Sammy's T-Ball Finale

Sammy had his last t-ball game on Sat. Had a couple of hits and two great stops in the infield!!! Mom, Janet and Ava were there cheering him on!!!!! To top it all off Santa handed out the trophies for all the players!! This spring he will take the next step to coach-pitch, can't wait!!! Great Job Sammy, I'm proud of you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Baseball in December........

So I was driving home from work and saw a bunch of guys walking from a local hotel to the ballpark. I knew they played for the Rangers, so I stopped and asked one of them what they were doing here so early and he (Jordan Akins) said it was a mini camp! Never heard of a mini camp for baseball. I told Sammy about it and thought it would be fun to go by the park the next day before taking Sammy to school to get some of his cards signed! We lucked out and stopped a group of guys and they were more than happy to sign the cards for Sammy! We had no clue who a few of the guys were because they were wearing ski masks, 40 degrees outside!

2010 Winter T-Ball Louisville Bats

Sammy started his 2nd season of t-ball!!! He is having a blast meeting new friends and seeing some of his old teamates from last springs Gator team. He's starting to understand the positions and where to throw the ball! He is still learning how to play catch but is getting better everyday! We have had a couple of night games this season and froze are butts off! Sammy was every excited to get number 12 on his jersey this season, the same as Clark Murphy!!!!!! A few off these pictures were taken by my Daughter Janet! She was very excited to see them make the cut!!!!!!!!

Pictures from 2010 Arizona Fall League

Pictures from 2010 Arizona Fall League

More pictures!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

19th Annual Arizona Fall League

It was a short Fall League for Sammy and I! We only caught Three games this year! I took up a new hobby of keeping score! My wife thinks I'm crazy! Of course everyone was out to see what Bryce Harper is all about!!! Looks like he's the real deal! Sammy had a good time getting autograghs and having his picture taken with the players. Danny Duffy of the Royals and Rex Brothers of the Rockies were kind enough to stop and take a picture with Sammy! We tried for Harper but too many autogragh hounds to even get close! I took a ton of pictures again this year and I think I'm getting a little better every year. Sammy's T-ball season started a few weeks ago, pictures soon to follow!!!!!!!

2010 Ranger's Instructional League

Sammy and I had a great time watching the Rangers Prospects this Fall. Sammy enjoyed going to the games on the weekends to get his Spokane Indians baseball cards signed! It was a lot harder to go to the games this year since Sammy started kindergarten! We tried to catch a game on the last day only to get there to see the players loading up in the bus. Sammy was pretty devastated and wanted to go on the bus to say goodbye!!! I told him we will see all of them in spring training. We already have Feb. 13th marked on the calendar!!!!

2010 Arizona Rangers

Sammy and I enjoyed catching a few AZL games this summer, watching a few Ranger and Dodger games. The kids loved running around the park watching the games and chasing down the foul balls. The Rangers had a great season one game short of playing for the championship! Looking forward to watching these guys in Spokane next year!!!

2nd Annual Boy's Trip

Sammy and I were excited to continue our tradition of the "boy's trip", of course to catch a few baseball games out of town. We were excited to go back to Spokane to watch the Indians play again. Sammy was thrilled to get to see Clark Murphy and Ben Henry play. We got the royal treatment when they let us on the field before the game to meet and get autographs from the players. Sammy loved to see Clark and Ben even though it took a few moments for him to recognize them, he asked me "I thought they played for the Rangers and they have different numbers", he didnt understand the difference between minor and major league and that they all wear the same uniforms during spring training. The trip was even more fun with Unlce Mark and cousins, Ashton and Alden, joining us for all the fun. Sammy brought a bag of starburst for the bullpen and had a lot of fun sharing the candy with all the pitchers. The best part of the second game we attended was when Sammy sat with me the whole game and watched and cheered for his baseball friends. I cherish every moment that I get to spend one on one time with my kids and to have Sammy enjoy the same things I did when I was a kid is awesome. Growing up I loved to go to Firebird games and meet players and get their autographs and now Sammy loves it too! It is a joy to just watch him and wonder what he is going to say when he meets someone new for the first time.
We finally made it to Missoula to see a game, we made a full day out of it. We stopped at a local pond and did some fishing, visited the Montana Smoke Jumpers Museum and then made it to see the Osprey. I was surprised at how small the stadium was, it probably seated 3500. My nephews and brother in law made the trip with us and made it a lot of fun. Of course the first thing the boys spotted was the mascot, Ollie and they had to give him a high five and a big hug. We sat out in the grass on the first base lane and the kids loved it, spending most of the time rolling down the grass burm and playing with the other kids that were there. Sammy ran down to the bullpin to say hi to all the players and of course ask a million questions. He had his picture taken with Donald Lutz who is the first baseman for the Billings Mustangs and the Osprey pitching coach Gil Heredia who I watched when I was kid, when he was a pitcher for the Phoenix Firebirds. Missoula is probably the most beautiful city I have visited in the northwest and can't wait to go back. We had a great time and looking forward to next years trip, we will be going to the 2011 MLB Allstar game.