Practice #1--Not A Practice

Practice #1 was not officially a practice. Instead, it was labeled a team meeting. These are mere semantics designed primarily to make the parents feel like they had an important function. In all seriousness, the parents were delighted with the 10 minutes devoted to team rules and expectations. That's because that portion of practice was held in a tiny sliver of sunlight and away from the coldest place in the Western Hemisphere, AKA the Nowell Field stands.

When all players and parents had gathered around, Coach Andrew outlined the keys to being a Mudcat, plus the Mudcat Motto. Having done extensive draft research, Coach Andrew was well aware of the memory recall shortcomings of the parents kids, so he came prepared with a handout. Hey, why is everyone laughing? OK, you're right, GM Jenn came prepared with a handout. The parts of the Mudcat Motto are as follows:

1. Sportsmanship--For example, no parent should say such things as, "I believe this 14-year-old umpire may possibly have a wager on this game and be purposely blowing the foul/fair calls." Obviously no one would ever say that.

2. Hustle--Incorporated in this part of the motto (not really, but this seems like a good time to mention it) is the Best Rule In All Of West Raleigh: Kids must carry their own bags. If nothing else, this rule was created for the sheer entertainment value of watching Asher try to balance his bag on his back without tipping over. When he gets to be 16 or 17, we may finally tell him about the 30-pound lead weight we put in his bag.

3. Form and Focus--Already practiced, with lots of practice on throwing form (stance/separate/power), fielding form (catch ground balls in the triangle) and tennis ball smacking form (only in West Raleigh could Coach Rob say, "I've been making kids lie down in the grass and then swatting tennis balls at them" and not receive a visit from Child Protective Services).

4. Toughness in Mind & Body--We do not cry on the Mudcats, unless the concession stand runs out of hot chocolate at the 9 a.m. games. Oh, and kids don't cry, either.

5. Confident but Humble--Considering this was being outlined by a man wearing a yellow stopwatch, this one seemed a little odd.

6. Have Fun!--Unless you forget the six parts of the Mudcat Motto, in which case you may drop down and give me 20.

Players were also asked to introduce themselves, along with their favorite major league team and player, at which time it became obvious that this must be the West New England Little League instead of West Raleigh. Kudos to Noah for going with Texas Rangers and Asher with Chicago Cubs to buck the trend. In related news, ESPN reported tonight that the Yankees and Red Sox have purchased the Rangers and Cubs to assimilate these two outliers.

Following the team meeting, players split into infield and outfield stations while GM Jenn gathered the parents so she could pretend to care about their thoughts on the team uniform for 2011. In the outfield, Coach Rob worked on his forehand. In the infield, players focused on getting in front of ground balls and receiving it in the triangle made between their feet and their glove. They then fired the ball back into the catchers and followed their throws.

The final drill of the day was a relay. Since the Bees couldn't be located to run their all-time relay record against the Mudcats to 0-846, the Mudcats split into two squads. In a close finish, the group of Brenner, Noah, Gabe, Chris, Smiley and JJ pulled out the victory.

A speedy team meeting was held at the conclusion of practice, with everyone gathered at the top of the hill. At this point, Coach Andrew had several puzzling questions for the Mudcats, including "What position on the field is the most important?" The still-raw Mudcats couldn't get that one, but the parents huddled around all realized the obvious answer was, "Wherever my kid is in that particular inning."

Finally, it was time for GM Jenn to set up her puppet regime and hold a "vote" on team uniforms. The two options were black shirt/white pants/black socks or black shirt/black pants/red socks (yikes!). Votes were counted--which was a challenge since most players voted at least twice--and results were tallied, and...no one is really sure who won. Look for an update soon on the winners of the "vote." (BREAKING NEWS UPDATE 9:03 p.m. Black shirts/black pants/red socks is the winner)

The next practice will be held at the Hegeman Hitting Wonderland on Saturday at 10 a.m.