And so it begins…..our first set of games on the big fields, and for many for their very first times. We played three shortened games today (they were to help certify refs for the league) and we won two and tied one. Not that that means anything at all at this point of the season, because it certainly does not. But it does a lot for building a team. You really cannot be a team without bonding to each other, and today was a good day to do just that.

Sadly, it was freezing cold and it rained all day. And just when you think you couldn’t get any wetter, the rain figured out how to. It was a mess, but thankfully we were on the turf field of our good friends, the Shamrocks of Westfield!

We really stood out in our bright orange pennies. (We are saving the uniforms for our opener on March 23rd). It’s not that we are big fans of Florida, or even citrus…..our pennies are a tribute to our Assistant Coach Mike T, who if you have been reading this some time was the 19 year old who was battling cancer, and who stepped forward to cover for me on the field when I was hospitalized with my stroke 2 years ago. Mike even rearranged his chemo to be at practices and games….not just with us, but with the boy’s team too where he had played through high school. Mike died the morning after being named the Assistant Coach of the Year by the boy’s league and right after we held a Mike T night where he was to take the team with me as his assistant. The pennies will never be enough to express what he means to us, but if you knew him you would say it was an appropriate tribute from perhaps the most aggressive team in the league!

In between the 2nd and 3rd games we headed over to St. Patrick’s to dry out the best we could and eat some lunch. Not all of the girls were there, but the picture gives you a good idea of what we are working with. They are a pretty good bunch.

But soon all the laughs and giggles and orange pennies will be put away and the school colors will be put on and the team will take the field. It is an awesome sight and I cannot wait. God has blessed me with some wonderful people in my life, and these girls are among them.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+