Don't Suck: Life, Family & Softball
Don’t Suck: Life, Family & Softball is a father-daughter podcast where passion meets the grind. Hosted by Ronald and Madison Smith, we dive into the highs, lows, and lessons learned from the game of softball and how they apply to life beyond the field.
From early morning workouts to late-night tournaments, and road trips—we talk about the dedication, sacrifices, and unforgettable moments that come with chasing dreams. Expect real conversations, funny stories, competitive debates, and insights into the softball journey, plus a little family banter along the way.
Whether you’re a player, parent, coach, or just love the game, Don’t Suck is here to keep it real. No excuses, no regrets, just hustle.
Don't Suck: Life, Family & Softball
Beyond the Strike Zone: The Mental Game of Being a Young Athlete
What does it take for a young athlete to chase a college scholarship while navigating the pressures of high school sports? Madison Smith, a sophomore pitcher at Baker High School with dreams of playing college softball, opens up alongside her father Ron in this candid conversation about the realities of competitive youth sports.
From the nervous excitement of her first varsity game in 7th grade to her current position as an established pitcher for both her high school team and the Mississippi Bombers travel team, Madison shares the dedication required to excel. Her offseason regimen—attending college camps, taking specialized pitching and hitting lessons, and even building a backyard batting cage—reveals the commitment necessary to pursue athletic dreams at the next level.
The heart of this episode emerges when father and daughter tackle the delicate balance of parental involvement in youth sports. Ron acknowledges the substantial financial and time investments parents make while Madison offers powerful insight into the athlete's perspective: "When you strike out or throw a really bad game...you are in your head like 'Oh my gosh, you really suck'...and then if you're hearing somebody yelling at you...that just tears down your mental health."
Their refreshingly honest discussion about performance anxiety, the pressure of being "the pitcher with all eyes on you," and recovering from disappointing outings provides valuable wisdom for athletes and parents alike. The meaning behind their podcast title "Don't Suck" reveals itself as their unique shorthand—not harsh criticism, but a lighthearted way of communicating support through both triumphs and struggles.
Join us each week as we follow Madison's journey, complete with real-time stats, game highlights, and the mental challenges that come with pursuing athletic excellence. Whether you're an athlete, parent, or coach, this father-daughter conversation offers authentic insight into the world of competitive softball and the resilience required to thrive in it.
Came up young, glovin' my hand, dirt on my cleats, yeah, way before I had a fan. Late nights, caged lights perfectin' my stance. Got a dream in my heart. I ain't leavin' the chance. You're listening to the Don't Suck Live Family and Softball Podcast with your host, ron Come on, just throw a strike. And Madison Smith Only. It was that easy, it's that easy.
Speaker 2:What's up? Welcome to the very first episode of Don't Suck Podcast. It's me, ron Ronald, dj Ron Ron, my favorite dad. I'm here with my beautiful daughter, madison. Hey guys, and we have our friend, our producer, miss Claudia. Hey y'all, she's from Theodore. Watch how you talk to us. Go Bobcats. And we've been wanting to do this podcast or not necessarily just a podcast, but YouTube something to kind of show Madison's highs and lows of going through being a high school athlete wanting a college scholarship. We think she has a lot to offer kids her age, younger than her, and kind of see where it goes. This is an opportunity for her to get in front of coaches who maybe never met with her, and we'll see what happens. So, madison, tell us a little bit about yourself.
Speaker 3:I go to Baker High School. I'm a class of 2027, so I'm in the 10th grade. I've played varsity for our high school team since 7th grade. Remember it like it was yesterday I remember it too. I was so nervous First tournament.
Speaker 2:Where was it?
Speaker 3:Bob Jones.
Speaker 2:Yep, Me and mom couldn't make it. You went up there by yourself. We were watching on Game Changer. Your very first time getting the game. You went 3-0. I'll move seats because I'm superstitious. And then you threw your first strike and then the next pitch was a hit by pitch. I got a video shortly after that. It was you throwing a curveball on a 3-0 count for your first strike. Why were we throwing curveball?
Speaker 3:I was so nervous I don't think I remembered what the pitch calls were. I had no clue what I was doing, except for throwing pitches and just hoping they were strikes.
Speaker 2:At that point, Yep, I think you've seen three batters. Then you got pulled. You come back the next day and shut them down and you've been going ever since. Good.
Speaker 3:I also play travel ball for Mississippi Bombers with Coach Gary Fuller, a pitcher and a utility. I've been pitching for about six to seven years. So yeah, that's me.
Speaker 2:Yep, and again, guys, we're very excited about this. If anybody has anything, shoot us an email, send us something on Facebook, instagram, madison, I do have one thing to address. You told me earlier you hated my intro song. Why.
Speaker 3:It's cringy.
Speaker 2:What about?
Speaker 3:it is cringy. Whenever I hear it, I'm thinking of a mom who is watching her six-year-old son play his first t-ball game and she got his first little at-bat on video. He probably ran the wrong way around the bases, but she's posting it on TikTok with this song in the background.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm offended, but if you want a song for your kid who's six years old on TikTok, hit me up. So before we get started're gonna try to loosen things up. We're all a little nervous. Here being the first episode, it's probably take like 700. We couldn't even get past the very first part, so miss claudia is going to start us off with something called the quick pitch segment.
Speaker 1:What you got for us all right, let's get into it. What would your walk-up song be?
Speaker 3:my, my walk-up song would definitely be Unwritten.
Speaker 1:Sing it for us.
Speaker 3:I am unwritten, carried my mind. I'm undefined.
Speaker 2:I'm just beginning pins in my hand ending unplanned.
Speaker 1:Staring at the blank page. Before you open up the dirty window, let the sun illuminate the words that you cannot find, reaching for something in the day.
Speaker 2:Stop, stop, stop, stop. We're gonna get copyrighted here that's really good.
Speaker 3:Sign us up for the voice okay, moving on.
Speaker 1:If you could switch places with anyone in your family, who and why?
Speaker 3:I think I would switch places with my dad, because I always wonder what his job is like, and the way he describes it sounds crazy.
Speaker 2:So I want to I would suggest you keep chasing that college dream and hopefully never end up where I'm at. I would have to trade places with. The dog sleeps all day, perfect yeah that sounds nice.
Speaker 1:What's your pregame meal?
Speaker 3:Always a bagel and peanut butter.
Speaker 2:Yep, that's a shout-out to Coach Barb. Years ago she got us on that and the real key is to add honey on top.
Speaker 3:Or get the honey peanut butter. That's my new favorite.
Speaker 1:Yeah, All right. What's a short memory from your life that means a lot to you?
Speaker 3:I think it would be when I was in 10U and we were at the Little World Series for our travel ball team and I guess I was just on fire in the outfield and I got the defensive MVP for the whole tournament.
Speaker 2:Yep, and we were in Vieira Florida. It was a beautiful beautiful. It was hot, 115 degrees I think.
Speaker 3:Our turfs were melting. We were having blisters on our feet. It was awful.
Speaker 2:We were putting Vaseline on their toes to draw the heat out, and I remember that memory, like yesterday also. I cried. Oh no, I cried too.
Speaker 3:I had my sunglasses on. I was trying to be cool and be like oh yeah, I just got this award, but the tears were flowing under there.
Speaker 2:Ask us about it. I will try to find the videos and I will post a video of Madison's catches that made her the MVP that term.
Speaker 1:It was an awesome job, so nice, if you can have any superpower, what would it be?
Speaker 3:I would be able to teleport because like, if you were invisible, yeah, you could go anywhere, but if you could teleport, you could like teleport behind the bush and stuff and like still be invisible, you know.
Speaker 2:I would have the ability to stop traffic, pause time, get home as soon as I get off work because you got your bathroom, claudia.
Speaker 3:What would your superpower be?
Speaker 1:oh man, um, probably invisible lame all right. Moving on, moving on um. What would you prefer to play on, dirt or turf?
Speaker 3:For, like the rest of my life yes, if it was the rest of my life, probably turf. Just because it's flatter, you don't have to worry about holes in the dirt.
Speaker 2:It's consistent, everything's consistent. You get a ground ball.
Speaker 3:it's bouncing the same every time, but the dirt you never know.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:All right, what's your favorite emoji?
Speaker 3:Well, I use the like cry and laugh one literally every time I text somebody, so probably that one.
Speaker 1:Mine do Mine do yeah, all the time.
Speaker 2:Even when I'm not laughing. I send that just to make somebody feel like you made me laugh.
Speaker 3:Or the one that like the eyes, like kind of go down like a little like a rainbow, you know, like a semicircle for the eyes.
Speaker 2:I feel like you're throwing up Crips on me. You are Please stop.
Speaker 3:And then they smile like I can't explain it. It's hard.
Speaker 1:Okay, what's a weird smell that you enjoy Dad how about you go first on this one?
Speaker 2:I think horses. I love to smell horses.
Speaker 3:I don't think I've ever smelled horses without smelling, like you know, but I think, a smell which probably a lot of people think, this too but gas or Sharpies smell really good.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'd have to agree with that. Yeah, all right. What's something you are afraid of?
Speaker 3:The dark or ghosts, but I don't know, I'd never they kind of go hand in hand yeah I feel like that snakes really really terrified.
Speaker 1:You're scared of snakes terrified well, I think we'd be here all night if I said mine, so we're gonna skip me, but mainly aliens. Um, anyways, would you rather hit a walk-off home run or a game saving catch?
Speaker 3:a game-saving catch. A game-saving catch. Every day I'm in the outfield and I pray the ball gets hit to me on the last thing so I can dive for it and just feel so good about myself.
Speaker 2:I'd want the walk-off home run.
Speaker 1:Wow, I would say the game-saving catch. But I've done that a lot in the outfield.
Speaker 3:Oh, okay then.
Speaker 2:Any Theodore fans.
Speaker 3:If you remember Claudia, please let us know If you have any videos please let us know, because I have yet to see a video of her.
Speaker 1:My parents never took videos. Love y'all.
Speaker 2:All right, mad. What did we do during the offseason, babe?
Speaker 3:We finished up a great season with the Bombers and then I took a few weeks off pitching just to rest my arm. New mindset, full reset. And then I went to a UWA camp with Coach DeFeo Love her, love the team people.
Speaker 1:It was great camp. Learned a lot of new things, got you a new bat. Got a new bat. It's very hot too, I will say I did go with them to the camp and the atmosphere was amazing.
Speaker 3:Yes, the people were very nice.
Speaker 2:And on the way home we did a Taco Bell challenge. I do not suggest anybody try that, but I got last place.
Speaker 3:You did Actually. I do suggest it was very fun and entertaining it was. Back roads you learned a lot about yourself during that challenge, yeah you do what else babe? I was supposed to attend the Mississippi College Camp but unfortunately I got the flu and I wasn't able to make it.
Speaker 2:Didn't go and we got the biggest snowstorm in the south, the next day, the next day Yep. So good thing is we did get an email back. She'll be going back up there June July.
Speaker 3:Sometime in the summer.
Speaker 2:Beautiful campus, from what I hear, yes. What about lessons?
Speaker 3:I of course, had some lessons with Coach Barb, worked on my location and spin. Spin is very important.
Speaker 2:Yep, spin is speed.
Speaker 3:Made sure we had that down pat. And then I had some lessons with Coach Jake. My hitting lessons worked on timing and then hitting my pitches up and out. That was kind of my struggle, so getting that figured out.
Speaker 2:Yep.
Speaker 3:And you got some big things going on in the backyard too, don't you? We do? We started building a batting cage over.
Speaker 2:Christmas break Christmas day actually we dug our very first holes and almost done with it. Now We've got the roof up. We've got to do some dirt work. If anybody wants to come give us a hand, reach out.
Speaker 3:Please do. And then I started giving some lessons to younger girls around seven to 12 years old. I went to some of their practices, did some team camps and I really do think I have a passion for teaching younger girls about the game of softball.
Speaker 2:Yep, and one thing I like was seeing how much you started paying attention to your own mechanics while doing these lessons. So what about goals going into this season? Anything big?
Speaker 3:On the hitting side, I'd like to have a batting average of 360 or above.
Speaker 2:Yep.
Speaker 3:And then I'd like to have my strikeout count around 18 or below.
Speaker 2:Yeah, a little high yeah.
Speaker 3:But better than last season.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And then, on the other hand, I'd like to have an ERA of 1.5.
Speaker 2:It's going to be tough. You got a lot of tough competition.
Speaker 3:But I think a pretty high goal, yeah, pretty good.
Speaker 2:Yeah, matt, I like the goals there. I think the ERA is a pretty tough one. I think that's very fair for you. Strikeouts are high, but you have to look at what you've done in the past and so, yeah, let's better what we did last season.
Speaker 3:Make a progress, Yep and 360 plus.
Speaker 2:Let's do it. It's a great season. So week one finally out of the way. February 14th through the 20th, glad to have it over with, always kind of excited, nervous to see what's going to happen. We started the week off in Pearl River Community College over there with Coach Meeks. Yep and tell us a little bit about how that went.
Speaker 3:We had a very good first outing. We went 3-1, played Gulfport, harrison Central, south Panola and New Hope. We took the loss to South Panola but it was a pretty high-scoring game, not too bad for our first time being out on the field altogether this season.
Speaker 2:Yep and Gulfport, y'all got the W against them. It was 6-5. You went one for four in a single, not bad First game. It's nice to get the nerves out the way. Then y'all played Harrison Central, beat them 3-0. You went one for two with a walk and a single. You also pitched seven innings zero earned runs, two walks, three Ks. Pretty good, huh.
Speaker 3:Pretty good for my first outing.
Speaker 2:And then y'all took your first loss to South Panola Lost 9-16.
Speaker 3:They were a pretty good team. They hit the ball well. I mean, it wasn't too bad on our part, could have done better obviously.
Speaker 2:You were 1-4 with a single and you pitched two innings, gave up two earned runs and had two Ks.
Speaker 3:They hit the ball.
Speaker 2:I remember, and they played a good game against Satsuma, if I remember correctly, right before that.
Speaker 3:I think so yeah.
Speaker 2:And then y'all played New Hope. You got the W there. It was 12 to 16.
Speaker 3:Very high scoring.
Speaker 2:And you went 0 for 4 with a reach on error.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I kind of struggled that game. I think that's the game. I had three strikeouts. Tough I think that's the game.
Speaker 2:I had three strikeouts. Tough yeah, quarter away to your goal. So then we opened up. Oh man, this is going to be tough for Miss Claudia. Here we opened up our regular season at home. We hosted Theodore. You beat them 17-0. You got the start in the circle. You went two for two with a single, a double and a walk. Me and Claudia were actually walking up when you were at the bat. We were trying to shuffle and get there. You hit a deep fly ball right center field. I got my hands up. I think it's gone. Hits the fence you got a double.
Speaker 3:That was sad. Yeah, unfortunately I'm so slow.
Speaker 2:I would have got a triple I only can make it second base.
Speaker 3:Yeah, can make it second base, but I did try and get third and I made a little mistake.
Speaker 2:But yep, and then that you went three innings. You gave up zero earned runs with five k's pretty good, not too bad.
Speaker 3:It was our first home game, so got the nerves out the way at home and yeah and then, uh, on thursday, y'all traveled up to centennial and beat them 12-0.
Speaker 2:You, you went two for three, two singles and a reach on air.
Speaker 3:Not too bad.
Speaker 2:Good overall start for Baker. Yeah, very good, this is a complete opposite shift of what happened last year, so excited to see that Much better Excited for the season. So where do you stand for the week one stats?
Speaker 3:My batting average is 368, so right around my goal for the season, which obviously it's going to change, but not too bad for the start. And then I had four strikeouts.
Speaker 2:Nice, quarter of the way there.
Speaker 3:Yes, great start. And then I had an ERA of 1.16. Okay, pretty low, but you know, still first week definitely going to fluctuate and our team record is 5-1.
Speaker 2:Yep, good, and you know. Going back to the strikeouts, we're here to highlight the highs and lows. We're not going to hide nothing from y'all. If Madison sucks, we don't have a problem sharing that with anyone. This is to me, this is the character of the game, and you're going to have good days, good weeks, good seasons, and you're going to have bad ones also. So don't be afraid to highlight that.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So, before we get out of here, ms Claudia is going to ask a question. We're going to call this Cotton a Rundown. Should be a little bit more of a debatable question. Maybe me and Madison think a lot alike.
Speaker 1:So, ms Claudia, yeah, y'all do think a lot alike, so I'm going to add my and just let them have fun early on.
Speaker 2:It's all about developing. It's a kid having fun, making sure they love the game. You can't push no more than that. Well, you can and you'll probably not have a softball player in five, six years, I think. Uh, once they get to middle school, high school, if it's a dream they have, the parents have to step in. I mean you're spending a lot of money, you're, you're paying for travel ball, you're staying in hotels. I mean you're spending seven, eight hundred dollars a season. So you, you should be involved, especially if you know what you're talking about, if you're a coach, if it you know, like in our case, I coach Madison and when her coaches don't have her during the season, or I'm her coach, I'm sitting with her. So I'm going to push her. I have to be open. Open about that. She has to be open with me. If there's an issue, she has to communicate that. But like, that's my take.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I agree. Also, I think sometimes parents push too hard, like or not even just parents but the game will get too stressful and you got to take that time off. Just have fun again, play with your friends and then right back on the same track, being pushed out there, working, constantly, working towards that goal.
Speaker 2:Yep, and you know, if these kids, we see this now, as they get older, we see really really good ballplayers. Quit, completely quit.
Speaker 3:And it's mind-blowing.
Speaker 2:And you know it probably could have been identified a season or two seasons before that where I'd have much rather told Madison, hey, let's take this season off. We ask her every year Madison, you, you want to take some time off, you want to rest the season? And of course, up to this point she said no. And the question as you get older, we're so far invested. It's hard to ask that question now, but had she had told me three years ago, dad, I want to quit playing, I want to take it some time off, I'm not having fun anymore, that's what we'd have done.
Speaker 2:And even looking into this season, there was a questions about taking some time off and kind of losing that love for it and the passion. And you know it's hard when you probably, as an athlete, identify with just being a softball player and so the focus should never be I'm a softball player, that's my identity. You know. You're're so much more than that, so I think, a lot of love there. There's a lot of questions where you you kind of doubt yourself. And when you're not having fun, you know, yeah, go back to rec ball, maybe you need a season playing with your friends or maybe you take a whole season off. But but what's important is, if this is your dream, this is your passion, I think you should be pushed and trying to find that passion again. And you know, what do you think? Claudia?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, I agree with what you are saying. Like, looking back, I would do things a lot differently. Like there's a lot of distractions as a young teenager young teenage, female at that, you know boys are involved and having fun with our friends and stuff like that, which is all fine. But, um, don't let it become too much of a distraction for you, um, and I just think that definitely parents should push harder, but there's a fine line between pushing too hard and not pushing enough, so that you kind of have to balance that out and just kind of figure it. Figure it out and see what works for you and your kid. But yeah, definitely.
Speaker 2:So I mean, you've been in our lives now for over a year and you've seen the way we are. You know, brooke, she's nine, that's my youngest child, that kid, she just wants to have fun. You know, I've had one hitting lesson with her. She kind of showed me that she wanted to do it. But it's a different relationship for me when you become that, because there's a different pressure when you watch your kids struggle. How do you deal with that? I mean, as a parent it's not easy. I have learned to walk away and and to kind of take myself out of the situation.
Speaker 2:Years ago I asked Madison. I said I heard a parent kind of come on, do this, do this, do this. And I thought, gosh, I can't believe that. So I asked Madison. I said Madison, do you ever hear me talking? And she said nah, nah, well, sometimes. And so from that moment I said, well, you ain't gonna hear me in right field or left field. And so that's what I started doing for myself and it's kind of kept me out of trouble. You know, when Madison's struggling I expect people to say come on, coach bowler. I don't want to hear that as her father, but I get it. I mean, I was an athlete, and if I'm paying $700 a season to play ball, I want to win also.
Speaker 3:So, madison you have anything else? Yeah, I think as a parent of a player not that I am, but you know I think that you really need to think about what your players are thinking in their heads. Because when, being a player athlete, when you strike out or when you walk somebody or you throw a really bad game or you make a really bad error playing the field, you are in the field or in the dugout or wherever, and most people are in their head like, oh my gosh, you really suck, get this go. This is embarrassing. Like I just need to quit, like that's what you're telling yourself.
Speaker 3:And then, if you're getting in the car or you're hearing somebody yelling at you like, oh my gosh, what are you doing? Like we sit here and do this over and over again. I don't get what the problem is. That just tears down your mental health so bad and that is going to make you just want to quit and quit and just not play and it makes it not fun. And that's one of those reasons why people are quitting, because it makes the sport not fun. And when you're doing so bad and that's all you hear is, oh my gosh, we do this so much and we practice this so much and you still can't do it. It's like, yeah, I know I'm telling myself the same thing, don't worry, you know.
Speaker 2:And I do. And I'll tell you, as a parent, I'm not sitting here trying to act like I'm perfect, because I know for a fact I'm not. There's time. There's times where I say things that are out of pocket. And you know one thing we talked about and we'll get there.
Speaker 2:But, madison and I, if you want to talk about the highs, then we have to be willing to talk about the lows. We can't come home and say, oh, I hit two home runs or I pitched a perfect game, and then next week I struck out 16 times. I couldn't control my curveball, I couldn't control my drop ball. I'm not practicing hard, I'm not doing these things to get better. I'm not going to just stand here and watch that my job. At this point, if you say, dad, I want to play in college, I'm going to push you that. I think I do a very fair job of it, not saying that I don't cross a line, but I'm a lot better than I've seen and I'm a lot better than who I used to be, even when you were younger. So it's not easy. It's a. It's a struggle for parents to look. It sucks to sit there and watch your kids struggle. There's nothing you can say to make it better. It is what it is and that's kind of why we adapted. And this is a good part to tell you where the word come hey, kid, don't suck, good luck, it means nothing.
Speaker 2:Madison has thrown a perfect game before and when she come out of it I said that sucked. Because that's how we communicate. That is the same thing when I tell Madison don't need somebody to be tough on you, we all know what you're going through when you're at your high. That's what I'm going to say. That don't suck. Like if Madison's had bad games. You had a couple this past season. You come off field. I don't say you don't suck Because it doesn't fit there. Hey, I love you, it's a rough day. You're going to come back out tomorrow and do better. And you know we talked about this. We had a Pearl River Community College this past season. That stadium haunts Madison.
Speaker 3:It's a curse. I think there is a witch out there and when I step on that coach it's like bippity-boppity-boo you're not playing good today.
Speaker 2:And I'll feed into this. I know Coach Meek's husband. We went to school together and you know I'd love for Madison to go to Pearl River. I'd love it. It's a beautiful place. They've got a great college. It's not our best place and some athletes I mean you look at MLB ballplayers they break down stats All these baseball players that go to Dodger Stadium. They will have betting lines bet on how well someone's going to perform there, because in the past they haven't performed well. It is a natural thing. Some people play well some places, some people don't. This past offseason, during Bomber season, madison probably had the worst game she's ever pitched her entire life. I've never seen the kid ever get upset and I'm not tooting her own life. I've never seen the kid ever get upset and I'm not tooting her own horn. Anybody who knows Madison knows that she kind of stays the same person in the circle, but this one day it ate her up. She was on a brand new team.
Speaker 3:First tournament of the new team too. I think I went to one practice, barely knew any of the girls' names, got out there and pitched the worst game of my life and I'm in the circle in my head. Oh my gosh. These people on this team think I am terrible. They're probably overthinking all their coach's life choices, like why would they put this girl on our team? She literally sucks. She's just going to make us lose every game.
Speaker 2:Hey, and I will tell you this I sat in right field so Madison didn't have to hear me. But I do that for myself. It's for that because I feel like if I'm close and Madison sees me because I'm a walker. I get away from the situation. If she sees me and she's pitching, she's struggling, she just sees me pacing back and forth.
Speaker 3:Oh, I know he's worried about me, yeah so I don't have to say nothing.
Speaker 2:She knows that, I know that at that moment she sucks, and but let me tell you, the next day we go to uwa camp it's phenomenal phenomenal, best day probably.
Speaker 2:You've had a softball in years yeah and so so sometimes you just have a rough outing, you have a rough day and and as a parent, yeah, I'm gonna push my kid to be the best and and do everything she can. But I have to identify that day that madison come out of that game. That was not the day for me to say you've got to do better, what are we doing wrong. That was a day for me to love her and say, hey, you didn't suck. I love you.
Speaker 3:It wasn't really that bad.
Speaker 2:And, honestly, we went back to it and I don't think it was really that bad, but it was a lot of pressure in that situation.
Speaker 3:Playing people that I not go to school with but are in my area for school ball and I know them and I know they know I don't play like this and I know I know I don't play like that and I know people in the stands know I don't play like that, but it was just the pressure of a new team and atmosphere and playing, playing this game.
Speaker 2:It was just like it was rough and we've talked about this too over the past few years. When you're in that circle, all the pressure, all the eyes are on you, it is the toughest place to be.
Speaker 1:Yeah and I used to pitch too, so I know how it feels yeah.
Speaker 2:And you just have to realize that you're not on your own and this game doesn't define you and it is what it is, you know. But it's tough, that's what we're here for. And look, when she has a game like that, we're going to come on that podcast that next week and we're going to blast her.
Speaker 3:And we're going to giggle about it and we're going to talk about every walk I had, every batter I hit, and we're just going to because and sometimes that's- too, if you, if you approach a kid and it is rough in our situation, hey that, what are we doing?
Speaker 2:and I'll have moments like that Madison, what are you doing at the plate? Why, come on, you do this. You know we, we practice this every day. What are we doing? But then the next day I'll come back say, hey, you sucked, I sucked, we'll figure it out. So, claudia, you have anything else to add? No, I think I'm good, madison, anything.
Speaker 1:Just don't suck. You got it, yep, don't suck.