"I Own The Outfield!"

My son declared this while I was in Kentucky and waiting to see him play. Apparently the coach told him, "Dante, you own the outfield now--go anywhere you see the ball." He took this to mean he's the greatest athlete on the team. I take it to mean the other players are still trying to put grass in each other's hair.

I didn't get to see a game--again--but I did get to watch a practice. Quite funny. One thing I noticed right away was the deep accent of Dante's coaches. His assistant coach is a cattle farmer who teaches school during the year. As we say back home, he's as cornbread as they come.

On batting stance: "Back fut stays st-EE-ull!"
When a kid does a good job: "'Air ye go!" (There you go!)

I tried for years to lose my accent. It's not as thick as coach's , but it's there. I can't even buy meat from the deli without having people comment on it. I finally stopped trying to get rid of it. I could just as easily turn myself inside out. Plus, it keeps people on the phone longer--they think it's cute, and as part of a nonprofit, that's practically an in-kind gift!