The Champions

Went to a HS gym today and won a championship.

Coach of the other team wore a three -piece suit and thought he'd roll over my lowly town.

He was wrong, we win, we champs!!!!

In 24 Hours

We will know if my 5th grade basketball team are league champs. I have a good feeling.

Gonna have a little 1/2 hour shoot on the outdoor courts tonight; try to keep them from being too nervous. Then a pizza/pasta party for an hour.

Win or lose, these boys are terrific. So check back for the news.

Who Ordered Winter's Return?

After days in the high 70's/ low 80's last week, we now have a 40 degree day. Super cold last night, due to wind chill. Had to cut 11U baseball practice short.

Forecast for the next week or so is seasonal mid 50's and low 60's. We are also in the midst of a fire-warning since the rain has pretty much stayed away. Fields are like dustbowls right now.

Better than snow.

The Old Switcheroo

Lemme tell you a story.

So in baseball, all bats and helmets are inspected by the umpires prior to the first pitch. They check for cracks and safety issues with helmets and that all bats meet the spec of that particular league. Bats are kind of funny since not too many people really pay attention.

So this occurred before my game yesterday. I have 5 team bats that all conform to league rules. We good. The other team is inspected and they good, or maybe not...

Second inning a kid gets up with a Combat B-2. Watch this video. These bats are known for being juiced. I notice after two pitches and the offending bat is pulled from game. Claim by opposing team is it was in the pile inspected. Which it may have well been.

But there have always been stories of juiced bats coming in games after an inspection is done. Google LLWS and illegal bats if you don't believe me.

Update to the Update

Forgot YSSS and how he did Saturday:

Went 1-3 at plate with a single, a stolen base and the lone RBI we could muster. Not much in the field, maybe two ground balls hit to LF.

Should've Won

I guess losing by 5 runs makes it hard to say that, but say it I will.

Played a team from the neighboring town and lost 9-4. Here's the stats that matter:

Walked 11 batters! - 3 scored

Made 6 errors in field - 4 scored

Batted 11 players - that'll never happen again

Struck out 5 times at bat - 4 looking (THE BACKWARDS K!)

Since I don't yell anymore - what can be said. It's 13U baseball...gonna be sloppy at times. But when my best pitcher takes himself out in inning #2 'cause he can't get anybody out, the hole is nearly dug. Big props to #24 and #14 for coming in and pitching some solid ball.

And how did OSSS do? He had two DEEEEEP doubles and two RBIs. he hit the second two-bagger a far way. The opposing coach told me he wouldn't pitch to my kid anymore and would just walk him.

Season is upon us.

The Update Is Not Good

Got blown out 11-1. The errors (including fielding, throwing and mental) will kill you.

13U up tomorrow. C-Ya.

Opening Day

For my 11U travel team...

Playing a team I've never seen before, and struggling with the 50/70 game. In addition, one of our better players is on the shelf, fielding-wise, due to an elbow injury.

So lace 'em up, get your gloves on and let's play ball.

Stay tuned later for update.

PS - 13U starts tomorrow, weather permitting. Couple of new players that I picked up last week.

Shirts Available!

Here comes the man!

Going To The Finals

Monday night. 8:15PM. Semi-finals for my 5th Grade Travel Team.

When all was said and done, two OT's later, we were the victors in a 43-41 game.

Easily the best game I have ever seen or coached at the youth level.

On to the finals on 3/31!!!

Scrimmage Saturday

Getting ready for the season, so set up some scrimmages for my teams to tune up. There are pretty much three ways you can approach:
1. Find a team that you play during season and play them. 2. Find some powder-puff you can beat up on. 3. Play anybody that you can, even if it's some club team that might crush you.

I don't like #1 or #2, so I pretty much stick with finding anybody and use it as a learning experience.

13U played at noon. I have a roster of 11. Right now I have a RF in a sling with a fractured arm. And during the week I also got a CF 9and leadoff hitter) in a brace for tendon tears in his wrist. Then at 6PM on Friday I got a text that I have a Catcher with a 101 fever. So I arrive at the field knowing I will play 8. And one of those is a brand new fresh rook...so in reality I have 7.

We take the field and my #1 Pitcher is having trouble. Two errors in my infield don't help. Neither do the three BB e gives up. Plan was to let him go 2-3 innings. He finished 1 with a pitch count of 51. And 5 runs on board.

We get three back in bottom of inning. Then I put in another pitcher. He gives up a walk, we get another E-5 and a BB and 3 runs are across. At 22 pitches, he tells us he has an issue with arm...pitching change (I start thinking we might only be able to play 4 innings at this rate). OSSS comes in, throws 7 pitches and we are out of inning on an F8 and tagout DP on a pickle on the kid who tagged to go home.

After that, we played baseball. Didn't score too much but we only gave up a couple more runs. OSSS went on to pitch another couple of innings...which we desperately needed. Final error count - 7. E-4 twice, E-6 twice and E-5 three times. That doesn't include my SS watching a ball drop right in front of him that he thought the pitcher should field.

In 11U action - we got trampled. Nuff said.

Playoff Win!

My 5th grade travel team won their Rd 1 playoff game last night. Final was 53-47. Kept trying to give it back. Other team wouldn't take it.

Z.A.

Zombie Apocolypse. Yowza.

Watch the Walking Dead? You should. It is the best show on TV. And now a new twist.

No, not the one that happened when Rick knifed Shane (in self-defense)...the fact that the dead is now coming back as zombies without a bite. Is this what the CDC guy told Rick at the end of last season? So it's just like the movies...we all turn when we die.

That's a bummer.

Madness of Spring

We got 60+ degrees in Northern J...and a forecast that says "spring is here early, soldier".

Just got the first of preliminary spring league schedules this afternoon. My A-type persona is already shooting the e-mails to the lesser beings to confirm games. Lot's of "don't have field schedule yet" replies. Not what SoulSlam wants to hear, playa!

Program is now 4 deep on teams. Veteran 14U and 13U teams on 60/90 field, 11U playing on 50/70 this season (and struggling right now), and a 9U team that has barely practiced and will undoubtedly get hit hard in the proverbial face when games begin. Hope they don't have a glass jaw.

So I stare at me inbox for signs of life from surrounding towns...

WHAT?

There was a band in the 70's and early 80's called Angel. They had a song called "Bad Luck". Had a line that went:
"if it wasn't for real bad luck, I'd have no luck at all".

Sounds like the New York Mets.

Now we hear that Ike Davis, might have Valley fever.

I am waiting for the pitching staff to come down with typhoid next.

Mr. Met leaving the hospital ward, errr, CitiField clubhouse.