Practice--Creeping Up

Monday evening's practice showed just a slight holiday hangover, as the Mudcats appeared somewhat dazed from a weekend spent tracking down the biggest and best Easter treats they could find. Practice began with a throwing competition, with the always impartial Coach Mike presiding. Drew, who is still figuring out the mechanics of his new short cast, won the first contest. This was especially impressive since there were some who thought that Coach Mike's strike zone might have been a little different for the 8-year-olds than it was for the 6-year-olds. I'm not saying it was rigged, just that some guys from the North Carolina State Fair stopped by and said they thought it looked fair to them. Then they wanted to know if Coach Mike would guess their weight and/or birthday. Following the brief interlude, Gavin won the second throwing contest--and let the record show that he won it outright, without any strike zone assistance.

The next segment of practice was devoted to stations, or as the returning 8-year-olds like to call it, "The part of practice where Coach Adam ticks us off." Tonight's reward was Easter eggs stuffed with...uh, I'm not sure what, because Asher ate his before we even pulled out of the parking lot. Judging by some careful investigation, I believe chocolate may have been involved. In the absence of Coach Tom, Coach Mike was put in charge of the calisthenics station, where the activity was folding Russell Wilson origami. Meanwhile, Coach Rob and Coach Jim dodged frisbee golf discs while hitting fly balls, and Coach Sean and Coach Andrew helmed the infield station. At the infield station, Coach Sean taught the importance of playing on your toes in the infield and "creeping" towards the hitter rather than standing flat-footed and waiting for the ball to arrive.

After a quick water break, the entire team assembled on the infield for some baserunning instruction, as the coaches continue to try and get the All Blacks to be even more aggressive on the bases. Specific attention was paid to the art of figuring out how far to go on a ball hit to the outfield and how to strike a balance between being aggressive and still leaving room to get back in case of a catch. The Mudcats were able to go through multiple different situations, and several even practiced the art of the slide, which was especially impressive considering the state of the infield.

Asher and Christopher were selected as team captains for the relay race for their dedication to form and focus. Christopher proceeded to select his dad for his team. Asher was given the choice of every coach in attendance and expressed a strong sense of family pride and love for his father by picking...Coach Andrew. In a related story, late night calls to the Chapel Hill police report that a six-year-old has been spotted wandering the streets. Christopher's team emerged victorious.

The next Mudcat event is a 5:30 game (4:30 pregame) against the Riverdogs on Tuesday.