Family – Page 25 – M. Sullivan Photography

August 2, 2013 M. Sullivan Photography Baseball, Photos, Sports

America’s Favorite Pastime…

B A S E B A L L

From Coach Sullivan (aka Mike/Dad)

A look back at the 2013 Little League Red Sox season offered highs and lows. The year began with practices in a gym amid a snowy April coating the ball park. This year I jumped into the head coaching role after assisting for years. The experience was extremely rewarding. Youth sports have changed tremendously since I was a child with many sports playing year round. In northern Minnesota, baseball is still a summertime sport and a favorite of mine. I instructed the kids at the beginning of the season to play hard, stay positive, have fun and the rewards will come.

Sebastian began his third and final year on the pitching mound leading his team to an opening day victory. After a roller coaster regular season of 18 games the team, now great friends, came together and made a memorable playoff run. The Red Sox played 5 games in 7 nights and finished with a solid 2nd place trophy.

Sebastian finished the year with a batting average over 400 and two unforgettable performances on the pitching mound. The first was 5 innings of shutout ball against the #2 seed Rays before reaching his pitch count limit of 85 pitches. His buddy came in to close the game and the Red Sox won the game 3-0.

In Sebastian’s second playoff appearance, he served up a gem. His first ever complete game – 6 innings, 22 batters, 4 strike outs and no walks. His pitch count when it was over – 63. We won 2-1 in a crazy nail-biter vs. the A’s. It was an elimination game for us and Sebastian stepped up big-time surrounded by a huge crowd of parents, grandparents, neighbors, friends and other coaches watching, including the league president, who personally congratulated him after the game. It was a double-elimination tournament so we needed to beat the A’s twice. This was the first. Unfortunately, the second night the Red Sox fell short, but it was a wonderful journey.

I’m really proud of Sebastian as a player, a teammate, and a leader. Awesome job! It’s been a fun ride in my last stint as head coach. Sebastian will move to the Juniors division next year.

Here are some photos from the playoffs.

And because playing for one baseball team wasn’t enough for Sebastian this year, here’s a peek at AllStars baseball.

See you at the field next year!

July 30, 2013 M. Sullivan Photography Animals, Family, Photos

Almost August

It’s nearly August. Where did July go? It’s been a great month, but it has definitely gone by too quickly. As with June, we spent a lot of time at the baseball field. With Sebastian playing on three teams, when I wasn’t cheering him on, I was washing his baseball uniforms. We did take a break from baseball on the 4th of July and played a little golf (mini golf for Sophia and me) and went to Bayfront Festival Park to enjoy some music and fireworks.

After a very late night, we all slept in and then packed for a weekend at Tom and Karen’s cabin. We enjoyed a nice sunset, the local wildlife and some boating/tubing.

After a relaxing weekend, we headed home to get back to work and for more baseball!

June 25, 2013June 25, 2013 M. Sullivan Photography Baseball, Birds, Family, Piano, School

Rewind

I missed blogging about many special events that occurred during April, May and June. Here’s my chance at a quick catch up.

Nana Karen celebrated a birthday in April. Although their trip to Duluth to celebrate was delayed, we enjoyed a belated birthday dinner at a local Japanese restaurant. The kids tried their hand at using chopsticks and watching an onion volcano.

Sebastian worked on his Duluth project for social studies class during April and May. He was given the task of researching a local landmark/event. He was assigned Grandma’s Marathon – the largest draw of tourists our city sees during any weekend during the year. He spent several weeks working on research, writing content, locating photos and creating a poster board. He even talked his Mom into photographing the headquarters building for his poster board. He presented the poster after school and received an A on the project. Well done Sebastian!

There were lots of play dates and time outdoors during the month of May despite the cool temperatures. Notice the winter jacket Sophia is wearing during some outdoor fun with a neighborhood friend in early May.

Sebastian had his band concert on May 16. He came a long way from November when he first began playing the baritone. He practiced his instrument faithfully every morning before school and it paid off. Another “A” on his report card for band.

Baritone Player – Back Row 2nd from Right

Baseball practice got under way in April and May – all indoors due to the snow. There were even indoor practices that canceled due to snowstorms and poor driving conditions. The season finally began during mid-May. It was cold and many parents wore winter jackets and were wrapped in blankets, but we were all glad that the season was finally underway!

Sophia had her BIG piano recital at UMD’s Weber Music Hall. She handled it like a pro even though she had only been taking lessons for just shy of six months. She had a house full of fans – two cousins, two aunts, an uncle, two grandmas, a grandpa, her parents and her brother. Well done Sophia!

Memorial weekend was spent at Mike’s parents’ cabin in northern Minnesota. The weather was a bit chilly, but the cousins enjoyed their time together. It was too cold for tubing or water skiing, but we were able to go for a nice pontoon ride and see nesting eagles. Mike also took the old boat out with the kids for a “speed boat” ride around the lake.

The end of the school year brought many field trips and activities for the kids. Sophia’s class performed a play/musical that they put on for the whole school and also had a second performance for families. All of the practice at home and school paid off. The whole class did a wonderful job!

We had the burial and graveside service for my Dad on May 31. We all met back at my Mom’s house after the service and luncheon to help with a few things around the farm. I took some photos of the old buildings that are no longer used. The old garage was going to be torn down and a new one put up. We explored the inside and found cardboard boxes that had been nailed to the walls back in the 1930’s or 1940’s for insulation. A few pencil drawings were on some of the boxes. They were dated the early 1950’s and were done by the daughter of the previous owner.

Sebastian’s commitment to his studies during the school year paid off. He was awarded a special honor for having straight A’s during the school year and perfect attendance. He was given four tickets to a Minnesota Twins game…on my birthday! Thanks for a great birthday present Sebastian. It was a blast!! Despite some rain, the game went on and the Twins won the game in the bottom of the 9th inning with a walk off triple.

On our way home from the Twin Cities, we stopped by Gordy’s Hi-Hat for a birthday dinner. We enjoyed some not-so-healthy, but delicious food.

The last day of school was cool and rainy – kind of a theme for the entire spring. Sophia and Sebastian let me snap a couple of photos before they left for their final day of 3rd grade and 6th grade.

The weather has finally taken a turn now that it is the end of June. The high today is 82 degrees and the ten-day forecast is for highs in the 70’s and 80’s. No 50’s or 60’s anytime soon. We are all looking forward to a great summer ahead!!