Father/Son WCL ROAD TRIP!

I just returned from Wenatchee, Washington. I drove my son there (20 hours) a couple days after his Finals to join his summer collegiate wood bat team, the Wenatchee AppleSox. We met up with the Sox in Klamath Falls, Oregon. Fortunately it was on the way to Wenatchee, so it worked out well. It seems like the further I get away from Southern California, the friendlier people become. It's amazing how nice people were in Klamath Falls, and for the five days I spent in Wenatchee.

As many of you know, the players stay with Host Families when they're away for the summer. My son is in a very unique situation. He and another player on the Sox are being hosted by the Bonaventure Senior Retirement Home. They each have their own one bedroom apartment, and several grandparents to help cheer them on for the summer in the building. I stayed in his apartment for the five days of my visit, and I can honestly say he's going to be well taken care of.

As for baseball, I was able to catch five games in six days and witnessed some pretty good ball. The Sox have a talented roster with kids from the Pac 12 (UCLA, WSU, UW, OSU), Big West (UCI, Cal Poly, Hawaii), WCC (USD, USF, & Gonzaga), and other conferences throughout the west...probably why they call it the West Coast League. I hung out with a fellow Big West parent from Northern California. His son attends Cal Poly SLO. I'm happy he was out there with his kid getting him settled...good guy.

My son utilized his red-shirt season this year, so he hadn't pitched against anyone besides his own teammates since last summer. He made his debut against Cowlitz on Saturday Night. He had a 1-2-3 inning, two F7's and a 6-3 groundout. A nice quick outing that required an adult beverage. I thought I'd relax during Sunday's game, but the starting pitcher (justbaseball son's college teammate) took a line drive off his ankle early on and my son was brought in. He pitched another 1 1/3 inning, with two K's and a BB.

Tuesday was their day off. I hung out with my son and helped him with errands throughout the day that required Dad's wallet. Later that night he dropped me off at the Wenatchee Airport and I arrived home in So Cal late Tuesday night. I'm going to miss him, but I can listen to the games on the internet and follow the gametracker.

I was listening to Wednesday night's game hoping that he'd get an AB or two. He's been taking BP before the games, so we'll see what happens? He didn't hit tonight, but he was brought in from the pen again and pitched an inning. He gave up his first WCL hit, but he struck out three. Listening on the internet and not watching Live is very stressful. My son is doing well thus far, however, I know there's plenty more ball to be played and he'll have his ups and downs. I'm hoping that my stress level gets better soon...Our Radio Guy needs to improve on calling the pitches on the broadcast, because it drives me crazy not knowing what he's throwing!

I spent my 21st wedding anniversary and Father's Day on the road during this trip. I missed my wife and daughter, but I had a great time with my son.

Best of luck to all the young men playing for their respective collegiate summer teams, I wish you all the best. And if any parents have advice on how to deal with Radio/Internet Stress...I'm all Ears!