Baseball, Babies, and Beer

Chicks

noreply@blogger.com (Morrisquads) — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 13:54:00 +0000

Sammy graduated from Kindergarten yesterday. It was one of those proud moments that you have as a father. One of those few experiences that reaches the pinnacle of admiration and pride that you have in your child. You will only experience these moments a handful of times in your child's lifetime.

I asked Sammy what his favorite part of Kindergarten was, now that it is over. The conversation went something like this:

ME: Sam - what was the best part of Kindergarten.

SAMMY: I don't know.

ME: Come on - you had to have liked one thing more than anything else.

SAMMY: I guess.

ME: What is it?? What was your favorite thing?

SAMMY: Um.... the chicks.

ME: .... (silence)

SAMMY: They were cute, but when they got too old Mrs. Huff sent them away.

ME: (more silence)

SAMMY: I'm think I'm gonna try to get one of my own when I get older. Do you think we could do that? Is there a chick store? And when it gets too old we can send it away and get another one... pleeeeease?

ME: Talk to your mother.

My Birthday Day

noreply@blogger.com (Morrisquads) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 18:50:00 +0000

I started the day off yesterday by taking about 20 to 25 bags to a center for single mom's. They were so thrilled. It took forever to unload everything.

Lady: "This is, by far, the biggest donation we've ever gotten."

Me: "Well - I have a lot of kids."

That made my day, regardless of whatever else happened throughout the day. But I have to say - the rest of the day was pretty good, too. We decided to NOT go to the pool and instead to have my parents and Geana's family over for a BBQ. I stayed outside for most of the day just playing with the kids and having a blast in the backyard. They were all pretty good because they understood that it was my birthday and were trying their hardest to be good for Daddy.

Perhaps the funniest part of the day was Robby going in and out of the house. He doesn't really like to have on a wet bathing suit so everytime he came inside, he'd drop trou and change back into his underpants and shorts. Then when he went outside he'd put the wet suit on again and trapse out to the backyard. This had to have happened about 4 or 5 times throughout the afternoon. And I have to say - I can't really blame him. I don't like wet bathing suits either.

Ok - I'm outta here. Thanks for stoppin' by!

Go Away already!

noreply@blogger.com (Morrisquads) — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 02:08:00 +0000

I'm watching the Stanley Cup finals and the Flyers are continuing to irritate me.

At the beginning of each period there is a banner that comes across the bottom of the screen, urging me to purchase Flyers season tickets for the '08-'09 season. What irritates me the most is that the game is taken out of HD in order to put up these adds. AND - the banner takes up a good portion of the screen so you miss some action. Answer me this - are Flyers fans even watching these games? I don't think so. The several that I socialize with are not watching because they are constantly reminded that they are losers when they turn on the game. The only reason they watched games 2 and 3 was to see if the Pens would actually score a goal this series. Which gives me this thought - could you imagine the Flyers playing against this Detroit team? That's kind of like me playing "king of the hill" with the quads today. Sure they tried to get up onto the couch - but my immense strength and sharp intellect denied any strategies they might have employed.

Anyway - the Pens are down 2-1 and they have to score 2 goals to win this game... it's gonna be tough...

All Growed Up

noreply@blogger.com (Morrisquads) — Sat, 24 May 2008 13:11:00 +0000

Last night we got rid of the kids climber that they've played with since they were wee tots.

We replaced the climber with one of those new fangled computer thangs and some of 'dem readin' books.

Lesson Learned

noreply@blogger.com (Morrisquads) — Mon, 19 May 2008 20:47:00 +0000

Sammy was rooting for the Flyers during this year's Eastern Conference Finals. THE FLYERS!!

I know.

I'm ashamed.

I'm not quite sure how this happened. Perhaps it is karma for the several years that I claimed to be a Brown's fan in my rebellious preteen years, maybe it is because Sammy was actually born and raised in Philadelphia and not in Pittsburgh, I just don't know...

What I do know is that an important lesson was learned by Sammy yesterday. Don't EVER - and I mean EVER - root for a Philadelphia sports team and expect to win it all.

Say what you will about the ineptness of the current Pirates, or that Pittsburgh doesn't have an NBA team - but the success of the city's sports teams is really unbelievable. 5 Superbowls, 2 Stanley Cups, 5 World Series Championships. By contrast Philadelphia CAN NOT WIN WHEN IT COUNTS. I've seen it in the Eagles, Phillies, 76ers, and now the Flyers in my 10 years in the city. It's uncanny - really.

Sammy: When you are reading these words years from now, please know that I encouraged you to root for teams from 'da 'burgh. It was your own choice to explore the path of being a "Philadelphia Sports Fan." We all make decisions in our lives that we must be held accountable for (and we may later regret). Today, little man, you know how it feels to root for a Philadelphia sports franchise. I'm sorry for you. I didn't wish this on you. It was a choice that you made on your own. If you ever wish to rejoin the legions of Pittsburgh fans, you'll always have a home here.

GO PENS!!!

Fathers, Sons, & Baseball...

noreply@blogger.com (Morrisquads) — Sun, 18 May 2008 01:34:00 +0000

Today Sammy had a little league game. He went 2 for 2 against the pitching machine today... talk about awesome! Just last year he had only one hit against the machine. Today, on the first day against the machine, he doubled the total. He also had 2 outstanding grabs in the field. All around, he had a great game.

I took some video before, after, and in between innings which I hope to post soon. I couldn't tape during the game because I had to work the pitching machine. (Perhaps the highlight of my season so far.)

I meant to ask this question last week but it slipped my mind. Was it wrong for me to wear my "Yankees Suck" t-shirt to Sammy's Little League game? Was it even more wrong that we were playing the Yankees the week that I wore it? I didn't think so...

March of Dimes

noreply@blogger.com (Morrisquads) — Tue, 13 May 2008 19:29:00 +0000

Just an update for all of you faithful readers who helped us to raise over $3800 for the March of Dimes:

We raised the 2nd highest amount of all of the Family Teams in Philadelphia. Thank you very much!

It's kinda small but if you look very closely you'll see Morrisquads listed 2nd in the bottom center section of the Family Teams Newsletter:

A Comparison of Criminal Activity in Pittsburgh and in Philadelphia

noreply@blogger.com (Morrisquads) — Sun, 11 May 2008 01:52:00 +0000

Article in today's Philadelphia Inquirer

Article in today's Pittsburgh Post Gazette

We Work Hard for the Money

noreply@blogger.com (Morrisquads) — Sat, 10 May 2008 16:44:00 +0000

I took the kids to the mall today to buy mommy's Mother's Day present. I know... I put stuff off. Anyway - as we were standing by the fountain, throwing our change into the pool, some dude comes up to me with a clip board and says, "Yo - you wanna make $20 per kid, cash." Usually I'm very adept at ignoring people at the mall, but this peaked my curiosity.

Me: How?

Dude: I work for a child research company and we need children between ages 3 1/2 years and 4 years old. Do they fit the criteria?

Me: As a matter of fact, they do. What would they have to do?

Dude: Just play with a lighter for a few minutes to see if they can figure out the child safety lock.

Me: (doing the math and weighing that against my parenting morals) $80? Really? Just to play with a lighter for a few minutes?

Dude: Yeah - but the lighters don't have butane in them and can't light. We just need to see if they can make it click.

Me: Dude - sign us up. Where do we go?

We proceeded to follow the dude upstairs to this little Research Center in the mall. Did anyone else know that these places existed?? I could quit my job at this rate! We went in, the kids sat down at a little table and the dude doled out the lighters while I filled out some paperwork. By the time I was done filling in all of the forms, they were handing me $80 and none of the kids were able to make the lighter work.

Woo hoo! Off to the Toy Store!

Collect 'em All

noreply@blogger.com (Morrisquads) — Thu, 08 May 2008 00:41:00 +0000

I'm not ashamed... the kids and I are collecting all of the American Idol Dolls from McDonald's. That's right... no shame!

A Mall in Philadelphia

noreply@blogger.com (Morrisquads) — Mon, 05 May 2008 01:55:00 +0000

I took the boys to the mall today in an attempt to purchase some Penguin's gear. I'm not sure why I put myself through these things.

For you new readers - I live in Philadelphia, the home of the Philadelphia Flyers who will be playing the Pens in the upcoming Eastern Conference Championship. Philadelphia sports fans have been known to have a little... mmm... how should I put it... chip on their shoulder. I prefer to call them trashy, unintelligent, fanatics who have no real knowledge of the teams that the follow or the games that they watch... but that may be a slight generalization.

Anyway - while I'm standing in line with my gear some jagoff says to me, "I wouldn't dress your kids in those clothes if you want them to live." I responded with my normal nod and a smile. But after thinking about it I should have said,

"Yo jagoff... why don't you go dahn to the Orange Julius and pour some of that orange crap all over yourself in the "name of the Philadelphia Flyers." Be sure to yell and scream like someone in the world gives two shits what you think about hockey and then go bitch and moan somewhere about the Eagles inability to put a decent team on the field. When your done doing that - come back here and I'll tell you what it's like to win 5 Super Bowls and 2 Stanley Cups!"

These responses tend to come to me after the fact, though.

Writers Block

noreply@blogger.com (Morrisquads) — Thu, 01 May 2008 19:44:00 +0000

After a while of not writing on the blog, it is tough to for me to come up with something concrete to write about.. so I'll just drivel a bit until I come up with something to say...

nothing...

still nothing...

nothing...

EUREKA!!! Why don't I give you an update on our toilet! That's always something that people like to hear about.

The kids have recently found a fascination with our powder room toilet. They seem to enjoy stuffing large quantities of toilet paper down there and then keep flushing and flushing and flushing until the water overflows. Talk about a good time. Put the occasional toy down there and you've got hours of enjoyment.

Now mind you - our bathroom is carpeted.... (wait for the disgusting feeling to pass... you are free to read on...) The carpeting came with the house and it wasn't a priority to remove until now. Something about going through a year of potty training with four little ones makes you want to remove the carpet from your bathroom. Go figure.

So we're going to get the bathroom tiled this spring. What a better way to use our "stimulus" check than by giving it to the working class of the US. Seriously - I would recommend for everyone to use their check to improve their home or to have something that requires a trade skill done around your home/office. It's better than buying a computer that is made in China... or clothes that are made in Taiwan. If you do that - you truly are helping the US economy. Time to get off of my soap box and back down on the bathroom floor where I'm continuously cleaning up urine and toilet water...

It's Been Awhile

noreply@blogger.com (Morrisquads) — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 01:23:00 +0000

Pirates Rant

noreply@blogger.com (Morrisquads) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 21:37:00 +0000

My trip to Florida is coming to an end today and I feel that everyone in Pittsburgh should be made aware of one of my experiences down here.

The Pirates ineptness runs much deeper than the players on the field (as if we didn't know). We had tickets to the first night game in McKechnie Field history on Friday night. The game was delayed for 45 minutes because of the THREAT of rain. It was not raining... it just felt like it was GOING to rain... maybe... but maybe not... but maybe... The Pirates management had ZERO plan for the threat of rain.

It's 7:05 - game time - and the tarp is still on the field. Red's players are warming up in the outfield and near the bullpen. It's not raining.

At about 7:30 we got the first notice from the Pirates that the game wasn't going to start on time. They said, "Due to the threat of inclimate weather - the start of this evening's game is going to be delayed." No shit? Really? I kinda figured that out already. The big green tarp tipped me off, but thanks anyway. There were several huddles between Coonelly and Huntington on the field... then they ran up to the offices behind home plate and talked to Lanny Frateri... then they ran back down to the field... then they talked to Dusty Baker... then they talked to the umps... It all seemed as if they were saying, "SOMEBODY TELL US WHAT TO DO!!"

At 8:15 it finally started to rain. About 2 nanoseconds after the first drop they promptly came on the loud speaker and said, "For your viewing pleasure, the fireworks that were scheduled for after the game will be presented to you RIGHT NOW!"

**BOOM BOOM POW BANG!**

With no hesitation they tried to soothe us with fireworks - it felt just like being in the 'burgh. The problem was that they left us lingering - not knowing if this meant that the game was canceled or if they were just buying some more time. Everyone was talking about this in the stands while Zambelli's explosives lit up the night sky. Nobody was watching the fireworks (the entire first base side of the ballpark could not see the fireworks because of how they were situated).

Following the display (or lack thereof for us) the Pirates came on the loudspeaker and canceled the game. It was about 8:30.

UGH. This was a complete mismanagement by the Pirates brass. I understand they can't control the weather but they needed to communicate and to have a better plan. What they should have done was this...

7:05 - promptly start the game because we know it's going to rain soon.
7:45 - announce that lightning and rain is approaching so we have to buy some time with fireworks. Players leave the field, cover it, and then have the fireworks display. It's over around 8:05.
8:15 - it starts to actually rain for the first time.
8:30 - cancel the game due to extreme wet conditions and lightning (we all know that just a little rain cancels a spring training game and that's acceptable).

This way the fans get to see the starters (the only players that people are interested in anyway) and everyone wins. Players go home early, team makes their money from tickets and concessions, fans see some baseball. I just don't get it. This display of inefficiency, although minor in the grand scheme of team plans, has made me very skeptical of the new management's capabilities of actually managing a professional baseball team.

Also - the Pirates didn't have any lids and straws for their drinks (they claimed it was for the environment - I asked) Nor did they have jalapeno peppers available for on top of the nachos. All other parks had saurkraut next to the ketchup and mustard for on your hot dogs. (Now - this is a new phenomenon that I think is great, but the Bucs were the ONLY club of the 5 places we went to NOT to offer this as a common condiment.) I can't help but feel like these things are not offered by the Pirates in an attempt to cut costs. They are all items that fit into the category of "free stuff that will not impact consumer purchasing". They also fit into the category of "stuff that makes fans like your team and ballpark more than the others and come back again."

Maybe I'm just searching for things - but I don't think so.

Bye Now!

noreply@blogger.com (Morrisquads) — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 21:50:00 +0000

Humbling

noreply@blogger.com (Morrisquads) — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 23:42:00 +0000

The reason I've been MIA recently is, in part, due to the fact that Geana had surgery on 2/14 and I've been... kinda busy. She's been in bed since her surgery and her mother has been spending the days at our house, watching the kids and nursing Geana back to health. Geana is slowly but surely coming back to her old self - and today she even ventured out to Sammy's soccer game with the family.

These past few weeks have been pretty humbling to say the least. I used to think that I did a lot around the house, only to realize I don't do nearly as much as I thought I did.

Before the surgery I would come home and give baths, get the kids ready for bed, and clean up after dinner. I would help out with the laundry and help get the kids out the door for school in the morning. I'm not "Super Dad" - just the father of high order multiples and when you are the Dad of quads - you have to do some of this stuff. After the surgery I'm still giving baths, getting the kids ready for bed and cleaning up the kitchen - but I'm also doing ALL of the laundry (including folding and putting it away) getting the kids out to school by myself, doing the grocery shopping, cleaning (really cleaning) the house, and coordinating the kids schedules (albeit with Geana's help from bed). Coordinating the schedules is something that I had ZERO involvement in before this surgery and is an incredibly consuming task.

Geana's mother has been a huge help, as has my mother and various friends from school and the neighborhood. BUT the jury is in - and having Geana laid up really sucks.

What I probably miss the most is sharing moments with her like last week's goal that Sammy scored. Or the kids laughing and screaming in the playroom while we have a tickle fight.

I'd write more - but I'm off to bath time followed by some sleep...

Sammy's Goal

noreply@blogger.com (Morrisquads) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 16:13:00 +0000

Sammy scored his first goal in soccer yesterday. This was quite possibly the coolest thing that has ever happened to me. Him... not so much... but ME - oh yeah!

Before I get going, let's get something straight - while I love sports, I am not one of those crazy parents who pushes his kid to be the absolute best and to win at all costs. I think that having fun and learning how to play team sports is what is the most important thing at this age (or at any age really, unless you are making a living playing professional sports). I have a degree in acting for God's sake - so aggressive athletic dad does not really describe me.

Two weeks ago I saw a noticeable difference in his play at soccer. He seemed to have overcome his primary obstacle - fear of going after the ball. Also his fundamentals of dribbling and stopping the ball seemed to be improving.

On Saturday we were talking about the upcoming game in the car and he told me that he didn't want to play defense today, but rather wanted to play offense. This was odd, because Sammy has verbally voiced his preference for Defense in the past. (Prompting me into my "Defense Wins Championships" speech). But today was different...

As we got out of the car, I reminded him to not be afraid and to be aggressive about getting the ball - when it is in his part of the field.

It seemed to have worked... and Sammy Beckham scored his first goal!

Who knew this parenting thing could be so easy!

A Tug of the Heartstrings.

noreply@blogger.com (Morrisquads) — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 01:18:00 +0000

Today the girls went to a party at our favorite birthday party getaway, Jumpers.

What was so thrilling this time was seeing Anna climb to the top of the slides and crawl her way to the deepest innards of this large jungle-gym-type-thing that they have. She kept up with her sister (as well as the other girls at the party) every step of the way and was able to participate in all of the jumping and craziness.

This was especially touching to me because of her recent diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy. The docs have all told us that she has a minor case, but none the less, it still gets to ya sometimes. Having the opportunity to see her keeping up with the other kids, physically, was an amazing moment for me.

I guess it is fitting that we're getting ready to assemble our family team for the March of Dimes this year. The March of Dimes is an organization that helps to fund research to eliminate premature births and to treat the conditions that are associated with being born early. Our kids received the best care available and because of that, they are growing up in to healthy and active little people. There is no doubt that The March of Dimes had a direct impact on the lives of our children and we're going to do the best we can to help raise $4000 for the March of Dimes this year, $1000 for each of our kids that was born prematurely. Donate if you can and let us know if you are interested in walking as a part of our family team.

Ok - I'm off of my soap box, now.

Let me know if there are any organizations out there that I can support that fund research for how Dads can avoid wrenching their backs when playing with their daughters at places like Jumpers.

Ahhh.....

noreply@blogger.com (Morrisquads) — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 19:19:00 +0000

Last night I, literally, curled up next to the fire with a good book. After I put The Plague to bed (what I'm calling all of the kids, these days), I started a fire and sat down and read the 2nd Harry Potter book for about an hour or so.... good stuff!

By the way - if you have not read the Harry Potter series I suggest you start. I'm at the end of the second book and I'm totally hooked. I hear the third one gets darker, but who knows... Honestly - I'm not into magic, mystical, fantasy stuff (other than sports), but I really like the books because they are more than that. They remind me of the frosting on expensive birthday cake. Not really sweet frosting but the frosting that is kind of like air and goes down without any effort at all.

Anyway - not much to say today as I've been engrossed in my reading. Hopefully the kids are better today.

Quarantined

noreply@blogger.com (Morrisquads) — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 16:23:00 +0000

Last night I came home from work late and my mother was there watching the kids. She gave me a brief synopsis of the situation:

1. Anna's got the runs
2. Robby does, too, and he's pooped 5 times in the past 2 hours.
3. Sammy has a fever of 102 and can get tylenol again at 7:30 if he still has a fever.
4. James has been cranky and may be coming down with what everyone else has so watch him closely.
5. Ella seems to be the only one who is doing okay...

Whew!

Mom leaves and Geana is still at her CCD/St. Andrew's parents get together at the school. Thankfully the kids have already eaten some toast and applesauce for dinner. All I have to do is get them ready for bed and put them up...

About 5 minutes after my Mother leaves, I pop my dinner into the microwave to heat it up. Just then - Robby says he has to poop. I rush him into the bathroom and set him on the pot. I take this opportunity to ask him if he's feeling okay and ask him to tell me what has happened today. Well - he bursts into the saddest tears I have ever seen and just says, "I've had a bad day!" Immediately I go to give him a hug, and as I do, he barfs all over himself and all over me.

The phone rings.

It's Geana's friend whose husband is going to come over right now to fix the bathroom faucet that's been leaking. I kindly tell her that I'm knee deep in puke and that tonight probably isn't the best night. We hang up.

I clean up Robby and myself, brush his teeth, and then James says, "I have to poop." He goes into the bathroom, vomit still on the floor, and poops. IT'S A HARD POOP! Ahhh...

We wipe.

Now I go upstairs to get the kids clothes for bed. When I come back down Sammy is complaining of a headache. I check his temperature. 100 degrees. I give him three chewable children's tylenol pills. He doesn't want to take them. I sit down with him and talk him into taking the pills by telling him that they will make him better. Reluctantly - he takes the pills, but only after I get him a glass of water.

I dress the quads for bed.

Anna has to poop. I put her down... she explodes into the toilet. We wipe.

I carry Anna up to bed. Hug. Kiss. "Get better. Good night." I come back down...

I carry Robby up to bed. Hug. Kiss. "Get better. Good night." I come back down...

I carry James up to bed. Hug. Kiss. "Don't suck your thumb. Good night." I come back down...

I carry Ella up to bed. Hug. Kiss. "Thank you for being normal. Good night." I come back down...

Sammy is now on the couch. I get him dressed for bed.

I carry him up to bed (much more difficult). Hug. Kiss. "Good Night". I come back down....

I clean up the crusty vomit on the carpeted bathroom floor. I put all of the dirty and germy clothes in the basement to be washed.

I finally push START on the microwave to heat my food.

I quickly clean the playroom for 2 minutes while the food heats up.

"BEEP"

Ahhh... I wash my hands, remove the food and sit down to enjoy my dinner.

Geana walks in the door, "How was your night?"

The Morris Quad!

noreply@blogger.com (Morrisquads) — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 21:49:00 +0000

Who knew we were a WWII artillery tractor.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morris_C8

Like Crack... only worse.

noreply@blogger.com (Morrisquads) — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 19:16:00 +0000

The kids went to the Dentist yesterday and he told James that he needs to stop sucking his thumb. Needless to say - today has been a pleasure.

Today has consisted of James yelling, screaming, kicking, throwing fits, and taking out his thumb-sucking addiction detox on his brothers and sisters (as well as his parents).

The Doc suggested we put Tabasco Sauce on his thumbs and create a sticker chart. We've done both but the poor kid can't seem to get right. I'm ready for him to break out in a cold sweat and start convulsing and foaming at the mouth. Hopefully it won't get to that point.

Checking our e-mail

noreply@blogger.com (Morrisquads) — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 13:06:00 +0000

Best Dynasty? And A Trip Down Memory Lane

noreply@blogger.com (Morrisquads) — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 15:01:00 +0000

As the big game approaches, there has been a lot of talk about the "Greatest Football Dynasty in The Super Bowl Era". The general consensus is that the Steelers of the 70's, who won 4 in 6 years are the favorite. That team has more Hall of Famers than any other team (including the current Pats). They were the epitome of domination in the NFL and were able to do so without adding necessary pieces via free agency. They were required to draft well, stay healthy, and win... a lot!

That being said - the current Patriots, if they win next week, will have won 4 in 7 years which is comparable to the Steelers (although not as impressive). What they have going for them is that they will also have an undefeated team under their belt who many are calling the greatest team ever (and it is tough to argue that point). They certainly are the best team that I've seen play in any given season.

In today's "immediate" society, where the only thing that we think about is what is currently on tv, The Steelers of the 70's are being forgotten. There is an entire generation of adults who, like me, do not remember the Immaculate Reception or the Joe Green coke commercial. Thank god that you tube has helped us to hold onto the past. When I say "The Emperor" or "The Chief" do you know who I'm talking about?

We only have the stories that have been passed down from generations before us. Hold onto those stories, share them with your kids. But also - share the new stories with your children, too. Be sure to tell them that the Giants are only the second team in history to win 3 playoff games on the road. The first was the Steelers. Be sure to tell them that Chuck Noll and his Steelers were never fined $500,000 and a first round draft pick for cheating. Be sure to tell them that Barry Bonds was indited because he lied to the government about taking steroids.

Ahhh.... the good ole' days!

A Monumental Day... seriously!

noreply@blogger.com (Morrisquads) — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:07:00 +0000

This weekend marked the first of many monumental days in the life long video game journey of Salvatore Robert Morris aka. Sammy. (Really I'm not sure if it was a monumental for him or for his father).

I purchased NBA 2K8 at Target and brought it home to use as a teaching tool for Sammy to grasp the fundamental concepts of basketball. You know - one team goes this way and the other team goes that way - you pass it to the open guy until he has a good look at the basket and then that guy shoots it in. It's too cold outside and he really gets bored after about 5 to 10 minutes of just one on one so I figured a video game was perfect.

Little did I know that Sammy was ready to take that leap from playing with his leapster to playing with the big boys on the Playstation 2. After about one game, he got the general feel and idea. After that the gloves came off.

He was the Suns and I was the 76ers. Hey - I had to give him SOME advantage. I told myself, "I'm going to actually play and see how he does against real competition." Well - after the first half he was beating me by 4 points. By the end of the third quarter I had cut the lead down to 1. (If Sammy could have gotten the concept of the free throws he would have been up by about 8 or 9. He missed every free throw.)

Then, halfway through the 4th quarter, he got tired and asked to go to bed. It went something like this:

S: Dad - I'm tired. Can I go to bed?

D: Dude - it's the fourth quarter and it's practically tied. You can't cave now!

S: (a little whiny) But I'm tiiiiired.

D: Ok - we'll pick it up tomorrow.

By this time it was past 9pm at night and I could see his eyelids getting heavy. We turned the PS2 off and called it a draw.

Since then he's been asking to play all the time but we haven't really been able to. I showed him how to play against the computer so I'm sure that by the time I get home tonight he'll be ready to take me to school. Tonight I'm going to be the Heat and I'll let him be the home team 76ers. Good luck, Sam!