It's nice to know they're a little more comfortable this year than they were last year. Last year was a little up and down as they were trying to get used to me and know what I expected. Now they know what they need to do and how to do it. They're getting the job done.

We need to get a couple more hits because we're leaving too many runners on base. That seems to be our mantra this year, unfortunately.

They had kept us off when we were hitting the ball up but not hitting it out. The kids were getting solid hits. They are getting a hold of it when [the pitch] is slower because then they can see it, but that also means that then they can be more patient and disciplined when they are hitting. And they are getting better at it.

The handful that did get hits [off Engel], a single here and a single there is going to do great things for a single person, but unless you can string them together, it doesn't matter in the big picture. We shut them down defensively.

The fact that Jack Thomas has been acquitted of not supporting a terrorist organization or being a resource for a terrorist organization, which were the two most serious charges in our view, is a very significant victory.

We felt that track had a representative feel of the whole album, kind of an overall vibe to the CD. There's a dual meaning that represents my roots in the Ottawa Valley.