Bullpen

Says in the article she trained the the Olympic Training Center, which is here in Colo Springs, so chances are I already did...

"Don't worry mom, that's part of the smoke ring. See smoked pork chops have a pinkish color to them." Yeah, in real-life I sometimes engage rather than letting things pass. Worked for Marv Marinovich right? Thank you, thank you. I'll be in town all week, try the veal. And I earn TBD's Dad of the Year Award! Thanks again for all the help guys, seriously. I got some good advice and validation too.

C'mon!!! You have to admit that was too easy not to pass up! Don't ban me please! How can get my post count back up to "pre-crash of 08" levels?

You're right, he's not much of an athlete, but I'm actually fine with that. As long as he's a good kid and stays out of trouble (and baseball is part of that equation) I'm happy. That's the thing he really LIKES baseball, but he's just not great at it. As long as he likes it and can make the teams, I'll be happy to pay the legalized extortion it costs for him to play public high school baseball. We've sent him to camps, but I think one-on-one attention might be better for him, you're right there. Understood, she's staying with us all week as it turns out. Keeping in mind I'm the cook of the house, I should have just left her steak on the grill a eensty-weensty bit too long huh?

Wow, quick (and even useful) responses. There's kernels of wisdom in each one of your replies. True Darin, we will look back on this with fonder memories, which is part of the reason, I don't want to turn batting practice or time at the cage into a traumatic "I hate you dad" moment. I told him, if he keeps his grades up and his mouth shut at school, I would spring for some hitting instruction with a qualified third-party. Thinking along VA's words that parents are idiots and a third-party removed might be a good idea. Part of my genetic defect is when it comes to teaching be it golf, fishing or baseball, the only way I know how is to say "watch how I do it." I can watch his swing for days, and I can tell there's something wrong, but I can't put my finger on it. (kinda like the politician who said "I don't know what pornography is but I can tell you, when I see it). I'm just wired that way, I can show, but I can't "tell" or "diagnose the defects." Thanks for the help guys, seriously.

So my son had a freshman baseball game yesterday that I, my wife and my mother-in-law attended. I should preface this by saying, I'm definitely NOT a "little league parent" who's coaching from the stands, berating my son or other players, getting into the coaches business or forcing him into playing something he doesn't WANT to play. It's up to him what he wants to do and I'm not going to impose my will on him and end up having him hate a sport because it gets turned into a chore rather than what it is "a game." Okay, so he kept his season hitless streak going. At which point my mother-in-law says to me “You really ought to work with him on his hitting.” To which I replied: “Really? Ya think? Do you REALLY think I haven’t? Really? Do you think I just spend hundreds of dollars on equipment and uniform items and just turn him loose so at least he LOOKS good playing crappy baseball? Why when a kid struggles does everyone immediately look at the dad and say you need to work with him? He’s 14-years-old, everything I try to teach him is met with ‘I know’ and then he goes back to doing whatever HE thinks is the right way to do things.” Her reply was “well you’re the dad.” So because I'm the dad, I was a fairly decent baseball player back home in WNY, due to "trickle down talent" he should be a good ball player also? Just fuggin great so if he was a girl and didn’t know how give up the nappy-dugout, people would look at the mom and say “Well you’re the mom, teach her how to screw right.” I have taken him to cages, I have pitched to him, I've thrown him soft-toss, I've bought him a hit-a-way and books on hitting, he just doesn't want to use the tools I've given him. I'm not resentful, but I'm of the mind, you get what you put in. How do I politely say, “look baseball requires hard work, genetics and luck. He doesn’t want to work on anything that’s hard (thus the reason it’s called WORK). He didn’t exactly get the pick o’ the litter on genetics (and THAT ONE is out of my hands as I legally adopted him as my son a few years ago, sorry can’t take the blame for THAT). Luck is based on Karma he he’s done his share of kicking Karma in the nuts based on this school records, so he’s got all the luck he earned being a knucklehead to himself and his teachers.” His mother has said the same thing to me in the past and I've explained that he doesn't want to listen and he'll initially make it look like he's putting forth some effort but after a day or two, he's done and moves on to something else. Seriously, how do I break it to his mother and his grandmother, that the boy ain’t gonna get any better until he wants to listen and work? Sorry for the rant, but at least it was cathartic for me to vent here.

So she definitely wouldn't like beersphere then?

Well played VA. I have to agree since when is JP not a character guy?

Happy B-day Spud Mountain! Would you like fries or potato vodka with that?

Sidd Finch was classic. Have to admit, as a young naive 14 year old, I bought into it hook, line and sinker.

Happy birfday fellas... (the sheer amount of sincerity in this post is 10X as much as Beerball has in any of his!)

Well judging from this thread, it must be Friday! You're right though, I thought I smelled something and it wasn't the spong-monkeys, the hedgehogs or the someone's axe-wound... it must be beersphere.

Look Sketch!!! Huuuge has puppies over there!!! Hurry go see them!

Good God! I forgot obout those guys! Fuggin hilarious!!! Soda-coming-out-the-nose funny! Methinks Sketch has something to do with this stuff...

Quick, someone get something shiny or gather up a bunch of puppies, that'll keep him distracted so he doesn't see this!!!!

That was a low-blow Uh-oh, sorry this a Birthday thread.

Ten for me too! We're in good shape gents! They'll go after the "husky ones" before they'll even think about feasting on us! By the way I'm good up to 23 five-year-olds, that 24th one will most likely get the best of me.

Happy birthday to each and everyone of you! Wow what are the odds of three guys named Mike all on one board all having b-days today? BTW, regardless of the fact that beerball started this thread, I'm being much more sincere in my wishes than he could ever be.

Backed by the hit tune from Color Me Badd? Man you is gangsta!?!

That's most likely the next location for the Chateau Bullpen! So the G in gmac stands for gangsta and the mac stands for Mack-10 or somethin? Did you get jumped or sexed into the gang?

The Return of the Wrath of the Khan?!?!? KHAAAAAN!!!!!!! KHAAAAAN!!!!!!!

I can't trust you with ANYTHING can I? What can I say, the stalls at the Millcreek Mall were backed up!!!

Jesus, this is still being propagated? I remember back when I was in HS, you weren't supposed to flash your lights at a vehicle driving with it's headlights off. A&E or History Channel have a show on Thursdays called Gangland and they were profiling MS-13 a while back. Those are some crazy mo-fos that's for sure. Supposedly they are running rampant in Colorado, thus the reason, my wife doesn't jog on the trails near our house. My son says there's a lot of wannabe gangsters in his high school, and they're trying so hard to earn a rep, that they're almost worse than the "real-deal" gangbangers.

Stuckey's Nah, not really. I'll drive the extra couple miles myself to find a hotel or something away from the highway (particlarly if I'm dropping the kids off at the pool).

Gambling at the casinos out here in Colorado... well more likely PRETENDING to gamble and ordering free beers most of the night.