We lost again on Tuesday to reach the halfway mark with an 0-6 record. Still, as losses go, this one wasn't too bad. I thought we got a good effort from everyone, and was encouraged to see some of the guys start to hit. In particular, the kid for whom I had a (not vocalized) goal of hitting the ball once this season did in fact hit the ball, and reached base as a result, later coming around to score. I gave him a game ball for his effort, and could tell he was pleased with himself.

We had a practice tonight, and concentrated on hitting. To simplify things, one of the dads pitched and another one caught, so we just rotated everyone through turns at the plate. The results were good - lots of contact, and lots of positive feelings about making so much contact. A couple of the kids were really pumped, and I hope that will carry over to Saturday's game.

I spent a few minutes with each kid at the start of practice giving them some goals for the rest of the season. A lot of praise, a lot of encouragement, a lot of you-can-do-it, all for motivation. I'm seeing improvements, and I just have to believe it will eventually translate into a victory.

We'll see. We finally play the team we were supposed to have played in Game 1, which got rained out and was rescheduled for May 22 (this would have been our second game against them). Our sponsor, the Kiwanis, is hosting a pancake breakfast at the lodge where our field is from 7 AM to 1 PM on Saturday. I asked the parents to bring the kids to the lodge after the game - I don't want any upset tummies during play if I can help it.

Six down, six left. Go Twins!