Little League Tournaments Require Full Family Committment

Park visited: Tiffany Hills Sports Complex
City: Kansas City, Missouri
Food of the day: Chocolate Mousse Pothole @ Sheridan's
iPhone song of the day: "The Coast Is Clear" by Scotty Emerick
Miles traveled: 10

It was another early morning in Kansas City with a full slate of tournament semi-final and championship games scheduled at Tiffany Hills. Once again the wind was a ginormous factor and once again slowed down our set-up process. Luckily Frank hooked us up with some cement buckets, which prevented another tent casualty from occurring.

There are usually a couple of moments during the course of our site stops that stand out as memorable or thought provoking. Today I was particularly touched by a girl who came up to the booth with a black t-shirt and in glitter were the words "Baseball Player's Sister." And even though it was a simple few seconds that involved an article of clothing the young girl probably didn't even know she was wearing, I was reminded that a youth baseball player is not the only one who makes a commitment to the crazy schedule of traveling, competitive baseball - it requires an equal amount of dedication and effort from the parents, the grandparents and maybe most significantly, the siblings.

In reality, the (usually) younger brothers and sisters are thrust into this roller coaster of games, practices, traveling, camps and lessons. They are expected to go along for the ride and to be in attendance regardless of whether or not they really want to be there. And despite asking so much of those who are so young, the pride that kids have for their older brothers is incredible to watch on their faces....or on a t-shirt like the one I mentioned before or "Frankie's Little Sister and #1 Fan."

In conclusion, today's "moment," combined with this blog entry reminds me of how thankful I am for all the years that my two younger sisters were so supportive of me during my seemingly never ending years of crazy baseball functions, such as the aforementioned schedule and list of responsibilities that come with the decision to join the little league, an All-Star team or traveling squad. Lindsie and Lauren were always willing to go with the flow, never complained and were constantly proud of their big brother's accomplishments on the field. I am blessed that I had (and continue to have) sisters who are also my friends and who never resented me even if I might have been hogging the weekends on the baseball diamond. If you're reading....thanks girls ;)

Tonight we had dinner at Outback Steakhouse, went to Blockbuster to rent a movie (where Clink and I also played a couple rounds of Rock Band....that game is uh-DICTING!) and got a little dessert at Sheridan's Frozen Custard. As you read above, the Chocolate Mousse Pothole is my "Food of the Day," and I couldn't have a better one. This thing was delicious and I give it my full endorsement.

Tomorrow we have the day off, so we will more than likely get organized and maybe do some laundry before our trip continues on later this week. Have a wonderful start to your week and please feel free to pass on www.chrisjung.com to anyone you think might be interested. Thanks for reading!

Until next time,
Chris