2018...Your coming out party

2018 was your year! You made an All-American team, you had a very good year hitting, and you only missed 3 ground balls the entire season!

You do need to improve on getting your front foot down when hitting and swinging off of it , and also some small defensive footwork adjustments. But overall, this was your best season thus far.

You also won a gold glove at the All-American games in Elizabethtown, Kentucky against some very good competition. We've had other confirmations that you're really good, but this one was special because you did it down south and for some coaches that didn't know you from a can of paint. You made some sweet plays and also hit very well, banging one over the left field fence!

You also did very good in football this year with the North Farmington/ West Bloomfield Vikings, a legendary team in the Detroit area. You started at OLB and was the backup RB, where you scored 2 TDs!

You guys lost in the championship game, which was tough, but you got stronger,  better, and more confident as an athlete and a young man.

The year in baseball ended on a tough note though. As a result of your play in Kentucky,  you earned a spot on Baseball Youth's Elite travel team. You played in a tourney in Octover in Myrtle Beach, SC against mostly 9th graders. Upon showing up, we found out that your bat was much too light. You had a drop 9 bat and you needed a drop 3 at this level. We had to buy a new bat at the tournament. 

Needless to say you struggled,  but we had a great time just you and me on the road, and more importantly we learned what we have to prepare for in HS! Like I always tell you, it's a process and you're NEVER good enough until the day you stop playing. So work, work, work!

2019- 8th Grade is a Tough Year

There’s good news and bad news...The good news is you started this year off how you ended 2018; in the mix against top competition in the south. As a result of your success with Baseball Youth in 2018, you made another Baseball Youth Elite team for a tournament outside of Orlando. Jazzy and your Mom drive down with us and me and you drove down in January. You won another gold glove and had a solid performance in the field. 

In the summer you played for Splitfinger again, and had another solid season. You played as a guest for the Michigan Bulls and also The Shamrocks, where Ramsey Bousseau, a talented player from Oliver that you met in Florida, plays and invited you for a weekend in Grand Rapids. You played very well against the better competition, setting the tone for next year and high school! 

As soon as the season ended you and I went to DC for George Washington’s camp. You played very well there and liked the coach and also the campus. It was a good experience to prepare you for college showcases going forward.  

At the end of this summer you decided to play for the Michigan Bulls next season. We train there all the time and Sean had been wanting you there for a bit so we finally moved on from ole Bailey and your Haslett/Splitfinger baseball family. 🥲 This is a part of growing up though, time waits for no one! I’ve always told you the only constant in life is change, and that’s 100% true. 

I know you’ll do great in HS at West Bloomfield for Jerry Brown and for the Bulls in summer...

2017 Haslett Vikings- Growing Up

2017 was a very bittersweet year. The 12U Haslett Vikings finished in 4th place in the Mason Pony League- our worst finish ever in a division that we've dominated for the last 5 years (along with Grand Ledge and Teddy lol). However, we won the Haslett Diamond Days tournament, Dewitt's Tournament, and we got 2nd place in the larger East Lansing tourney. The Diamond Days tournament was a microcosm of the season in that it was bittersweet.

We beat Lansing Optimist club in the first round and semi-finals and you went crazy out there. This is the team that you had played fall ball for a couple years prior, and the coach that said you didn't have any talent was still there. You didn't care about any of this nonsense I'm typing you just were happy to win, just thought I'd mention it so you remember to use your detractors as allies. They can be a source of motivation and determination. Tackling fuel! LOL. I was so proud that day!

Here's the bitter part. This tournament was our last one in Haslett, as a team and as a family. Coach Bailey was moving on from the Haslett Youth Baseball Club he helped to create, and starting a travel team called Split finger Baseball.

This was to be a team of the top players from the Lansing area that would play in elite tournaments all over the midwest and country. As a family we were moving away from Haslett, a town that we will always love, in a month. You've all lived in Haslett most of your lives, and we have a lot of close ties to families in the area that have watched the three of you grow up, just as we've watched their children. We've lived on Ridgeway for 9 years can you believe it? We went from you guys climbing trees and catching frogs out front to you becoming young men going to football games by yourselves and liking girls. YIKES!!


It was very sad leaving, but it was time to go. Haslett will always be home, but we wanted something a little bigger and more diverse for you kids. So we moved to....Houston!!!! HAHA Sike!! That was the plan for the greater part of 2 years, but I digress. Sigh. We moved to Farmington Hills!! Yay! LOL. I was not thrilled about the move for a multitude of reasons, as I'm sure you'll never forget, but we made it work.

Individually you had your best year ever in my opinion. You reached all of your goals on your pre-season goal sheet, you hit with power like never before, your arm got stronger, and your speed allowed you to dominate out there. You didn't play great in the infield for the first time but not bad either. C+ for the year there, which will be a focus in the off-season.

 This is the first year that I could see you turning into a little man in your mannerisms and athleticism. You had hit puberty in mid-2016 and it showed on the baseball field, the football field, and pretty much everywhere else in your life haha!

Despite the move and all the attached confusion, you kept a 4.0, stayed out of trouble, made healthy friendships, and pretty much thrived in Farmington Hills. You even said you wanted to stay until you graduate from High School. We'll see about that. Just stay focused on the now, continue working your butt off in all that you do, and everything will work out for ya little man. It's a pleasure watching you grow up!

Off-Season 2017

Mike Jennings Jr. vs Shaun Foster Jr. 20 years later...

Your 12th Birthday

Student of the Month!

After football and basketball ended, we got all the way into our off-season baseball training. This year we wrote down all the things you need to work on and checked them off over a period of about 6 weeks. You worked very hard as usual, and I hope this continues to set the tone for your work ethic in whatever it is you choose to do when you grow up. Time sure is flying! :(

Ladder work at Haslett HS

Rapid fire in the back yard

2016 Haslett Vikings 11U- A Year of Change

This year was a good one! You hit great from both sides of the plate, and played super sticky in the infield, as you and your team won the league championship for the 2nd time in 3 years. Grand Ledge got 2nd place and you guys beat them 2 times to their one, along with a tie. However, they did beat you guys in the Championship game of the Haslett Diamond days tournament. That was a heart breaker, but like I told you, your league title is more important and you guys took care of business! Congrats!

You continued getting faster this year and seemed to get a lot taller. You hit puberty this year and began to get pimples and all that comes wuth that! LOL! All your hard work in the offseason, as well as the fact that your asthma is still under control helped you again this year. You played football too, which worked muscles that you haven't worked before. This is the year that I saw you get tougher, smarter on the field, and more into baseball period. You watched MLB Network before school everyday (on your own), and played MLB The Show more than any other game. Your Cubbies also got better, as they have been in 1st place the entire season. This could be the year!

You batted right around .500 this year from both sides of the plate, and really saw some power coming into your swing as you hit 2 triples in one game. One should've been a HR but you got the stop sign. Oh well, maybe next year! You also hit more doubles than ever before, and stole every base you attempted. Heck of a year man. Remember, you continued to work hard through a slump, and came out the other end better than before. I'm sure this won't be the last time that you struggle and persevere only to become a better player and person for it. I'm proud of you. 

Speed videos....

@GL The League clincher

@Jackson Under the Lights

Going for 3rd...

@Home Hartrick Park

He's Safe!!

Headed Home...

GO!

Another Run in the books...

Swiper!

Sadly this will probably be your last year playing for Haslett, as we are moving down to Houston, where Uncle D lives, and much closer to your other family members. We took a once in a lifetime, mid-summer trip across the South this summer to Houston to get you all acclimated to the area. We stopped at Lookout Mountain in Tennessee, in Atlanta to see Auntie Shy and her new baby, in New Orleans where we saw the French Quarter and had begnets, and then went to Houston, where we stayed for about two weeks. You guys loved Houston, which was a big relief to me and Mom. They are very serious about baseball down there, and I'm excited for our new start!

Georgia Tech- Atlanta,GA You loved it here

Rice University- Houston You liked it here. I love it!lol

@ the Astros game with Tio and your other family members

Your Adult Doppelganger Altuve!

@Auburn 

@LSU. You weren't a big fan lol

Overall 2016 was a great year. Although moving to a new place will be challenging, it's time for us to grow as a family and for you to understand that iron sharpens iron! Meaning the time for us to be where we can excel as a family is now. Hopefully you guys will understand that as you grow older. Texas here we come!