Today was the perfect opening day.  Perfect for the game of baseball, perfect for a dad and perfect for a coach.  For the game, 84 degrees and sunny with hundreds of boys, some playing the first game of their life, some starting their last year of little league.  As a dad, my 8yr old going 2 for 3 with a triple and a home run and two defensive put outs.  My 12 yr old throwing six innings of shutout baseball , scattering only four hits with 9 strikeouts.  As a coach, being able to help coach one of the best 11 and 12 yr old games I've seen in years. 

This game went into extra innings and was 0-0 going into the bottom of the 9th.  We had no outs with runners on first and second.  Our #9 batter who I've never seen bunt the ball in a game in four years, lay down a perfect sacrifice bunt to advance the runners.  Then our lead off batter hits a ground ball to second where the other team could not get the throw to home in time, and we win the game.  

Even better, there were only a combined two errors in the entire game.  Pretty darn good at that age.  Even better, we have been practicing bunting with all of our players every practice.  We teach them the importance of taking advantage of every situation, and how important the bunt is in the game of baseball.  

Most kids look down and don't like it when they are asked to bunt.  I promise you this, our #9 batter won't anymore.  Our entire team now has witnessed the meaning and the impact a sacrifice bunt can have in a game.  

What an opening day!