One week...

I woke up this morning feeling tired. Daughter Cassie called LATE last night (who looks forward to THAT call???) and wondered how I felt about her adopting a kitten that some of the girls had encountered. She's been bothering us about getting a pet down at college (something, by the way, that is not allowed in the dorms) and this was the latest attempt at doing so. After I tried (in vain - why did she even bother calling me?) to dissuade her from going down that path, I spent the rest of the night tossing and turning, unable to get back to a restful slumber.

So, today's been a bit of a drag. The one thing that keeps perking me up from time to time, is when I see one of our ballplayers and we remind each other that practice starts in earnest one week from today. I spent quite a bit of time this past weekend on the phone with a half dozen college coaches, talking about the beginning of our seasons, comparing notes on teaching points, discussing talent, and sharing the optimism and enthusiasm that invariably emerges at this time of the year. No matter the level of coaching, we are all working from the same starting point. The kids have been putting in work and now it's time to begin providing the organization and vision to help them achieve success as a team.

Soon, the media requests will begin. The message boards will start to light up, as (mostly) anonymous pundits and fans will post about which teams are going to be strong and what players should be recognized and why doesn't the IHSAA do something about the latest travesty committed by the private schools against humanity. It's all very predictable and I only mention it because we get the opportunity to deal with it every year. We are fortunate that the media are interested in what we do and how we do it. We are fortunate that there are both fans and haters of our program. It means that people are actually paying attention to what we do. No matter the reason, they are still watching us. By any measure, that's an indicator of a successful operation.

One week from today, it all begins...