All-Stars

Bradon and Carsten both played on All-Stars this year. The All-Stars tournament was the weekend after the regular season tournament was over. Carsten's team if I remember right had 1 regular practice that lasted around 30 min. and I batting practice. Bradon's team practiced at least 6 times but I don't think they ever had a practice with the whole team there. I was interested in seeing what this All-Star tournament would turn out like.

Both Bradon and Carsten's first tournament games were extremely hard to watch. It was like watching the bad news bears! First of all every player on both of their teams, if you asked them what position they played they would all say pitcher or short stop. Well not everyone on the team can play pitcher and short stop at the same time so boys have to show that they are true All-Stars and adjust to a new position really fast. Everyone litterally played as if they hadn't ever played the game of baseball a day in their life! It was seriously pathetic! I probably sound like a terribly unsupportive mother with no tolerance but I don't think that I was the only parent thinking this very same thing. I seriously started thinking after watching both of their first games that we had wasted our money. I thought, well actually I said to David..."Note to self, next year let's take the money we would have spent on All-Stars and do something else with it! Anything else with it!"

Well fortunately by the second game both teams improved tremendously! It was like watching two whole different teams! We all started feeling a little better about the whole situation. Carsten's team ended up losing in the semi finals. And Bradon's team ended up winning 1st place of the constellation bracket. {By the way, the word constellation bracket is just a really nice way of saying the looser's bracket.}

And now for the photos!

I didn't get one picture of any of Carsten's All-Star games. I brought my camera to one of the games and when I remembered that I needed to take a picture he was in the dugout and every time I tried to get him to look at the camera he would duck out of the picture and act silly.

Now Bradon on the other hand informed me that I don't take enough pictures of him. So I made sure to take lots and lots of pictures of Bradon.

Bradon is such a cute kid.
He's a good kid too!

His All-Stars team was made up of all major league 11 year olds but they played in the division of 11 and 12 year olds. The first tournament game {the one that was so hard to watch} they got paired up with our same leagues minor league 11 and 12 year old team. Bradon's good friend Max was on that team. So that first game was like insult to injury if you know what I mean! Well Max's team must have lost a game along the way because we both ended up in the constellation bracket and we got to play them again. It was fun because this time our boys actually looked like baseball players and we ended up beating them.

But what was really fun was watching Bradon and Max playing against each other. Max pitches and so you know when Bradon got up to bat Max wanted nothing more than to strike him out.

Bradon hit a little blooper right back at Max.

And Max threw him out at first!

Bradon has found that when it's sunny outside it's a lot easier for the ball to get lost in the sun. So he's added shades to his baseball attire! Pretty cool huh?

On the All-Star team he played a lot of left field. Naturally! He's good at it! After one of the inning when the coach was telling all the kids where to go play in the field I heard Bradon say, "Not left field again!" So unlike Bradon to complain! I yelled out, "Bradon if you don't want to play left field then where do you want to play?" He answered in a whining tone, "Anywhere but left field!" Right then one of the assistant coaches pulled Bradon aside and gave him a little pep talk about how he was the leader on the team blah blah blah... When I asked him what his coach said to him he just kind of rolled his eyes and in a sarcastic tone said, "Oh he said that I was the leader on the team because I've played super league and stuff and I was the best one in the outfield..." Bradon didn't seem too impressed with the coaches compliments. I couldn't tell if it was that he didn't believe his coach or if he was thinking, tell me something I don't know!

I love the double hat look!

Another time when Bradon got up to bat Max was playing first base. At this time Bradon's team was winning by quite a bit. Bradon had 3 balls on him and got the sign from his coach to not swing. Bradon leaned forward and stuck his bat out like he was going to bunt. And then started shaking the bat up and down as to taunt the pitcher. I thought what in the heck is he doing? As the pitch was pitched Bradon pulled the bat back. The pitch was a ball and he took his base.

As he jogged to first base Max with a huge smile on his face shook his head and said, " Oh my gosh! Nice Bradon! Nice!"

You could tell that they were bantering back and forth at each other just messing around. Nothing better than a little fun game of talking smack!

Bradon stole second base.

And then eventually made it home!
When he came back to the dugout I asked why he was acting like he was going to bunt and why was he all showy about it? He said, "I did that for Max! He hates when people do that!" Seriously that made it all the more funny!

Beating Max's team put Bradon's team in the championship game and they won that one with no problem.

They had a little trophy ceremony...

Doesn't Bradon look thrilled about getting a trophy? Come on Bradon, crack a smile! Oh yeah I forgot to mention why Bradon is wearing his running shoes with florescent laces. He forgot his cleats at home for the second game. When he got clear across town for the game and he realized that he had forgot them he asked if we could go back to get them. And from the picture I bet you can guess what the answer was!

Way to go big guy!
And way to go team for turning it around!
Major improvement from the first game to the last!