Cougraduations & Cougratulations!

It started with a Boom!  Boomgaarden put a thunderous swing on the first pitch of the game and with lightning fast speed blazed to first base to start the Cougar downpour of 15 runs.  We left the Brown Stars winded, foggy, hazy and with only two runs.

Other highlights from the 15-2 victory on the gorgeous ground at Howard Park:

• Fortier was 5 for 5, scored thrice and his defense froze their offense like ice.
• Danielsen scored three runs on four hits, including a triple. 
• Bobis was ready for the U.S. Open.  He took the club cover off his driver and hit nothing but line drives. 
• Lipinski thought the ball was cute, had a crush on it every time and hit on it all night.
• Fantastic Flannery had flawless fielding firing to first for force out after force out.
• Hoglund rapped three hits and had a golden fingers in the field.
• Lipsey imitated Yasiel Puig with the bat and in right field.  His right arm gunned down a runner at third base as well as first base.

• Martin had the dish covered all night.  He pitched first ball strikes over the plate, touched that same plate three times, and he and Tonya filled our plates with delicious dishes. 

• Captain Cougar's reputation as a dirty player was proven again last night.  

• McDonnell and Melchiorre are both bums.  Um, sorry, I meant they both have bum fingers and are on the disabled list.  They kept score, chattered in the dugout, and enjoyed refreshing beverages while cheering the Cougars to victory. 

Because it was the last day of school for many kids, it was the largest turnout for a postgame this year!  

Some of the kids at last night's party were our teenaged offspring.  When the Cougars began the club just over five years ago, many of these kiddos were just finishing third grade.  Captain Cougar was relatively new to Wilmette and primarily filled the roster with his new friends, who were dads of Miranda's McKenzie classmates.  

Last week those grade schoolers graduated and, in doing so, instantly transformed into high schoolers.  Here's a glimpse at that metamorphosis.

Not to be forgotten are these little Cougar sons, who were wee tikes finishing preschool when the Cougar team was born.  Now they, too, begin a new chapter as they leave McKenzie Elementary for fifth grade at Highcrest Middle School.  

Thanks to the families for digging up these old photos and snapping new ones to share with the Cougar community.  I'll give you four years notice that I'd like to do this again at the next graduation.  It seems like a lot of time, but just scroll through these photos again, and you'll see that it's the blink of an eye. 

As always, we are glad to be sharing these precious moments as part of the Cougar family.