Cookout & Swimming for a Rainout?

Yeah for once it didn't rain today but despite that we didn't have a game. The field here was too wet to play on and so the game was moved to the opposing team's field. However, the storms that did come through hit Colleyville so no game there. So after getting Eric up at 8:45 to go to the gym with me, he had a nice relaxing day, ran out and got me Chipotle for lunch while I was scrapbooking. Then he played some video games and laid down for a rest and Eriq called and said get the cameras I'm picking you up! So I got Cindy and Ashley but Eric had to leave for early BP shortly so he stayed behind. We went to see why our Hickory Creek Rd was closed...flooding to say the least. Water was rushing out of the creek across the road in several spots and going on as far as you could see. Right as we got there, Eric called and said the game was just cancelled but he was going to go hit at the field, but when they got there, it rained and they had to come back. It never rained at our house and yet no game and serious flooding. Go figure. Well, Eric decided he wanted to see this flooding so he drove Ashley and me out to the road and he was quite impressed with the water flow we had going so we got the camera and checked out both sides of the road and took quite a few pictures. We passed Angie and Ruben going out so we had them take a look as well. The best part was watching the fish try and cross the road, swimming against the current. So now we hae no plans for the evening so Cindy invited us to join them for swimming and grilled steaks, Eric had been busy playing videogames so he didn't have any plans and Tyler was going to go to dinner with Thomas and Kai so they all joined us at the house. Eric met his first goat and horse, despite being afraid of them (Thomas said he'd hold Eric's hand :) and the guys shot some hoops and just visited while Ashley and I went for a swim in the pool. We then sat down for dinner watching the Rangers finish up and win the game in Boston. Then after some more snacks and a visit to Tyler's room, the guys went out together and the rest of us had a nice chat for awhile and now we're home and I need to dry off. So there's the day...interesting at least.

Magic Time Machine

We're working on a tradition of going to MTM with the guys now. Last year we took Matt and Wendy, this year we got the Felans and Jose and Jeremy along with us. Another scheduled off night tonight, thankfully it was raining anyway. At this point we don't want any off nights with no rain! We wanted to get a larger group together but my planning didn't quite get there...but a group of 9 is decent enough, we were able to order the Roman Orgy for all the adults and Ryan and Angel got smaller dishes. We had Harry Potter as our waiter, I still like Captain Jack the most but Harry Potter is a good second. Angelspilled a drink at the very beginning of the meal to get the evening started! Then the trip to the salad car was fun. When the meal came, Eric wasn't sure about the grape sharing but Ryan got into it. We all had a good time, enough food for days and some good memories and pictures of course. The guys are going to go out no and leave us "adults" to go to bed early. :)

Rain, rain and a dog

We were scheduled for Weatherford tonight but the weather wasn't looking like it would cooperate. I got all my errands done so I would be ready to go out to the game. I finished all my grading, billing caught up, I ran to Sam's and Albertson's and then came home to change clothes to run to the gym and to get the oil changed. Eric had texted that the workout room was locked again so they couldn't get any lifting done so as I got home he was going to go out for a run. I fixed a quick tomato sandwich and as I finished he opened the front door and said "Anna, come see this!" so I did and he had a dog follow him home from his run. He tried to get it to stay but it just followed him all the way home. We spent some time trying to decide what to do with her. He walked with her back out about where he picked her up and tried knocking on a few doors, with no luck. We finally put her in the back yard and he gave her some water, then Eric had to jump the fence to get out without her joining us either in the house or in the front yard. I ran off to the gym. When I came out, he had texted to say he gave her food. He's found a friend. After getting to the bus, the guys were told to wait since it might be a rain out and eventually it was. Well after we all got home again, we introduced the dogs, which went smoothly at first but then Rhoda started attacking "Sunshine" and we had to pull them apart. Just when we thought they were ok, I went to throw something out and came back to another dog fight which ended with our dogs being put inside in their crates and the new dog left out. Then the storms got bad and we went to check on Sunshine but she was no longer there. She had torn apart the bottom of the gate to get out and she ran away. I guess there won't be another dog introduction lesson tomorrow, unless Eric goes for another run and she's still out there. So, here we are with another unplanned off night. I am very tired for no good reason so it's ok, Eric, Jose, Jeremy and Tyler W went to Hooters and then the movies to see Ocean's Thirteen and I've talked to Gayle and Amy to plan our trip to LA and Australia and I've listened to a bit of Josh's game and worked on about 4 pages of the scrapbook. It was kind of a weird anticlimactic kind of day but all in all I guess it's not too bad.

Game suspended

After wavering on if I should go to Mineral Wells due to not feeling really well and the threat of rain and trying to find someone to go with me, I finally headed out by myself just after 5:00 hoping to see Eric play. I got there just in time although as it turns out they had switched home sides of the field so I got to wander across the whole set of stands to find a seat. I got settled in and Eric was starting at first base which was good and the weather looked good, slightly cloudy but cool and not rainy. Our starting pitcher was struggling but he was hanging in there and had given up 1 run in 3 innings, our hitting was also struggling, having gone down 1,2,3 in the first 2 innings and finally getting going with a double by Tyler L in the third when...the rain started, it just burst down out of nowhere but stopped after about 2 minutes. All the fans in the stands started moving inward and upward where the cover was more protecting. The game continued with a walk to start our half of the 4th inning, Heath was up to bat and it just really let loose for good this time. The guys all ran into the dugouts and watched the field start to wash away. They covered pitchers mound and home plate but the rest of the infield was just flooding. A couple of Mineral Wells guys ran out onto the field and played slipper slide on the wet grass and then into the mud slide outside first base. Then Kyle and Zach took off their undershirts and went and did the same. Finally the game was called and we all packed up to go home. No new date has been set for continuation. I asked Eric to ride home with me and he didn't mind so we stopped at McDonalds for some nuggets and then headed home. So, it's an "early" night because despite the nearly 2 hour drive, we are home sooner than usual. This rain must stop, that's the 3rd time a game has been canceled or suspended now due to rain in 3 weeks.

Darn Roughnecks!

We came up against the Wichita Falls Roughnecks again tonight. They have been a thorn in our side for some reason and they continued the streak. After an excellent start by Lockwood and a 4-2 lead, our relief pitching gave up 2 runs in each of the last 2 innings to give us the loss. Despite some good hitting on the part of several Outlaws as well as some nice throw outs by Heath at catcher, the Roughnecks give us our 4th loss in 4 meetings, we have only lost 2 other times, as we win most of our games against other teams. So, we know the team to beat. We did find out that they have had their roster set since the beginning whereas we have had incoming players continuing throughout the beginning of the season. But positives for today include Eric getting a hit and a walk as well as making a couple of really nice plays for outs at first, Hugh making 3 great throws to second to get runners and Bobby going 3 for 4 including a homerun. Also, Matt started today at Helena and got his first professional hit, go MATT!!! We hit the Whataburger with Heath, Jocyln, Eric, Jose, Jeremy and all related families and saw Zach Boles and his family there. We were home before midnight due to the quickness of the game. But boy are the uniforms dirty after the little storm we had around 5:00, everything was muddy and the boys sure weren't shy about playing in the dirt. I'm off to try and make a uniform white again.

Storm

We've had some of our Texas sized storms lately, last night was the biggest so far this summer. We went to bed around 11 and were woken around 1:00 with thunder, lightning and rain. After watching some weather reports to find out there was a tornado warning with rotation headed our way, I went to check on Eric and tell him what to do if the sirens go off. He had apparently woken up around 11 and just gone back to bed not too long before the storms hit, so he was definitely awake. The storm lessened around 2 am and we got back to sleep by 3:30. This morning, I overheard Eric on the phone saying we almost died in the storm last night! Those silly California boys aren't used to this weather. Thankfully, despite one more storm this morning, the day finally cleared, the sun came out and we were able to have a game. Meanwhile, Sarah and I did some scrapbooking, I finished the spring baseball (Matt's) book and got started on this season. The game tonight was at Colleyville, where Rusty Greer is the new manager/coach. I was the only Outlaw fan to begin, although I heard a few cheers later in the game but I didn't recognize anyone else. The game was not spectacular, ending with a 16-5 loss. Pitching could use some work and hitting will have to heat up if not, preferable either way it will. So, I'm tired, got a lot to do tomorrow, so I'm off, goodnight!

Happy Father's Day

Eric was very brave today, it was a scheduled off day, and he agreed to hang out with us while we visited our families all day long. We first went down to DeSoto and had Mongolian BBQ with my parents and then headed to their house for dessert and swimming. We had a nice time, the sun even came out for long enough for me to swim and the guys to check out the creek. Eric attracted butterflies and got to explore nature. We left there to head back up to Lewisville for dinner with Eriq's siblings and partners, which also included Eriq's sister's boyfriend's parents and which also ended up being a 2 1/2 hour adventure due to misplaced order, missing waiter, and wrong checks. However, we all survived, it was even a good time and we walked away with lots of free food. We got home and crashed, we went to bed to watch some tv and Eric fell asleep in his room by 9 with the lights on...

Those darn Roughnecks!

There's a jinx or something when we play this team. Despite them moving to Wichita Falls, it still exists. We put out a very different team tonight since most of our players have now finished their college series. It was a new look but fared no better against the WF team. Only 4 players had hits: Dylan, Heath and Thomas were all 1 for 3 and Jose was 1 for 4, there were also 4 walks but we could only score 4 runs against their 10. We will work on beating them next time. Whataburger was fun and early for us, so off to bed.

A turtle, 21 runs and a bumper

That's the night I just had in a nutshell. We got to the field and Juston had picked up a turtle and it was wandering all over the field. It kept escaping the dugout and had to taken out to the woods before game time. The game was long, about 3 1/2 hours or so with runs going back and forth all night but finally ending with a win 13-8 over the newest TCL team the Brazos Valley Bombers. Highlights include Haji Arif coming to the game, Jose hitting a triple, Eric getting hit by a pitch, Heath in his first home game going 2 for 3 with 4 RBI, a pitcher with 6 straight outs and Dan even came for the game and stayed the night. The pitcher for the Bombers was Brice Ary from our 2006 team so Eriq had a nice chat with him as the game ended. Then we were headed to Whataburger but Eric and Jose decided to eat the Chick-Fil-A (team dinner) on the back of Eric's truck so it was just Eriq and I in our car at the light when we got bumped from behind. I looked back and said is that a player that just hit us and it was Heath, the guy we had just been talking to and was going up to Whataburger with us. Then of course the light turns green (which usually takes forever) so we all pulled into the empty lot across the street followed by his girlfriend who didn't know where we were going. He was so worried and apologetic but there's no more than tiny paint transfer on the bumper so we all got back in the cars and Julie called so I had to tell her that her new "son" had just hit us. They were wondering where everyone was...thankfully the rest is uneventful. Tomorrow is an off night so Eric is going out with some guys, I'm going to go catch some tv and Eriq is going to bed so he can work in the morning. Goodnight!

Bad umps time

I've not been at the last 2 away games since I was out of town but the same old story this year...it's time for that part of the season where we start noticing how really bad some of the umps can be. Seems some very bad calls both at the plate and in the field were made on Sunday night and one of them would have changed the game from a loss in 11 innings to a win in 9! Monday night's game wasn't as bad, I listened to it, but the strike zone was not at all defined. At least the guy was consistently bad for both teams, neither our players nor their broadcasters thought too much of that. There was also a play that sounded very questionable ending in a player being thrown out of the game and for fun...Kevin came in to play 3rd base. I bet he enjoyed that! So that's the story for those 2 games, back home finally tonight. We also looked at the schedule for all teams and we're the only one that has so many away games back to back on a regular basis, combined with very few home stands. Ours are 3 sets of 2 games in a row while McKinney for example has a run of 5 and more games that are every other day home and away. It's gonna be a tough season, but we have the best team no matter what happens!

Texas Rangers

I went out of town to a Poster Retreat this weekend (fun!) but Eriq and Eric went to a Rangers game. It gave Eric a chance to see the Ballpark in Arlington and enjoy a night off. There were quite a few entertainment activities including army parachuters and mascot night. The Rangers came back in the 9th inning for a win to cap off the night.

MATTHEW IS DRAFTED!

Matt Cline, our player from last summer was just drafted in the 22nd round of the MLB Draft! For pick #671 the Milwaukee Brewers chose our boy as shortstop, his preferred position. In true Matt form, I got a text message when it happened. We have now had both of our host players drafted, we're 2 for 2 and that's good odds. We should be top in line for new players coming in ;)

I can't even tell you how happy I am for him and he's very excited obviously. The scout is supposed to call him back with more details later but I just wanted to put this up with all the excitement I have right now! :D

Home Opener

Tonight was the night for it all to begin at our new home field. We are crazy fans so we had to go about 2 hrs before game time to check the place out, pick seats, parking, etc. First impressions are the following:
1)The field itself is very nice, maintained, good outfield distances
2)The press box, concessions, restrooms are nicely done and well laid out
3)The seating is HORRIBLE! The field sits 6 feet below ground and the lowest bleachers 6 feet above ground. It changes the whole feeling of the game. What is so nice about the TCL is the closeness you feel, seeing the players, being connected as a fan group, this seating arrangements takes all of that away. There's even a catwalk, which is helpful for getting around once you are up in the air in the stands but that explains the whole atmosphere. Now what you can do, and we did, is to sit in lawn chairs under the bleachers, however, watch your head because the bottom of the bleachers has huge metal I-beams every 5 feet or so and they come down to about 5 feet off the ground.

OK, so enough about that. Once many of the host families gathered our chairs under the seats, the game got underway. It was a frustrating one in that we weren't very consistent, we played like we've seen the other teams play against us the last 2 games. Highlights include Jeremy hitting a grand slam and Eric going 1 for 2 with 3 straight walks, putting his OBP at .727 now! The game ended in a loss but that didn't stop us from taking the gang to...Whataburger of course! We broke in our new crew and those at the restaurant but taking about 20 people over around 11:30 (it was a long game). Tomorrow is an away game again, see you in Coppell.

Scrapbooking and Baseball-nothing better

Today I spent the day at Sharon's house scrapbooking-we skipped out on the Convention Crop and used the money to shop at Joann's instead! I got started on the New Orleans pictures then packed back up and headed down to Duncanville to meet mom for dinner. We had a good time at Taco Bell, eating and exchanging fun buys and then I headed over to the D'ville ballpark to catch the Outlaws game. I had the entire away section to myself for most of the game, it was less than crowded but we had some good run scoring going on starting in the first inning with 5 runs to get started. We added 3 more in the third, Jose (welcome back) hits a homer in the 6th and we add another 4 runs and with one more in the ninth, the game ends at 13 to 4. Eric went 2 for 5 reaching base on errors twice (6 total errors by DD) and on a walk and scored times. He made some great stretches to catch balls and get outs at first base as well. Jeremy got the win on his birthday-happy birthday!

Weatherford game 1

Angie and I were planning to go to Weatherford together tonight but then Jose was going to fly in so we were waiting to see when we would be able to go. AfterJose's flight got delayed from 1:30 to 5:45 Angie had to find someone to give him a ride home because we couldn't pick him up. So around 5:30 I picked up Angie and Ryan and we headed off. The trip was a bit shorter than expected despite traffic we arrived around 6:40 but we decided to go ahead and stop back at the Taco Bueno (as we had been there before) and grab a bite to eat since the game wasn't for another hour. Around 7:00, we headed back to the field to realize that the game was already in progress! We got in in time to see Eric's first at bat and the rest of the game was good. We won game one!!! There was a nice fireworks show after the game and then we headed home. We tried to catch up to the bus but apparently it was moving because we never saw it again after it left the parking lot. Good win, Go Outlaws!

Pre-Season Party

Today first practice was at 10:00 am, Eric has his own vehicle so he was able to get to the field on his own. Practice was short so Eric came home around noon and we hooked up his Guitar Hero and he taught me how to play. OK, it is fun, I admit I get the hype now. The pre-season kickoff party was tonight at El Guapo. It was a good time to catch up with the other host families and meet a few of the new players. We had fajitas and mingled . The girls (Lauren and Ashley) helped me pass out the noise makers I made and all the kids got to decorate one for their player. But the fun of the evening was that as we entered the neighborhood, Eriq thought we were being followed by a truck. He took some strange turns through the neighborhood and they continued to follow us, but then as we turned back in the opposite direction, they finally went the other way. When we got to the house, they had slowed down and were pulling in front of our house...it was the Felan's! They were trying to get our players to meet so Eric could pick Jeremy up for practice the next day! Thankfully we all got a good laugh!
The season officially begins tomorrow night with a game in Weatherford.

The season begins

Baseball season is officially here! Our newest has arrived after a 23 hour drive from California. Eric Oliver (#23) made it to the house around 9:30 tonight and now the fun begins. :)