Alright so Gulf Shores tournament’s coming up? Been living at that field lately. Coffee thermos basically glued to my hand. Needed to figure out which five teams everybody should really be watching this year. Started simple – dug out last year’s bracket and my worn notebook from under a pile of old scorecards on the truck’s passenger seat.
Step One: Staking Out Practice Fields
Tuesday afternoon, skipped lunch, drove straight to Fairhope High’s practice. Parked the truck way back by the outfield fence like some kinda baseball stalker. Point is, had to see these kids moving. Watched that Fairhope shortstop handle grounders for forty-five minutes straight without a bobble. Made a note: “DEFENSE = REAL.”
Wednesday? Pouring rain. Sat in my truck outside Robertsdale High’s indoor cage. Windows fogged up bad. Could still hear that “PING” sound every time their cleanup hitter connected. Sounded different. Harder. Had to add Robertsdale to the list just based on noise alone. Weird but true.
Step Two: The Grapevine (A.K.A. Gas Station Chatter)
Hit Bubba’s Pit Stop Thursday morning. Overheard two dads pumping gas near Bay Minette stickers on their trucks. Talking low but excited about some transfer pitcher. Wrote “BAY MINETTE – SECRET ARM?” in the notebook. Later, bumped into Coach Miller from Spanish Fort at the coffee shop. Didn’t even ask. He just started raving about his catcher’s arm. Slapped Spanish Fort on the list right then.
Step Three: Gut Check & My Messy Kitchen Table
Thursday night. Spread everything out – scoresheets, notes, my coffee-stained bracket copy. Started with eight teams scribbled down. Felt way too many. Crossed off three just based on graduation losses I remembered. Could actually see those seniors’ names scratched off my scorecards from last spring. Weird feeling.
Stared at Mobile Christian. Had ’em circled. But my gut? Told me no. Remembered seeing their young pitcher walking off the mound early last week, shaking his arm. Just didn’t sit right. Drew a line through Mobile Christian. Added Foley based purely on rumors about their outfield speed.
The Final Five (Subject to Change Next Week)
So here’s what ended up in that messy notebook by Friday breakfast:
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Fairhope: That infield defense. Smooth as butter.
Robertsdale: That “PING”. Power’s real.
Spanish Fort: Coach ain’t usually wrong. Catcher rules.
Foley: Pure speed rumor? Hope it’s true.
Bay Minette: Gas station mystery arm. Taking the gamble.
Probably forgot someone obvious. Already know some parent’s gonna tell me I’m an idiot for leaving Daphne off next time I buy peanuts at the gate. That’s baseball. Gotta love it. Or hate it. Same thing sometimes.