Well, I did. And I do love the boy so suddenly I'm a coach. Somehow, I figured coaches knew what they were doing. They had some burning passion for the sport. They had an extensive support network of boosters and helpers.

Fat chance.

Still, I heard from a few folks how to run a practice. The first couple were disasters, but soon we had them running smoothly. Right about that time was when we started games.

Once again, a little rough, but then it was like clockwork. The biggest victory was creating a lineup and position graphic that I updated before each game. Now I could focus on reminding the kids not to hit each other with the bats or pig-piling on the ball.

Our first game ended 18-18 in extra innings. Nothing but smiles even though it was a draw. Now we have two months of games (twice a week, weather permitting). Maybe we'll even win one.