May 11

Baseball's regular season came to a close today. Brady's Red Sox came out on the losing end of their match-up, but Isaac's Braves came from behind to notch their third win and then gathered at the end of the Sports Park for the team party. I took a number of pictures as they laughed and ate and ran around like the cheerful bunch they are, but this is probably my favorite image of all.

This is (of course) the certificate Isaac's coaches gave him, and I love it for multiple reasons. For one, what it says about him as a player shows how much he's grown as an athlete over the past several seasons. He wasn't a strong hitter until this year, but he worked really (really) hard during the off-season at mastering his technique and wound up finishing the regular season with a huge .531 average. So he earned that Mr. Clutch title.

I also love what it says about him as a person. It's true that he was always in the dugout leading cheers --regardless of whether they were winning or losing (and trust me, it was hard for us parents to stay upbeat during some of those heartbreakers!)-- and it's also true that he did wind up taking something of a leadership role.

He's a good person, that boy of mine, and I'm thankful that his coaches saw in him what I see every day. Now onto the playoffs. :)