As time went on and I started to get more involved with coaching my own team and Dimitri, getting to see Evan practice was difficult. His catching and throwing seemed to improve slightly but his hitting was same. But somehow he hung in there, and fortunately, rest of his teammates never made fun of him. There was camaraderie with boys and coaches. The coaches continued to be supportive and encouraging.

Then games started for real. Evan would play for an inning or two in right field and typically bat just once. He had made a couple of nice plays in outfield but his batting consisted of either walking (rarely) or striking out (mostly). He never complained nor did his attitude change. Come practice or game time he was eager to be out there, listen to coaches, and enjoy practice of being a kid with rest of his teammates. The team lost their first game of year. Afterwards dejection and silence emanating from dugout was prevalent except from Evan. He made a statement heard by all, “hey it’s only one game, and we are not going to lose them all”. I was stunned to hear him say that, but very proud. So were his coaches. Evan had no idea how winning was all that most kids knew playing under Frank, but he brought it all into perspective. The team bounced back with some wins. They were not going to be dominating team they were last year, but they still were among top. But as games went on, he still struck out for his only time at bat. But coaches still kept encouraging him. Frank kept saying not to be discouraged and Phil kept working on his swing.

One day coming home my wife was elated. She told me at practice Evan practically hit every ball that Frank threw to him. This was confirmed by Evan who was noticeably excited by this new development. He started to build confidence. I went to next practice and noticed that, although he missed a few and kids were still gathering around pitching mound when he batted, he did get bat on ball. What I also experienced was something you do not see often. The parents of kids, particularly stars of team, showed a lot of interest in progress of Evan. He was kid to really root for, underdog. They were very supportive of him.

Dimitri and I had just finished a practice with our own team and headed to Little League field where Evan was having a game. We arrived around 5th inning. The team was winning 4-0. Evan had not batted yet. He saw me and without hesitation asked if we could get Chinese food after game. At first I told him no, since my wife had prepared a really nice dish. He is crazy about food and dejection gave him a sour pus. I then said to him that if he got a hit I would get him Chinese food. He relayed this information to Jeff scorekeeper. Jeff is a school teacher and father to one of ployers. He has a very upbeat attitude, a lot of enthusiasm and a great liking towards Evan. He came to me and said there may be a possibility that he may not get to bat due to his position in lineup and game being late in innings. But he assured Evan I would get him Chinese food anyway.

As it turned out Evan got a chance to bat. There were two outs and a man on base. The kid from opposing team still looked pretty good and throwing hard. Evan had always remarked that he felt pitchers he opposed threw very hard so I always felt he came to plate already intimidated. The first pitch thrown was high but Evan swung at it and managed to foul it off. A foul ball from Evan was a cause to celebrate and he received applause from his teammates and from parents. The next pitch was also high and Evan put his bat on ball cleanly. It was a grounder between second and first basemen into right field. A clean hit.

The applause was as if someone hit a homerun. I turned to my wife and gave her a big hug and a kiss. She was elated. I looked at my son at first base and he was beaming. That look of satisfaction was enough to send through my heart this warmness and elation that stopped time, and for a moment I was living his moment. The more he smiled, more I smiled. The boy was walking on air. The ball was retrieved by coaches so that he could have it signed by his teammates. They did not score and inning had ended, but rousing high fives and genuine love kids and parents had for this wonderful moment caused him to finally feel like he contributed, he was really part of this team. The elation did not stop. I have never seen him run so fast to his position in right field.

After game had ended, I turned to Frank, Phil, and Kevin and told them all “Good job guys”. Just a normal thing to say but it carried a lot of emotion. The base hit was a confirmation. The desire to keep on trying, never give up, encouraging others who are less skilled than you. This is what game should be about. A lesson about life and love.

I took him to get Chinese food, just both of us. I looked at him and said that was a really special moment. He just smiled and said, “Yeah, it really was, I got a base hit”. No son, you and I got more than that.

I always try to think about how I'm going to play each hole before I tee off. When I'm waiting to tee off I'll look at score card and try to map out my approach to hole. For example if next hole is a long par four I'll stand on tee and have a look at entire hole. I might decide to use a 5 wood, 9 iron, PW, and a one putt for par. Also I have chosen 3 shots I'm also confident in hitting. Having made up my mind before hand helps me relax more and concentrate on each shot. I don't feel anxious or uncertain about a possible upcoming shot. If one of shots doesn't work out I'll handle that as it comes, but planing before hand really helps. A par five might be a driver, 5 iron and 9 iron with a putt for birdie or at least two putts for par.

Even a long par three can be a challenge if it has a lot of bunkers or has a water hazard. If your anxious about water or bunkers then decide to lay up. Lets say hole is 210 yards with bunkers and a water hazard. You could tee off with a club tht will get you out there 150 yards and then you are left with a 50 yard chip or pitch shot with one putt for par. That may be better than putting one in water off of tee or in bunker. Most weekend golfers I know have a hard time with bunker shots. Avoid them if possible. Even though I could drive green myself Imight lay up if hazards are too difficult.

In conclusion, thinking about your round, or next shot can really help you lower your score. A little forethought will help you be honest with yourself and help you avoid those shots that you are not capable of. Playing within your strenghts is not coping out, but it is accepting your own capabilities, and it will actually help you lower your golf scores as we will see in next article.