The tournament girls softball team I caoch with Maria Morris played a double header scrimmage in Alameda yesterday. I lined this up with Don Musso of Alameda about a month ago, a way to get both of our teams ready for tournament play which begins mid-June.
My thoughts:
Don is a great guy, very organized, passionate about the game, and a pleasure to deal with. His wife Danni organized food for the day, and really took care of us in a first class manner. His daughter Allie was delightful, personable and actively involved in coaching their team and inspiring their players. Their players can put the bat on the ball, they sent a few shots into our outfield, Don’s daughter in particular hit a towering fly that went for a double. I wish we had more fields and parks like they have in Alameda.
Maria and Annie Berenberg are my base coaches and they’re both awesome. They both know the game very well and as a result, I think they inspire our girls. Annie’s just a kid, so she’s playful in a older sister way with a lot of the girls on the team.
You won’t find a better scorekeeper than Rob Cook. Going through the scorebook after I got home, I was amazed at the level of detail he provided – and it was just a scrimmage!
I like all our kids. I’m breaking the ice with a few of them, but they’re a pretty fun group. Claire and Jordan, who we picked up from Piedmont, are pretty serious hitters – both sturdy girls who can put some muscle into their swings.
Josie and Natalie proved why their our top pitchers, but in fairness to the other girls, they’ve had more structured instruction. I’m looking forward to bringing the others up to speed, but I know who our horses are.
Our parents know how to have a good time. We had a mock scrimmage after everyone had a chance to eat. It was grown ups against the kids. I got a couple phone calls after we got home from parents telling me how much fun they had and what a great day it was. I said the same thing to both of them, this was a fund day in what will become a series of fun days.