You can't win them all.

That might be a slight understatement in this case. You see, the Tigers were the "guests" in this game. And as you can see, it was not a good night. Not a good night at all.

They've lost a few leading up to this one. I think they felt decently confident, but somewhat shaky that this team would be relatively inexperienced, as compared to them, and well ... I guess it just goes to show that you should never assume anything. What's the old saying, "take u and me out of the equation, and what does that leave"? Well, an ass, of course.

We never, never believe that winning is the most important thing. I'm sure Austen would disagree, but that's how Shawn and I feel. We always try to instill that in him, as well as Kale and Bailey. And we truly believe that sometimes it's a good thing to lose. It kind of serves as a reality check, or perhaps puts you in your place, if your head's getting a tad too large. Haha.

Austen started out playing hard, like everyone else. But wouldn't you know it ... just as soon as the other team got a bit ahead, they completely lost their composure. They started hanging their heads, and acting pissed off, and screwing up. Dumb.

This was when he was still working hard. :)

Here, too. :)

This one, too.

Kale invited his friend, Mary to hang out and keep him company. She came with her Mom and brother, who is also a friend of Austen's. Mary texts Kale and Austen constantly. I'm trying to figure out if she likes Kale, or maybe Austen, or maybe both? Haha. I love how Kale enjoys ruining my pictures with his stinkin' faces.

I think Austen was consoling Tony here. Haha. Just kidding. I think they were just goofing around.

Here's part of the problem; the coaching. I hate to say it, but the man has no idea how to boost up the team's confidence. He's real good at tearing them down, and then leaving them there. This really pisses me off. I had a good talk with Austen this morning and I just told him flat out: He just needs to step up and have his own talk with the team. Be a leader. Tell them to try something different at tonight's game. Put aside all the egos and bull **it. Fight hard. If they are losing, don't lost sight of the goal. Keep pumping each other up. Stay positive. Coach won't do it for them, so they have to do it for themselves. And always, always keep their heads held high. I don't care if they are losing by 40, it's all contagious. So, if they're all acting crappy, then they're going to play crappy. If they are playing their best, and keeping each other pumped up, they'll play even better. And if they lose in the end, it's okay. If they tried their best, and kept their heads up, then they should be proud of themselves for that. And that should always be enough.

And then I said "I love you" and he said "thanks, mom. This means a lot. I will talk to the team. And I love you, too".