Final Havoc Tournament

With COVID messing up our whole spring, baseball season got pushed way out.  The boys usually end on Father's Day, but this year they played in a couple of tournaments in July.  It was definitely hot, but they were all happy to be playing.  Their last tournament was in Oxford, with their first game at 8am.  Pres and I rode over their bright and early, while Steve stayed back with the other two until the second game.

They started the day, like every other game day.....saying the Lord's Prayer.  It was early, but they managed to be awake and play pretty well.  They all made some good plays, but in the last inning, the bases were loaded and Preston was up to bat.  He managed to hit a solid triple, but when they threw the ball in, the third baseman missed the ball so Preston got home!  It was a great way to pull out a win!

Rocking one of Steve's old baseball shirts - vintage!

After resting and having some lunch, the boys started warming up for the second game.  The rest of the family came to watch the Havoc.  The boys tried to hang, but the other team started off strong, and then the lightening and eventually rain moved in.  They would get off the field for 30 minutes, get back on for a couple of batters and then get another 30 minute delay.  After the bottom fell out, they called the game for 2 hours, so I left with B and W. Once they were able to play again, they had weren't able to rebound. 

The following morning, we all got up early to watch them play the 8am game again. They played ok, but let one inning get away from them which ultimately ended up costing them the game.  Just when they were getting momentum and coming back, they ran out of time.  Even Walker had fun at the game with all of the younger siblings.  Sadly, we never got a family picture.

Homewood Havoc

Pres is lucky to be playing on a baseball team with so many of his classmates and friends.  He is with the same core boys and coaches, and the Homewood Havoc was ready to play hard this spring!  They were able to get in a lot of practices, many during the cold and rain.  However, just when the season was starting, it ended.

Preston's team only played one game and a couple of scrimmages, but they showed a lot of promise and we were all excited to see what they could do this season.  Sadly, the coronavirus put an end to their spring season.  Thankfully, Coach Hicks arranged a scrimmage the day before we knew the season was ending with the other Homewood team of boys their age.

The "other team" has always been viewed as the A team, the better team, but our boys beat them that Friday night.  I know that these are all children, and really....all friends of each other.  But our boys, the Havoc, needed that win.  They needed to prove to themselves that they had the skill set, the determination to play hard and win.  It was great to end on a high note, but I hated to have it end at all.  I love baseball, and love watching Pres and Walker play.

Then the state of Alabama started reopening slowly, so the boys entered a couple of tournaments.  They hadn't been practicing, so it started off fairly ugly, but they did ok in the end and had fun.  It was definitely a short season, and one that we will never forget.

Through it all, they decided they wanted to keep playing as a team and enter a big tournament next year.  After some discussion as a team, we decided that we are heading to Branson, MO for the Ballparks of America tournament in June 2021.  They are officially registered, and now the fundraising efforts begin.  Our goal is to raise $12K!  The parks will give us $3K, and the rest will be used for tournament fees, new uniforms and some extra for the families going to watch. 

The boys and coaches will stay on the campus for a "stay and play" experience, while the families will stay at a nearby hotel.  We are only one week into it all, and we have raised our first $1,000.