Signs Of Spring

Timing is everything. Whether you've got a line of kids at the beach all jumping in the air together on the count of 3 (Editor's note: What's the deal with Eli? Author's reply: Obviously he lost count.) or you're swinging for the fences, timing is critical. It's time for spring, we know that. It's been a long, hard winter here in Gloucester and we are more than ready to be outside in shorts, t-shirts and soccer and baseball gear. Well, almost all of us. It's been so cold for soccer practices at the start of the season the kids have been wearing sweatpants. It finally turned warm enough on Thursday that they could wear shorts. Except for Gabe. He came downstairs in sweatpants again right before we had to leave for practice. Someone asked him, "Gabe, where's your shorts?" He grimaced. "They make me look fat," he said. The good news is the diet worked because today he was able to wear his shorts. Just kidding. He did wear shorts today, though. More good news: Gabe and Madeline play on the same team and today their team won on a goal set up by a beautiful assist from Madeline.

Eli and his team played their first game and he scored the winning goal in the final seconds. He's got a big future in soccer. On one play he got an itty bitty shove from one of the players and immediately went to his Jedi warrior playbook because he "fell" with a twisting, flying, hit-the-ground-rolling, the-ref-can't-help-but-blow-the-whistle dive ... it was a very impressive and effective soccer play. Abram's team also won and he scored the first goal of his soccer career. It was pretty exciting stuff. That brings us to Ethan, who wrapped up the Sabo Sporting Day by helping the Gloucester Dukes JV team win 12-3. He had a single and double, scored two runs and stole three bases. All with a black, purple and green left eye. The photo of him up there is when he ripped a double into left center. Let's say his timing was on.