Day Five Hundred and Ninety-Six

The Fifth Jacksonville Start

See that guy with sunglasses on his head and hand on his face? Well, he's another starter for the Suns...and he's the absolute perfect depiction of exactly how almost every single guy on the team was feeling at yesterday's 11 AM game, including my husband. It was Kid's Day at the park...and though they're sweet and super cute, they're also slightly on the obnoxious side (I say that with all sincerity and zero angst). Paired with the ridiculously early start time, the guys weren't feeling it. Not at all.

 Especially not Adam. He took the mound yesterday with poise and confidence...though he'd woken up only 2 1/2 hours earlier. I was so excited to watch him compete, but after the game's first play, everything changed. On the very first pitch, the hitter bunted. Uhhh. Can you say Bush League?!! Charging the ball, Adam picked it up, and seeing that the first baseman wasn't on first, Adam sprinted (as fast as I've ever seen him sprint) toward the hitter, determined to record the out. He stretched his body and jumped head first toward the bag, landing on his side and flipping like a gymnast to his feet. The call? SAFE. I thought he'd broken his leg...or worse, torn his UCL. I firmly insisted, later on, that he never do that again. His reply, "Well, if it's for the World Series ring, I'll tear my UCL twice if I have to." Ugh. 

His game never was the same after that. Meetings on the mound were more frequent than I can ever remember, and the tears were always close to falling from my eyes. He struggled hard yesterday, not able to find the strike zone at all. It was hard to watch. Mostly because I can't offer Adam any help when he's out there. I wanted badly to rescue him, but that's not how the game works. Trial is a necessary evil in baseball...it builds character. But I can't say I like it much.

In the midst of a small panic attack, I looked over and saw a familiar something staring at me in the face. Huh? That's not a  Cougar logo. No. Can't be. Wait...it IS a Cougar logo! NO WAY! Ahhhh! The only thing to make me smile yesterday was meeting these two, who happened to sit in the seats right next to me. They're the parents of one of Adam's old teammates at Washington State. Matt Fanelli was actually in my class, but played two years with Adam before graduating. His parents live down here in Jacksonville, and when they heard that Adam was playing for their hometown team, they had to come see him! It was a sweet little treat to a most bitter day. So happy to have some fellow Cougs in the area! It was a pleasure meeting them...and I'm so thankful for the smile they were able to give me!

Adam's line:

3IP, 5H, 6R, 6ER, 4BB, 2K

Yes, yikes.

Let's hope (and pray) that that doesn't happen again for a LONG time.