Papa has said many times that there was nothing that Alabama could teach me but boy was I ever wrong.
Back in the day when Papa was traveling the Southeast playing Softball with the big boys there was this premiere softball tournament called the "PICK OF DIXIE" and the best teams from all across the nation made it a point to attend this tournament. One year Papa's team entered and drew the #1 team in the nation "Kenny Sanders Ford". Papa called the director and expressed my anger that we would have to lead out with the #1 team and the director told me that it would be a great learning experience. I said then and I will say now that I don't play the game to get educated. I went to school to get an education, I play ball to win.
Papa education continued this weekend at the Super NIT in Orange Beach and like it or not I came away a better educated man. I learned the following.
#1. I learned that just because you beat someone the day before that yesterday's win counts for nothing and that if you don't come ready to play you will get your hat handed to you.
#2. I learned that the Lynn Haven Longhorns are a truly good team and if they can find some pitching depth that they could make a deep run at the 11U title.
#3. I learned that on any given day any given team in the 11U division could win any given game.
#4. I learned that even though we beat the team 10-3 that beat us 4-2 that we went home early because we didn't win at the right time.
5. I learned to believe that Lynn Haven might be the best team in Florida.
6. I learned that there are 11 year kids that can throw a nasty curve ball and I only hope that their arms do not fall off before they get to middle school.
7. I learned that if teams are going to throw the curve ball that the Bandits will need to learn to hit the curve ball if they want to stay on top.
8. I learned that I am allergic to bad umpiring but will be the first to say that the umpires had nothing to do with the Bandits loss. The Bandits loss was due to great play by the Longhorns.
9. I learned that when pieces of the puzzle are missing that the puzzle is not the same as it was when all the pieces were there.
But the most important lesson that I learned was learned last year after the Mizuno Glory loss. I learned that you learn more from the losses than you do from the wins and that that Bandits are quick studies so I can look you in the eyes and tell you that it is not how you start out in April but how you end up in August that will count the most.
10. I learned that love means "NEVER HAVING TO SAY YOU'RE SORRY" so I won't say that I am sorry we lost. I will only be sorry if we do not take the loss and use it as a tool to motivate us to get better.
Congratulations to Lynn Haven and it was a great game with 2 great teams trading punches and this time the Longhorns landed the last punch. We look forward to sharing the field with you guys again and let Papa be the first to say congratulations.
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Posted - 04/12/2010 : 00:54:14
