Our Very Best: All Stars

Aiden ended a so-so Spring season with an opportunity to try out for the All Stars 10-11 year olds. The tryouts were a little stressful as he was up against a group of boys that all played for the majors in the Spring. Aiden was awesome at the tryout and I was convinced that he was just as deserving as any of the other boys. After the tryout was over we were told that we would be getting a call by 6:30 to let us know if he made it and that he would come back and start practicing that night. We sat by the phone just begging for it to ring. More than anything I wanted Aiden to know he really was good enough. The whole thing is kind of frustrating, because unfortunately it really is all about who you know. It's kind of political and certain kids will make it solely because of who their dad is, and if the coach feels an obligation to pick that kid. So as we sat by the phone and the time kept ticking away I started to get really angry. I know I am biased but I watched the tryouts and I saw the competition. Aiden was definetly up there with the best of the boys. So when 6:30 passed and we didn't receive a call I was crushed. I couldn't believe that he didn't make it. Aiden put on a brave face but I knew he was totally disappointed. As we began to console him and try to boost back his confidence the phone rang with a number I didn't recognize. I didn't even wait for the 2nd ring before answering and hearing "Hi is this Aiden's mom, this is coach Art"! He then told us that Aiden was great at tryouts and was only 1 of 2 boys from the minors team to make All Stars!!!!!!!!! After I hung up we did a happy dance! Such a proud moment and so validating. Aiden may be fairly new to the sport but he has worked so hard and we knew he was All Star material!

The downside to making All Stars is practice happens every night and it takes up at least the first month of summer. No chance for a vacay! But it was worth it. The practices were fun to watch and this group of boys that was selected really was the best of the best. I learned a lot about the game of baseball watching the practices as the boys were taught great skills. The actual tournament lasted for one week. We didn't know what to expect as Mesa North Central has never made it past the first 3 games. But once these boys started playing we saw they really had a chance. They annihilated the competition! They were winning games by spreads of 14-2, and even ending games early because of their leads. Mesa North Central ended up winning the District 7 Championship for the first time in 27 years! So fun! It was an overall great expeirence and we were thrilled Aiden was apart of it! A few weeks after the championship MNC went to Globe to participate in the state championship. It was full of highs and lows but in the end they were eliminated after two games. It was very bittersweet as they could have played better than they did but we were sick of traveling to Globe :) The boys were okay with it as they know it was an honor to make it that far! I wish Aiden could play with that team forever! We had a great time getting to know the boys and their parents. Since we have moved we will have to play with a different league next year and I just hope that we have nearly as much fun!