To close or not to close?: That is the question....

The weekend home stand against a conference rival began with a win last night. Dad, Tink, and the grandparents are headed to campus to watch the games for the rest of the weekend. I am not sure if they will bring good luck or wear their lucky sneakers. It is anyone's guess. I will know more by the end of today's game. Although after scoring 7 runs last night, they probably don't need luck....they are a fierce fighting machine...yeah...that's right...fierce (remember they have Mohawks....)

Back to yesterday's post about Buddy the closer....let's think about this a bit more. The big kid wants to play in the big leagues...will closing in college for 4 years prepare him for it OR are the coaches doing him a great disservice by placing him in to pitch 1 to 3 innings per week? If I was taking a test in college, I would choose the answer "B" (the answers are always "B" in an objective test)....a bit of a disservice. From my limited perspective, 200 miles away, he needs to have more time on the mound to develop all kinds of talents including pitching for long stretches. It is true, he can be a knucklehead (I say this with great love and admiration) when it comes to pitching in big situations BUT to restrict the time spent on the mound to win games and not develop the player is a no-no....unless I am looking at this from the wrong angle.

As far as being a bullpen mom is concerned, he has a very lofty goal. So, what is the best way for him to attain it? What is the best way for the coaches to attain their goal of lots of wins? There has to be some sort of compromise....right? OK, so this is an issue that I am going to be pondering the next few months and I will post as I receive more answers. On the one hand...he enters every game...on the other hand...he enters every game....short spurts...constant state of readiness....stressing...anxious....wound up...ready to go....Based on what he has told me, it is an adrenaline-rush to be able to close a game. So, maybe that is the answer....still thinking about it...