I guess this morning I have to just accept this fate: I am the Bobby Cox of Girls Softball. You know, the coach who can get his team to the big stage but can't seem to ever win on the big stage.

Last night in a thrilling game, my Rangers went down to Brent Dalton's Tigers 16-15 in the championship game of our softball league. That makes two years in a row that our team (me and Trae) played in the championship game, only to lose.

We started out on fire, no doubt fired up by the dugout decorations some of the moms had made for the girls. A huge poster adorned the dugout with the words "Good Luck Rangers" and all the girls names and numbers. The moms even hung balloons on the dugout.

We scored 4 runs in the first inning, only to allow the Tigers to notch 5 in the bottom half of the first. We came back with 4 in the second, only to allow the Tigers to get five in the bottom of the second.

The third inning did us in. With runners on first and second and Trae at bat, we hit into what had to be the first-ever triple play in the history of 6-8 year old girls softball. Trae popped it up and the pitcher caught it on the fly. Our runner at first took off and rounded second while my girl at second stood on the base, making the runner from first automatically out. With the pitcher standing on second, the girl who'd stayed on second freaked out and took off and Brent's pitcher tagged her for the third out.

We never were able to dig out of that hole.

In the final inning, Trae did hit her first home run of the season -- a three-run homer to right field.

I am proud of my girls who played so hard and improved all year. Building relationships with the girls and their parents and watching the girls develop their skills on the softball field are always pure joy for me. Plus, spending that time with my daughter forms memories for both of us that will last a lifetime.

But the competitor in me would like, just once, to win the big one!