WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!

TODAY, JAYBIRDS BASEBALL TEAM, THE BAY AREA KNIGHTS, WON THE BASEBALL WORLD SERIES! NOT ONLY THAT, THEY ARE UNDEFEATED! WHAT FUN IT WAS TO SEE THEM PLAY ALL WEEK, TO TRIUMPH WHEN THEY WERE BEHIND, TO TREAT EACH OTHER SO WELL AND PLAY SO WELL TOGETHER. IT IS A STUDY IN SPORTSMANSHIP AND FAIR PLAY. UFORTUNATELY, THERE WERE OTHER TEAMS WHO'S MOMS WERE HECKLING OUR PLAYERS, SCREAMING UGLY SLOGANS, TRYING TO DISTRACT OUR BOYS. IT DIDN'T WORK THOUGH, BECAUSE THE BOYS HAVE TREMENDOUS SELF-CONFIDENCE IN THEIR ABILITY TO PLAY TOGETHER AND BACK EACH OTHER UP. I WAS ASHAMED AND SADDENED TO HEAR GROWN PEOPLE TALK TO OUR PLAYERS LIKE THAT. DURING THIS PARTICULAR GAME, WE WERE BEHIND QUITE A BIT AT FIRST, AND IT COULD HAVE BEEN DISASTROUS, BUT AS I WATCHED THE LITTLE BOYS PLAY, I REALIZED THAT THEY WOULD DO ALL THEY COULD TO PULL IT OUT WITHOUT BLAMING EACH OTHER OR GIVING FAULT. THE OTHER TEAM'S PARENTS WERE SHOUTING DISCOURAGING WORDS AND SAYING THINGS LIKE, "DROP IT, DROP IT, DROP THE BALL!" I FELT THAT IT WAS SO TRASHY THE WAY THEY WERE ACTING, AND I KNEW THAT THEIR SONS PROBABLY DID NOT KNOW THE MEANING OF GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP. IT WAS SO HOT TOO, BUT OUR BOYS PLAYED ON AND ON, IGNORING THE TAUNTS AND MEAN REMARKS. I CAN ATTRIBUTE THEIR WONDERFUL ABILITY AND ATTITUDE TO THEIR COACHES, WHO ALWAYS BUILD THE BOYS UP AND MAKE THEM FEEL SPECIAL. THIS IS NOT TO SAY THEY ARE SOFT ON THE BOYS, BUT INDEED, MAKE THE BOYS WANT TO DO THEIR BEST AND NOT LET THE OTHER PLAYERS DOWN. EACH OF THESE WONDERFUL BOYS WILL BE SOMETHING SUCCESSFUL AND SPECIAL WHEN THEY GROW UP. IT IS APPARENT ALREADY THAT THEY HAVE A WONDERFUL WORK ETHIC, DEDICATION AND DETERMINATION TO SUCCEED. WHEN THEY FALL, THEY GET BACK UP. WHEN THEY WIN, THEY ARE HUMBLE AND GRATEFUL. I THINK THE BEST THING ABOUT THE COACHING STAFF IS THAT THEY START EACH GAME WITH A PRAYER WITH THE BOYS. THEY DO NOT PRAY TO WIN, BUT ONLY TO REMEMBER THEIR TRAINING AND TO BE KIND TO EACH OTHER. HOW CAN A TEAM LIKE THIS BE ANYTHING BUT A WINNER? BOBBIE JO WAS SUCH A PART OF THIS TEAM, IT WAS SO IMPORTANT TO HER THAT THE BOYS KNOW THAT SHE LOVED THEM. I KNOW THAT SHE WAS THERE TODAY, CHEERING THEM ON AND WISHING THEM WELL. GOSH, WE MISS HER SO MUCH AT THE GAMES, SCREAMING, JUMPING, CHEERING AND LAUGHING. SHE ALWAYS MADE SURE THERE WERE WET CLOTHS TO KEEP THE BOYS COOL, FOOD AND DRINKS FOR THEM AND THAT JAYBIRD HAD EVERYTHING HE NEEDED. SHE MADE WONDERFUL BANNERS TOO, REALLY VERY ARTISTIC. NOW, IT TAKES LOTS OF US TO FILL HER SHOES, BUT I HAVE TO SAY THAT HER SISTERS, PEANUT AND SISSY ARE GIVING THEIR ALL. THE BOYS LEARED TO SHARE WITH EACH OTHER BECAUSE BOBBIE JO GAVE THEM A SENSE OF COMMUNITY, ALLOWING EACH OF THEM TO SHARE AS NEEDED. SHE SO LOVED THIS TEAM AND THESE BOYS. SOME OF THESE BOYS HAVE PLAYED TOGETHER SINCE THEY WERE 5 YEARS OLD, AND THEY HAVE SEEN GREAT IMPROVEMENT AND SUCCESS. BOBBIE JO IS SMILING AND HAPPY TODAY, HER BOYS ARE THE WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS! TILL TOMORROW, LOVE, NANASEE