Author Archives: Wolfdaddy Sports Talk

Now I’ve helped coach Tee Ball many times before and I also played baseball until I got hurt in the service, but, I have never had a team of my own.

Monday, the 25th of April, my “Lil Giants” played their first Tee Ball game against the Redsox and I had the best seat in the house.

Being on that field and coaching is something I love doing more than anything and now I’m doing it with my son and my stepdaughter. There is nothing better than teaching your children something you love and enjoying it with them and boy did I enjoy it.

I knew coming into this game what to expect. I mean, it’s Tee Ball. There is going to be some crying, running around, and even some accidents, but, this game went very smooth. Almost each and everyone of my ballplayers were getting hits on the first swing, in the ready position in the field, and smiling the entire game. There were a couple collisions, a few backwards base running, and even a broken tee, but, this game flew by.

We had one practice that involved grounders and throwing mechanics and one hitting practice the week before the first game and I could tell each kid learned from that when they stepped on the field Monday. There were very few swing and misses and most of my ballplayers were in ready position at all times, but, one especially had a great game in the field and another broke my new tee I just bought that day. My stepdaughter stepped up to the plate on the left side for her first at bat and took a big swing and miss. Her second swing did not miss. Well, it missed the ball. She banged the middle of the post and the top of the tee flew down the third base line. The ball had went so far I told her it was a hit and to run to first. She was so confused. Personally, I was in shock. I had never seen someone break a tee before, but, it was definitely a laugh. Zeke however, played second and right-center this game and he made about 3 or 4 plays that most tee ball players don’t make. The first ball hit to him, he never moved and it went right by him. I let him know that he needed to move to the ball like I showed him. The next 3 or 4 balls hit to him he did just that. He stopped each one then made great throws to first base. To add to the game he played in the field he asked if he could hit on both sides of the plate. I have been working with him for a couple years on switch hitting and he’s loved it and done really well. He hits better on the left side, but, I let him do it in the game and he had two solid knocks on each side of the plate.

To say I was proud of the game my ballplayers played is an understatement, but, there was one moment that I loved most of all. I have a little girl on my team that is very shy and normally won’t leave her parents side during practices, let alone let me help her, so, I figured she’d be the same way at the game. Somehow, her mom and dad convinced her to take her first at-bat by herself, so, when she met me at the plate I immediately stepped back so she could do her own thing instead of helping her. She took one big swing with one had and smacked the ball with her little pink bat then ran to first base. But, when the last kid cleared the bases and she came running down the third base line she had the biggest smile on her face I had ever seen. I offered her a high five and she gave me one. It melted my heart. I was so happy I yelled to her parents, “she high-fived me!” The rest of the game she seemed to be having a blast. Moments like those will forever live in my heart and are the main reason I go out there and coach.

The entire game went well and I am so proud of all my ballplayers. It feels so good to teach these kids and watch them grow and learn. I lose thought when I’m on that field and I’m locked in. Nothing else matters when you’re out there but those kids and I look forward to coaching them for a long time. My pops said it best, “if you continue to coach these kids, you are going to build a connection with them and their parents for the rest of their lives”.

Fans have waited a little longer this year for Opening Day, but, the wait is over.

On December second of 2021, Major League Baseball owners voted unanimously to enact a lockout after the Collective Bargaining agreement, signed in 2016, expired. This was the ninth work stoppage in MLB history and the first since the early 90s. The lockout postponed Spring Training and moved Opening Day from March 31, 2022 to April 7, 2022.

The Cubs open the season in Wrigley against the Brewers at 2:20pm Eastern time for the first Major Leage game of the day after some games were moved to Friday because of inclement weather. Can the Cubs still win after trading away all the talent that got them to the World Series in 2016 or will the Brewers pitching shut them down?

This season there will be a twelve team playoff bracket, making it the largest playoff bracket in Major League history. With that in mind, can Giants repeat last season’s magic? Can Miami become contenders? Will the Mets be able to compete with their injury issues? Are the Yankees going to continue to fall?

Baseball is anyone’s game, but, the Yankees and Dodgers have done their best to make it their game by putting together “super teams” over the years. It did not work well for either team last year after the Giants crushed Dodger fan’s hopes with a solid pitching staff and the Yankees were unable to find answers for any position.

After the last couple years of Covid-19 causing major league sports to implement new rules and cautions, I think fans and players are ready to get back to normal and create a more exciting atmosphere at the ballpark.

So, from the words of AC/DC, “Let’s play ball”.

(All photos shared from google photos)

Wow! Where has this sport been all my life?

I waited all day Tuesday for this game to get going and it did not disappoint. I gotta say, I was not very open minded going into this game considering, the only hockey I’ve ever seen was at a college in Alaska and there was zero excitement in that game. The game last night however, was the complete opposite and I was eager to write this blog this morning.

Within the first three minutes of the game there were three fights and a ton of penalty time. After the first fight however, I was hooked. I mean, who doesn’t want watch hockey players drop their gloves mid-game and throw em? Each fight did not last long in my opinion, but, they all ended with a player cut up and you can see the crowd was loving it.

With the fights came plenty of goals for the Predators as they won this one at home six to two, bringing them to forty wins at the top of the Wildcard. I told my lady during the game, “wouldn’t it be cool if the Predators won this game against the hottest team in the league and even more cool, if they made the playoffs the first season I started watching this awesome sport?” I quickly realized this sport is definitely for me.

Hockey rules are like soccer rules except much more physical. From what I learned last night, there is plenty of hits, fights, and intensity to keep you intrigued the entire game. This is definitely one of those manly man sports, so, if you don’t enjoy that kind of thing then I don’t recommend it. However, it was by far one of the greatest sports events I’ve ever watched on television and I am not exaggerating.

The game stopped with just over six seconds remaining after Ryan Johansen completed his first career hat-trick. The crowd tossed hats all over the ice and that was something I’ve never seen before. You could see how much Johansen and company appreciated the fan’s love as the team piled on Johansen to celebrate their victory and his big game. Johansen was not the only player with a big game. Roman Josi had two solid assists and Juuse Saros blocked a new career high 47 shots.

So, it is safe to say I am officially a big hockey fan and I will be rooting for my boys in yellow to have a solid playoff run this season for this first time hockey fan.

(All photos shared from Google photos)

I have been the biggest sports fan I know all my life. I dabbled in many sports as a child and I’ve always been very passionate when doing so. I was always tiny so I knew I could never make anything of myself, but, that never stopped me from trying any sport I took interest in.

Hockey is one sport I was never interested in, but, I’ve always had a lot of respect for. Simply because I’ve been on the ice about 5 times in my life and I couldn’t skate on Heelys, let alone ice skates. I was the guy who stepped on the ice and went straight to the wall for 30 minutes and still fell, but, I always made sure to bring someone or someones down with me. I mean, I am a naturally athletic human being, but, put me on ice and I’ll look like the skaters from Adam Sandler’s “Big Daddy”.

As I get older I know I can not play sports any more, but, I can invest most of my time watching, listening, or rooting for my teams as a fan.

I recently took interest in Hockey because of the physicality and excitement the sport seems to bring. I’ve also noticed the sport is growing in the United States, so, right now is a great time to introduce myself to this mean sport. I recently ordered a 7th man Predators jersey to shore up my fanbase and show my support, so, don’t let me down Smashville.

Tonight, the Nashville Predators take on Minnesota at home as they sit at the top of the Wild Card and I will be rooting for Nashville because that is the team closest to home and man am I excited. I’m crossing my fingers for some big hits, crazy shots, and hands thrown. So, cheers to the boys in yellow! Let’s get this dub! Go Predators!

Thank you for reading.

(All photos shared from google photos)