The Week In Pictures (Cause That's All I Have Time To Do...)

While I always look forward to baseball season, the lunacy of our schedule makes my head swim. For example - we had games every night last week. On two nights we had three games at the same time!

John and I are masters of dividing ourselves, but with three children, one is always left out. As he is Caeden's coach, that's where he has to be. I go with Jackson. The short straw - Cameron. The worst part of missing his games is that it is the closest to real baseball we get to see! But - I have him in pictures for the brief moments I'm there...

So in the midst of the craziness, I also organized our baseball league opening day celebration last Friday - and you can't take pictures when you're running the show! I did include my hand-drawn layout of the field's and the organization!

I also managed to get some shots from our league trip to the Cleveland Indians on Sunday - beautiful day!



Finally - these last pics are from Cam's game last night. He struck out 7 and hit a line drive straight to the pitcher. We won 13 - 1.

SUPER Super Bowl XLII

I'm just a little slow today - we had a SUPER Super Bowl party at our house. I think we ended up with 12 adults and 16 kids!

So Super Sunday is all about food...why is it then that I barely ate anything; hence my head feeling like it should just fall off and roll into the trash.

The highlight wasn't the winning touchdown in the final seconds (even though we shook the neighborhood with the cheers!); and it wasn't even the great commercials (in which my friend Amy and I would threaten life and limb to anyone who spoke when we were watching!).

No - the highlight was the double decker cookie cake kindly provided by Sam's Club. We ate the Patriots helmet first because we knew they were going down. As you can see, the Giants helmet is still intact...at least until the boys get home from school in about an hour!

Better Than Disneyland

For a sports family, what could be better than going to Disneyland?

How about personally meeting THREE major league baseball players!!!

Tonight we were invited to the exclusive dinner that was part of the Cleveland Indians Media Tour. Actually - I was invited - I'm working with Matt from the Indians sales office on behalf of the Board of Directors for our baseball association.

You will notice I'm not in the picture, on purpose - this night was not about me. It was about giving my boys something they will always remember.

After they had personally met, and had autographs with Ryan Garko, Jamey Carroll and Kelly Shoppach; Cameron threw me a look in the car. It said - "Mom I'm so glad you're MY Mom and that you can do these things for us"!

That's so much better than going to Disneyland...

Go Packers!

We've decided, as a family, to support the Green Bay Packers next weekend. Brett Favre? Gotta go with the old guy...simply to help us feel young! (especially my 51 year old -- Happy Birthday tomorrow honey -- hockey playing husband!)

Anyone else care to comment on YOUR team favorites? Here's the match-ups again...

NFC Divisional Title
Green Bay Packers vs New York Giants (Just not the right Manning in the game...)

AFC Divisional Title
New England Patriots vs San Diego Chargers (QB Rivers and Tomlinson are both injured...)

The Jersey

Jackson got a new football jersey for Christmas. Actually, he got it yesterday because Santa and the United States Postal Service had trouble communicating our address!

So Santa had to write a note explaining why the prized Devin Hester Chicago Bears #23 home jersey was not under the tree.

The USPS elf dropped the box in the middle of our garage floor sometime Thursday -- I only discovered it as I was leaving to go to the post office yesterday to find out where the heck it was!

I've written about Jackson's obsession with his jersey's before. He sees holes and threads, some imaginary, some created by the constant picking; his obsessiveness has relegated some jerseys to the closet, never to be worn again! (Not such a bad fate for the Troy Smith Ohio State jersey!)

Devin Hester arrived pristine in its package from the NFL Shop. He carefully put it over his head...and started examining the you-know-what out of it until...yep - there was actually a flaw on the sleeve!


I had visions of a major meltdown -- the wailing and tears -- the insistence on getting another jersey...

Instead I got - "You know, I'm getting okay with this..."

Christmas miracles...

Who's The Sports Expert Anyway?!

Last night we went to our final Pittsburgh Pirates game of the year. I'm not really sure how it happened we became Pirates fans -- being from Canada (Ah Ha - now you know why I am a "MUM"!) my husband and I have always been rabid Toronto Blue Jays fans; who have and always will be in the American League. The National League is still a new game to us - why in the world would you even bother to bring the pitcher in to bat - you might as well just count an automatic out! I think our new found allegiance to the Pirates must be the Canadian - Jason Bay - the best export from Canada since Larry Walker!
Cameron chose not to join us for this family field trip - it would have meant missing football practice; which would have jeopardized his return to the team after his injury. Besides the team trainer(?...this is middle school!) configured an elaborate padding system around his cast in order for him to play! Anything for the team...
Jackson's "ultimate to the end of the earth best-friend" Donnie joined us instead.
We got to our premium left-field seats as the Diamondbacks were starting BP (I had to be told by an eight year old that this meant batting practice...)
This is where I need to digress (again!) to explain...Jackson is OCD about his team's and their jerseys. He has a Jason Bay Pirates shirt and wears this to all their games. BUT - his favorite team is the Diamondbacks - I have no idea why.
While the boys were standing along the outfield fence, one of the Diamondback players comes over to talk to them and gives them each a high five. In unison, the three of them turn toward John and I with their mouths dropped open - "that was Eric Byrnes-the STAR player"! So I'm thinking...they don't have any clue whether that was Eric Byrnes. After the game begins, my theory is confirmed when the "real" Eric Byrnes comes up to bat - he is very blond and very NOT the guy who high fived them.
As John and I go back and forth about the identity of the high five guy he finally said to me - look, to them it was Eric Byrnes...don't tell them anything different!
That's why he is SportsDAD...
But I was right...