Today was Quinn's last official baseball game of the season. Depending on the results of the game between the other two teams, we MAY play a championship game next weekend-on Closing Day. Tonight's game though was spectacular!
See this picture? Just looks like every other picture I have taken of Quinn at bat this season, behind the fence. THIS picture though is the picture I took, before Quinn hit the ball, HARD, down the first base line, past the first baseman, and way out into the field. My student, who is on the opposing team, missed it too, and she had to chase it. It went so far that....He got a triple!! A TRIPLE!! It all happened so fast, and we were all screaming our heads off that I didn't get a picture of him on third base, winded from the run. LOL. Two runs went in, and that got us to our 5 run rule, so the inning ended. We were ahead 6-5, against a tough team-one of the toughest. It turns out that Quinn's triple won the game! Quinn got a game ball. He was (and still is) thrilled.
This was the first time at bat tonight. He hit this one down the first base line too, but the first baseman was able to get it and tag the base. Can you see the ball in the picture?
This is from some game. Quinn goofing off in left field.
Another game, at bat.
He was walked here. Oh I bet you are wondering about the pink socks on the other team. One of the moms has cancer, so the boys wear these socks for her. It's very sweet. They also have pink wrist bands, and the coaches have pink ribbons on their hats. Very, very sweet.
Quinn played on the same team as this boy, last season, when he was a Hot Rod.
Rabbit ears on third base.
This has been a tough season for Quinn (and us) and before tonight's TRIPLE, he didn't want to even play next season. He's spent a lot of time on the bench this season. Six of the kids have spent a lot of time on the bench, or locked into their outfield positions, and it wasn't because of lack of ability. This level is still a teaching level, so the kids are supposed to be rotated around ALL positions. The coach was apparently unable, or incapable, of making a fair schedule, so the kids were never rotated. This went against the league rules. Some of the other boys on the team NEVER sat on the bench, while others sat every game. Quinn sat mostly twice every game, with the exception of one game, where he played all innings. The coach had his favorite 7 players, and used the other 6 to rotate the bench. Those 7 got to play the "best" positions. Those 7 got to practice the "best" positions, while the others were the runners, to help the 7 learn to field. It was horrible. The man should not be coaching.
Kevin and I went to the coach with our concerns. We wanted to talk to him about the situation. He sent us an email instead. He said because we have 13 players that some kids have to sit two innings. That is true, some kids do have to sit two innings. The thing is though that they do not have to sit TWO CONSECUTIVE innings, as many were, and it doesn't have to be the SAME kids ALL the time. For example, Quinn often did not appear in the game, until the 3rd inning. He would play two innings, of four, and that's it.
He was low on the batting order too, so a couple of games he got to hit only once the entire game. There was one game that he sat 3 innings on the bench! This went on and on. The batting order rarely changed. His 7 were in priority spots. His focus was on them. Other people complained. Board members were contacted. Kevin and I then went to the player agent with our concerns, when we got nowhere with the coach. The coach was told 7 times to make changes, that it wasn't fair. It wasn't until the 4th to last game that we saw any change-and Quinn played THE ENTIRE GAME-and even got to pitch! The last 3 games have been a lot more even, and some of the 7 (or as I called them "The Superstars") actually sat on the bench during an inning. It was obvious the coach favored these 7. What was even worse is that one parent (of a "Superstar,") would listen to our conversations with the player agent, and then report back to the coach, dividing the team. She did this to several of us parents, on the "other" side. It was horrible. The coach was a total ass, and Quinn did not have fun. My hope is that this man not be allowed to coach next season. He was such a bully to the kids who weren't his favorites, and to us parents. He rarely spoke to us. He rarely spoke to my kid. He had this warped idea that winning is everything, and would yell at the kids. Two games ago, after a particularly rough inning (of Superstars-Quinn was on the bench), he called them all to the dugout and told them they were horrible. I was standing right there. I would have spoken up if MY kid had been who he was speaking to, but he was on the bench.
The coach was all about winning, so he wanted to build the best team, but that's the thing, it takes more than 7 to make a team. Many of these boys didn't get a chance to play positions that they really wanted to play because of this ass. It's over now, and I am happy. Quinn is too, and now his triple adds a "so there," slap in the face, to the entire season, and to those who didn't think he could do it. He went out with a BANG!
