me a chance to use that ability to worship. I'm glad our pastor & elders look to the Bible as the last word on church policy and sermon content. It's been said from our stage many times that the Word presented correctly will offend, but they don't make any apologies for it. Mike regularly offends many in his audience and I think that's great.
• I am thankful for a God who forgives. Everyone has a weak point of sin that beguiles us time after time. I am no different, and I am grateful that I can be forgiven when I stumble.
• I am thankful that I was fortunate enough to be born in this country. While the atmosphere may be hostile from time to time regarding Christians, it has not yet become dangerous to be one. We still have the freedom to worship.

There are so many things in my life that I take for granted, whether it's material or relational, or spiritual. This list may be cliche, but it's a good reminder to me, at least, that I have much to be thankful for, and many to be thankful toward.

More games

I can't help it, we have so many games it's all I can do to keep up. Both boys are playing basketball with the Parks & Rec department this fall. Dawn pulled a couple of strings and got them placed on the same team. Here is the schedule:
Nov 10 3:00 We dropped our first contest 25-16. There is one boy on our team that we know from church, Miles. He and our boys accounted for all of the team's scoring. Miles and Drew each had 4 points and David poured in eight. David and Drew each had several rebounds, probably around 4-5 each. I can only anticipate the team getting better next time.
Nov 17 3:00 David and Drew had extra incentive to perform well in their game because Grandma & Grandpa Leman were there to watch. David gave them a treat with his best game yet. The team finally had a fourth player, Brenden, get into the scoring column. He made a couple of free throws to tally 2 points which was Drew's total for the game also. Surprisingly, Miles came through with 6 points. (Miles is kinda short) The offensive hero today was David, who finished with a career-high 18 points. I didn't keep track of other stats, but I'm pretty sure he had a double-double because he was hauling in rebounds all over. It was a very exciting game that came down to the wire. The final minute was a typical close game ending with timeouts, fouls and drama. We were able to walk away with a 28-25 victory to even the season record at 1-1.
Dec 1 2:00 Cancelled due to ice storm.
Dec 8 2:00 We let one slip away. We had a 9 point advantage but ultimately fell 33-29. David dominated the boards with a dozen rebounds, buts only managed to score 4 points. Drew joined in with two points of his own, and one really sweet assist. David also had two blocked shots. That's easy to do when you're a head taller than everybody else. We'll have to do better next time.
Dec 11 7:00 This one was a thriller. We had a bit of excitement before the game when David accidentally got his hand smashed in the car door. He had some bruises and a small cut, but he decided to push on and play the game. He favored the hand a little early on, but by the end of the game he was as good as new. He was able to tally 9 points, along with 10 rebounds and a career high 4 blocked shots. Drew made his own contribution with 4 points. Drew also pulled down 8 rebounds and blocked one shot. We had another lead slip away and had to go to overtime to put this one away. We prevailed 33-30 in an entertaining contest.
Dec 15 3:00 This was a good cap to the season. Both boys played a good game and padded their individual stats. David scored only 3 points but he pulled down 10 rebounds to go with 5 steals. Drew matched him with 3 points of his own and 3 rebounds. Drew also had a sweet assist that generated a high five from the referee. It was close, but we prevailed 17-15 to finish with a winning record.
All games are played at Kingsley Jr. High

A new endeavor

I know this has evolved into a Leman children sports blog recently, but I promise to try and post something of substance soon. For now, I would like to announce Rachel's new adventure - volleyball! We have signed her up for a team in the Parks & Rec league.
She had her first practice a couple of weeks ago and then had a game two days later. She had to participate in a game with only an hour of practice time in her life. She did great! (More on that later.) She was very worried about her ability to serve. We tried to reassure her that she would be fine. I'm not sure she believed us. We'll see how she does.
Here is her schedule for the few remaining games. I'll update with scores as we go.

Oct 13 11:00 The team lost in three games, 15-5, 15-14, 15-6. There is a rule that one player on a team can score a maximum of 5 points in a row and then you have to rotate. It's so a dominant server doesn't run the table and win the game singlehandedly. Only one player on our team reached that plateau - Rachel. She ran off five terrific serves in a row and even had an ace on one of them. Of course, every other time she served she was unable to get a good serve in, so it's hard to say which was the aberration. She needs to get more comfortable with the game so she can be aggressive and make some plays, but she had a good effort for the very first time out. I was proud of her, obviously.
Oct 20 12:00 She was absent due to a conflict with her final soccer game.
Oct 27 11:00 We ended up in a tie with each team winning two games. We dropped the first game 7-15 then came back to win 15-12. The momentum continued with a 15-8 victory followed by a 11-15 loss. It was an exciting day with several family members in attendance. Grandma Ziegenhorn, Sampsons (minus Brian) and the Dan Lemans all shared in Rachel's day.
Nov 3 11:00 This contest was no contest. Several times our team ran off at least 5 serves in a row, which usually leads to 5 points in a row. The first game took about 4 minutes and we won 15-1. The second game was a little closer with our team posting a 15-2 victory. In each of those games Rachel came up to serve with our team at 14 points. She successfully converted each opportunity to finish off the game. We had enough time to get in two more games both of which we won. The first was 15-10 and the final game was 15-13, after we had trailed 10-2.
Nov 10 12:00 We won the day with victories in two out of three games. We dropped the first one 15-9, but we found our rhythm and ran off two in a row, 15-14 and 15-4. Rachel was the hero in the second game by serving the game-winning point. She was denied the chance to get a good run of serves several times because her team couldn't maintain possession. Overall she played very well. She made a couple of good bumps for return and she was able to return one back over the net for a point. She's improving all the time.
Nov 17 12:00 Rachel had two extra spectators for her game today. Grandma & Grandpa Leman made the trip over to see her play volleyball. She responded by having one of her best days on the court. Once again she put together a string of successful serves (4 in a row) and she had her best defensive game yet. She had at least three bumps that went back over the net. The team came away with a win in the match overall. We took the first game easily 15-2, followed by a 15-8 victory in the followup. Then the wheels came off a little and we dropped the next two games 15-6 and 15-8. The fifth game was played with rally scoring (our first time this year). It was a seesaw contest throughout, but we came through in the end posting a 15-14 victory to win the day by the closest possible margin. It was a really entertaining, exciting day of volleyball.
Dec 1 11:00 Cancelled due to the ice storm.
Dec 8 9:00 A disappointing day on the court. We obviously were a little rusty after a week off. The first game was over before it started and we fell 15-6. Things got a little better with the team dropping the next game 15-9. We almost managed to turn it around in the third game but we came up short 15-13. The final contest was a thriller. We trailed most of the way until the girl that served before Rachel ran off 5 in a row to pull us even at 13 points. After we rotated, Rachel stepped up to serve the final two points for a victory. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. She missed the serve and then we gave up two points to drop the final game 15-13. Four games, four losses. Rachel had a good day defensively with 3 of her bumps going back over the net and 3 more setting up her teammates. She got 4 serves in, but missed the one under pressure.
She was very sad to learn that this was her final volleyball game. She is looking forward to giving it another try next season. She certainly made significant progress as the season passed. Her mother is trying to encourage her to continue playing indoor games as much as possible.

Futball!!

I'm a little late getting this out here, but it turned out that my procrastination was beneficial. There was a last minute schedule change that would have messed up my post completely. Without any further delay, here are the fall season soccer schedules:

Sept 15
Becca 11:00 W 6-3
Rachel 1:30 L 0-2

Sept 22
Becca 12:30 W 1-1
Rachel 1:30 L 0-1

Sept 29
Becca 12:30 L 3-0
Rachel 12:00 L 3-1

Oct 6
Becca 11:00 L 2-1
Rachel 9:00 L 6-0

Oct 13
Rachel 1:30 L 5-3 Rachel scored a goal!

Oct 16
Becca 5:30 L 3-0

Oct 20
Becca 9:30 L 3-0
Rachel 12:00 L 2-0

Come one and all for some exciting action in the world's most popular sport!

Rules of the game

A couple of weeks ago Drew's baseball team had a end-of-year cookout at a local park. One of the highlights of the evening was the parent/child game. I was looking forward to the game, and I saw some of the other dads were trash talking the boys while we ate our dinner. I thought it was going to be fun. I was wrong. I knew we would take it easy on the boys, but I thought we would at least play within the rules. In the first inning, I think we recorded 6 outs. Several batters worked the count into double digit strikes before getting a hit. Runners stayed on base after getting out. I couldn't tell when our half of the inning was supposed to start, but eventually we retired the side. We played three innings (I think), but I was done after the first. If there's no consequence to getting out, why should I attempt to get anyone out? If everybody gets to play according to their own rules, the end result is no good for anyone. I'm not sure who won, because it was too hard to keep an accurate score. What could have been an enjoyable contest turned into chaos.

Last week Rachel's softball team had the same kind of party. We got together at the park, had some food and then we played a parent/child game. I sat out this one, but Dawn played. This game also went three innings. This game, however, was different. We had an umpire who called balls and strikes. We even had players strike out or draw walks! We played three outs per inning. (With generous calls for the girls) We played a game within the rules. The parents won by a couple of runs, but the girls were not devastated by the loss. This game was much more enjoyable than Drew's game. Playing by the rules made it much more fun, more comfortable, more relaxed. A game with no rules resulted in anxiety, but one with guidelines brought calm.

James 1:22-25 "Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it - he will be blessed in what he does."

What a wonderful way to describe it - "the perfect law that gives freedom". A law that gives freedom? God has given us rules for life, both the "do this" kind and the "don't do that" kind of instruction. Why does he do that? To limit us? To restrict us? To control us? No, he gives us his rules to free us. A baseball game played without rules is no fun. One with clear universal guidelines is enjoyable. A life lived playing by our own rules will only lead to chaos. One lived within the universal rules will lead to joy, freedom, and peace.

The best game of the season

I’m a sucker for a happy ending. I especially like to watch movies that provide a satisfactory feeling when the story is finished, which I usually find in a sports movie. It’s fulfilling to follow the struggles of a team or an individual in the climb toward their athletic success. Movies like Remember the Titans, Miracle, or Rudy provide closure when the protagonist reaches the pinnacle, even if you already know the outcome. I always get emotional when I see a goal reached through hard work and strong effort. Even a story like Rocky can be gripping and inspirational even though our hero failed to reach the goal. Sometimes the effort is worth the effort.

Stories like these are real. I have followed the struggles of my daughter to find her hitting stroke throughout her softball season. (So have you if you have followed along as I updated the schedule post with stats). Rachel loves to be a part of her team, enjoys playing the game, and she has tried very hard to contribute. She has given a good effort every game the entire season, and her on-base percentage is very high. Of course, the only way she has reached base all season has been via a base on balls. Rachel is very good at drawing a walk. She loves to stand there and watch the pitches go by.

The regular season finished with Rachel still on the hunt for her first base hit. She entered the tournament with one instruction from me - swing the bat. I knew she was likely to strike out, so I wanted her to go down swinging rather than looking. The opening tourney game on Thursday saw her come to the plate twice. She watched nine pitches and drew two walks. After the game, I gently reminded her of my only directive. She fell into a sulk until bedtime. Before her shower she was overheard giving herself a pep talk into the bathroom mirror. All she wanted was one hit. She didn’t want a win, she didn’t want an RBI, she didn’t care what happened in the rest of the game - she wanted a hit. The coaching staff wanted her to get a hit. We ALL wanted her to get a hit. Personally, I had just about given up. I didn’t want a hit, I only wanted her to swing.

During Friday’s game she was waiting in the on-deck circle when our head coach strode over to have a little word with her. He grabbed Rachel by the facemask and reminded her, “You can hit that ball!” I remained silent so I wouldn’t put any undue pressure on her. (Dawn and the rest of the kids were at David’s game) She took her place in the batter’s box and assumed her stance. The first pitch sailed by and she didn’t even flinch. Ball one. “Come on Rachel!” I encouraged from the stands. She backed out and took her practice swing like she does after every pitch. The pitcher’s next offering floated towards the plate and I knew if she would only give it a try she could actually hit it. Lo and behold, she decided to get the lumber off her shoulder for the first time in several games. She took a gentle cut and shocked the world by actually connecting with the ball. It went shooting down the third base line and Rachel recovered from her surprise quickly enough to take off for first base. The third baseman fielded the grounder and tossed it to first too late. There is joy in Mudville, Rachel Leman has gotten a hit!

The third row of the bleachers exploded in a loud celebration. I and our friends jumped to our feet screaming and cheering. Coach Bob looked at me from the first base box and pointed and smiled. Rachel’s face could not contain the pure joy and relief that flowed over her. She had set one goal for herself, and it wasn’t an outlandish unreachable goal. She wanted to contribute to the team by getting a hit. Finally, spectacularly, wonderfully, she had reached her goal. Sometimes the effort is worth the effort, but other times, success is so much sweeter.

As a fan of the game, I’m not much of a fan of the game. As a proud father of a hardworking girl, I couldn’t have enjoyed it more.

We lost the game to end our season. I don’t care. It was the best game all year.

Free time? What's that?

Grandma Leman has requested that I post the baseball/softball schedules for you. Looking at the calendar, I think it might be easier for me to simply post the dates on which we do not have a game. Here are the schedules for all four teams. I will attempt to update this post periodically with scores and other notable items.

May 26 Rachel 6:00 W 10-8 2 walks, strikeout
May 31 David 5:30 Rainout

June 1 Drew 5:30 W 5-2 walk, strikeout , popout
June 2 David 1:30 W 15-3 groundout, single, strikeout, 1 IP 2R, K
June 4 Drew 5:30 L 11-4 strikeout, walk, strikeout
June 6 Rachel 6:00 L 17-7 2 walks, strikeout
_____Drew 5:30 W 13-11 2 singles, strikeout
June 7 David 5:30 W 18-11 Single, sac (RBI), groundout, strikeout
_____Rachel 6:00 L 20-17 3 walks.
June 9 Becca 9:00 Two great hits, she did not use the tee.
_____David 1:30 1IP, K, BB, 3H, HR. 2 runs allowed
_____________L 8-7 HBP, 2 walks, strikeout
_____Drew 11:00 L 14-5 2 strikeouts, ground out/fielder's choice
June 12 Drew 5:30 L 11-0 strikeout. Only one at bat, mercy rule
______Rachel 6:00 L 12-10 3 walks
June 14 David 5:30 Tie 7-7 strikeout, 2 groundouts
______Drew 5:30 W 17-5 single, lineout, groundout
_________________2IP, 1 hit, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts
June 15 Rachel 8:00 - Absent
June 16 Becca 9:00 - Absent
______David 1:30 - Absent L 4-3
June 18 Rachel 6:00 Tie 6-6 walk, strikeout
June 19 David 5:30 W 11-6 3 singles, walk
______________1 IP strikeout, 2 ground outs - pitch count 5
______Drew 5:30 W 18-8 walk, 2 strikeouts
June 20 Rachel 6:00 L 16-9 2 walks, strikeout
June 21 Drew 5:30 W 12-1 Groundout, strikeout, single
June 23 Becca 9:00 She had to use the tee one time, two hits
______Drew 1:30 Rainout
June 25 David 5:30 W 14-3 Walked twice
______Rachel 6:00 L 19-4 2 strikeouts
June 26 Drew 5:30 Rainout
June 27 David 5:30 W 10-1 single, strikeout
June 29 David 5:30 L 13-10 walk, 2 strikeouts
______Rachel 6:00 L 11-8 walk, 2 strikeouts
June 30 Becca 11:30 Two good hits
______Drew 1:30 L 13-8 walk, two strikeouts

July 2 Rachel 6:00 Absent
July 5 Drew 8:00 Absent L
July 7 Becca 9:00 Two hits, great defense
_____David 11:00 L 10-5 strikeout, single, 1 IP, one run allowed
July 9 Drew 5:30 Absent
_____Rachel 6:00 Absent
July 10 David 5:30 W 4-2 rain-shortened 2 innings. Single.
_____Rachel 8:00 Rainout
July 11 Drew 5:30 W 14-8 HBP, flied out, strikeout
July 12 David 5:30 W 12-11 Two walks. 1IP 3 hits,1 run
_____Rachel 6:00 L 18-15 Three walks
July 14 Becca 11:30 Three solid hits, great defense
_____Drew 11:00 L 7-3 Two strikeouts
July 16 David 5:30 W 14-2 Strikeout, single 1IP walked one, no runs
July 17 Drew 5:30 W 9-6 groundout, single (RBI), strikeout
_____Rachel 6:00 Rainout
July 18 David 5:30 W 13-3 Groundout, fielders choice. Nice catch out in center
July 19 Drew 8:00 Rainout
July 20 David 5:30 L 10-7 Two strikeouts, two walks
July 21 Becca 10:15 Absent
_____Drew 11:00 Tied 10-10 strikeout, groundout (RBI), walk. Drew made two good catches in the field
July 28 Becca 11:30 Up 4 times. Two hits, two outs. She played first base the whole game. She made several good defensive plays.
July 23-July 31 Tournaments

July 19 Rachel L 3-2 Two walks
July 20 Rachel L 11-10 Walked once. She got her first hit!
July 23 Drew L 18-2 Ouch. Drew was only up once, strikeout.
July 23 David W 8-6 Single (RBI), strikeout. 1IP 2 runs allowed
July 24 David L 6-5 Groundout (RBI), walk (caught stealing). This was Jefferson's team that we defeated for the title last year. We can meet them again for the title if we run the table through the loser's bracket.
July 26 Drew W 15-5 Two singles, walk. He made a couple of nice defensive plays.
July 26 David L 16-13 Walk, strikeout, left on deck at the end of the game. He was also the next pitcher scheduled to come out of the bullpen. We had the game in hand until the top of the last inning. We blew up and had our worst defensive inning all season. We gave up eleven runs to turn a four run lead into a seven run deficit. We came back with four runs of our own, but too little too late. The season ended with a baserunning miscue when we had two runners on the same base. A finish that was not deserved for a good season.
July 28 Drew W 14-8 Two singles, strikeout. Drew scored two runs and slid into home both times. I think that makes twice in his career. We played a great game this time. Everybody's bats came alive and the defense was tight. We earned the victory to come out on top of the loser's bracket in the tournament. The team received medallions for finishing in third place. Next year we're going to take it all!

Another update

I have been a little lax in my update for you, dear reader. I promised you a mention of David’s band concert nearly a month ago. He did a fantastic job. He had a solo during the jazz band portion of the performance. There was a slight mix-up in the microphone for the jazz band so his solo was the only one that didn’t get amplified. No worries though, he played nice and loud so we could all hear. He nailed it and we were all impressed. Scattered throughout the concert there were several and awards given to students. Things like best musician, most improved, and so on. There were a couple of times when the introduction sounded just like it was David. Alas, he failed to win any of the awards. Nevertheless, he enjoys playing in the band and I for one enjoy hearing him play.

Soccer season ended a couple of weeks ago. Becca finished the season with a .500 record. Rachel’s team entered the final game winless during the spring session. They brought their A game for the last week and finally notched a victory. They scored a total of 9 goals the entire spring season and 5 of them were in the last game. Rachel poured in a season high one goal. After the game the girls gave their coach their version of a Gatorade shower - they all sprayed him with their water bottles. A great finish to the season. Both girls are signed up for fall soccer so watch this space for information.