Saturday's game ball went to Aiden. Oddly enough, today's defensive hotspot was at second base, and Aiden almost single-handedly closed out the second inning by making all the put-outs there. But he didn't stop, and continued to make some other great defensive plays in the infield during the game. Since the Geckos' bats were on fire today, Aiden got to the plate five times and made the most of it by blasting five great singles and driving in several runs.
I knew we were playing a very good team today, and all the Geckos answered the call. We batted our entire order in five of the six innings and our defense shined! We're getting to the point now where the defensive coaches McKeever, Blass, Blass, and DeRubeis have the boys making the right plays to the right bases. This is a fun time of the year!
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Game Ball!
Wednesday's game ball went to Christopher. He had a solid defensive effort and cinched his selection by accounting for a double-play to finish out the game! Christopher smashed the ball and put in a perfect batting effort.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Game Ball!
Tonight's game ball went to Ryan. He was safely on base all four of his at-bats and had a huge defensive game. He assisted two outs at shortstop, and accounted for the third out in the same inning by smartly covering second. He also sucked up everything that came his way at pitcher and accounted for two more outs there.
Our entire defense tonight was excellent. I thought we'd be pretty rusty after our recent time off, but I'm pleased the boys proved me wrong. Everybody continues to make solid contact with the ball, and several Geckos are starting to get some very good distance with their hits.
Our entire defense tonight was excellent. I thought we'd be pretty rusty after our recent time off, but I'm pleased the boys proved me wrong. Everybody continues to make solid contact with the ball, and several Geckos are starting to get some very good distance with their hits.
Game Ball!
The game ball for last Thursday went to Andrew. He made the most of his opportunities in this rain shortened game to snag a hard line drive shot, and added to his effort by going two-for-two at the plate.
Judging by the scorebook, our bats were red-hot in the game.
Judging by the scorebook, our bats were red-hot in the game.
Travel Baseball
Tryouts are now confirmed to be June 5th, 4:30 - 6:30, at Boyce-Mayview field. The Travel Baseball Overview flyer and calendar have been updated. Boyce-Mayview field is directly behind the new recreation center.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Travel Baseball
The travel baseball overview has been updated slightly. The tryouts are tentatively scheduled for June 5th, time to be determined. If you know your son has an interest in playing travel, then please let me know. No firm commitment needed now. I'll be asking for that in the near future.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Game Cancelled
Today's game is cancelled. The other Manager looked at the field and said there is too much mud and standing water.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Game Ball!
Last Saturday's game ball went to Tim. He batted four-for-four on the game, including some strong hits out of the infield. He accounted for all three outs, including a great scoop, in his inning at first base. He held strong at third base, also accounting for outs there.
This game was a definite rite of passage, and I enjoyed it because I like to play a mud game every year. These kinds of games don't much favor teams that hit and field well like ours, but it's a good experience for the boys. Having said that, I'm voting for sunshine for the rest of the season!
This game was a definite rite of passage, and I enjoyed it because I like to play a mud game every year. These kinds of games don't much favor teams that hit and field well like ours, but it's a good experience for the boys. Having said that, I'm voting for sunshine for the rest of the season!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Game Ball!
Last night's game ball went to Josh in what was yet another very difficult decision. Josh was five-for-five at the plate, and he ultimately earned the ball by adding some impressive defense. Josh accounted for two put-outs at first to hold the other team scoreless in the 3rd inning, and held the middle of the field at pitcher and shortstop in other innings in a strong defensive effort.
Josh wasn't alone in his perfect at-bats, with several other players going five- or four- for five at the plate. They were blistering the ball last night and running the bases smartly. Our defense continues to look better and better, and it's only the third game!
Josh wasn't alone in his perfect at-bats, with several other players going five- or four- for five at the plate. They were blistering the ball last night and running the bases smartly. Our defense continues to look better and better, and it's only the third game!
Monday, May 2, 2011
Game Ball!
Saturday's Game ball went to Sohum. This was a difficult decision because I think I could have justified giving the ball to any of the players, but Sohum stepped up at the plate, going five-for-five with three RBIs. He also showed his defensive prowess by snagging a hard line drive at third to help get us out of the inning.
The Green Geckos looked utterly fantastic in this game. The fact that Sohum got up to bat five times is a testament to how well everyone was hitting the ball. There were several perfect appearances at the plate. The fielding we saw on Saturday looked like a completely different team than we saw just the day before. Our field coaching staff is doing a fantastic job bringing the boys up to speed on several things we couldn't accomplish in practices. Our pitching remains dismal with a double-digit ERA and not a single strikeout on the year.
The Green Geckos looked utterly fantastic in this game. The fact that Sohum got up to bat five times is a testament to how well everyone was hitting the ball. There were several perfect appearances at the plate. The fielding we saw on Saturday looked like a completely different team than we saw just the day before. Our field coaching staff is doing a fantastic job bringing the boys up to speed on several things we couldn't accomplish in practices. Our pitching remains dismal with a double-digit ERA and not a single strikeout on the year.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Game Ball!
The first game ball of the 2011 season! It goes to Rylan for his outstanding defensive play. He snagged two shots at pitcher, caught a pop fly at right center, single-handedly accounted for grabbing three balls at second, and caught and scooped up everything at first base.
We played what is probably the best team in the league tonight, and did pretty well. The boys were really hitting well, especially since we haven't practiced in two weeks, but we just happened to hit almost everything right to one of the opposing team's players. The boys played great as a team today, and I'm looking forward to a really fun season.
We played what is probably the best team in the league tonight, and did pretty well. The boys were really hitting well, especially since we haven't practiced in two weeks, but we just happened to hit almost everything right to one of the opposing team's players. The boys played great as a team today, and I'm looking forward to a really fun season.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Practice Cancelled
I'm afraid the current rain is going to do us in, so today's practice is cancelled.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Parent Meeting Details
First and foremost, if you do nothing else all season, please let me know in advance that you will be unable to attend a game. This is explained a little more below, but I plan games and player positions before each game. It helps me greatly to know who will be there and who will not. I'm not too worried about practices, and of course I fully understand that kids sometimes don't give you notice that they will get sick just before a game.
Coaches. I'm really excited about the coaching staff this year, which includes MLB experience (not from me!). This is my fourth year managing a training league team and Mike M., Bob W., Chris B., Steve B., and PJ D. bring a ton of coaching experience and enthusiasm to the team. We have a certain number of practices to cover the major aspects of hitting, fielding, and base running. The great thing about these coaches is that they'll work with the players to refine lots of details during the practices and into games. Hopefully, you'll see the benefits of this in our games and well into your son's playing career.
That doesn't mean you have to feel left out, though! It takes a lot of effort to run a game, and even experienced players at this age need lots of attention. For example, when we're batting, we need at least an adult pitcher, 1st and 3rd base coaches, a bench coach, an preferably another adult to warm up our on-deck batters. If you find yourself particularly adept at organizing a bench full of wired 8-year-olds, please don't feel bashful about jumping into the fray.
Coaching Philosophy. I hope to primarily accomplish three things: (1) have fun; (2) improve each and every player's skill level; and (3) instill a team spirit and respect for teammates, coaches, and the other team. It's very important to me that players are rotated not only just between the infield and the outfield (a league rule), but also among all the positions. Every player will play every position on the field at least a few times during the season.
To make sure this happens, I keep a detailed record of every position that every kid played in every inning of every game. I spend what my wife will tell you is probably way too long planning out positions for upcoming games, and work hard to keep a balance between infield and outfield time played and moving between positions there. That's why it's important to let me know if you can't make a game.
Travel Baseball. There will be additional details later for those players interested in trying out for a travel team, but it's important to note the 75 percent rule. That is, a player must attend at least 75 percent of the rec league games to qualify for a travel team.
As a little more guidance, travel baseball is a fantastic experience if you son loves to play the game. It's a great way to bond with some new teammates, learn more about the game, and get an introduction into more competitive ball as they'll be experiencing in the Minor Leagues. It does require a commitment from the middle of June through the end of July. It's either practice or a game pretty much every night, and a vacation during that time would make playing travel baseball pretty much impossible. It's four or five tournaments where you'll "travel" to Peters, South Fayette, Mt. Lebanon, etc. USC also hosts a travel tournament and you'll be asked to serve concession duty at that time. You can also read the overview at the appropriate link on the website main page.
Game cancellations. We're asked to hold off on cancelling games as much as possible. As a result, it very well might be that you come to a game to find out it is cancelled. Please be understanding in this situation, and realize you might make an unnecessary drive or two to a field only to be turned back home. Sometimes it will rain during the day, but stop at 5:00. Sometimes we can still dry the field and make it playable. Sometimes we can't. The league's focus is that we play as many games as possible, and we'll work toward that end. If a game is cancelled, I'll get a post up on the website, so you can try to check there before leaving for the field. In cases where it's a Saturday game and I can be at a field an hour or so early, I can often call everyone for cancellations. Since it takes a good half hour to make these calls, it just doesn't work on weeknight games or other games where we don't have that much time.
So, please don't assume a game is cancelled just because it has been raining unless it's confirmed otherwise. Also, if the field is playable, we'll play in light rain or finish as much of a game as we can if it starts raining in the middle provided there is no lightning.
Rule changes. Many of the players on this team have played in the USC league before, however, there are some minor rule changes/points of emphasis going into this year, as follows:
- Starting this year, there will be a "three strikes and you're out" policy. Also, players will be called out after seven pitches, regardless of whether they're strikes. In the past, it used to be seven pitches, no matter what. Players could swing at six in a row and hit the seventh. Now, they'll be called out after the third strike.
- There are catchers in this league. I ask for volunteers for the position, and hopefully will end up with five or six. Catchers aren't as important as the older leagues because there's no stealing, but it gives the players a good introduction to the position. We'll work with the catchers to help them learn the position. I count an inning of catching as equal to playing an inning of outfield in my records, and it's often just as exciting as playing the outfield. It is mandatory that catchers wear a cup, so please plan to accommodate this rule if your son comes home and tells you he volunteered to be a catcher.
- There are no lead-offs or stealing bases in this league. Not a new rule, just one to point out.
- The other rules for our league are posted for review at your leisure. It's also important to point out that the purpose of the league is developmental. No game score or win-loss records are kept. There are no playoffs for a championship.
Coaches. I'm really excited about the coaching staff this year, which includes MLB experience (not from me!). This is my fourth year managing a training league team and Mike M., Bob W., Chris B., Steve B., and PJ D. bring a ton of coaching experience and enthusiasm to the team. We have a certain number of practices to cover the major aspects of hitting, fielding, and base running. The great thing about these coaches is that they'll work with the players to refine lots of details during the practices and into games. Hopefully, you'll see the benefits of this in our games and well into your son's playing career.
That doesn't mean you have to feel left out, though! It takes a lot of effort to run a game, and even experienced players at this age need lots of attention. For example, when we're batting, we need at least an adult pitcher, 1st and 3rd base coaches, a bench coach, an preferably another adult to warm up our on-deck batters. If you find yourself particularly adept at organizing a bench full of wired 8-year-olds, please don't feel bashful about jumping into the fray.
Coaching Philosophy. I hope to primarily accomplish three things: (1) have fun; (2) improve each and every player's skill level; and (3) instill a team spirit and respect for teammates, coaches, and the other team. It's very important to me that players are rotated not only just between the infield and the outfield (a league rule), but also among all the positions. Every player will play every position on the field at least a few times during the season.
To make sure this happens, I keep a detailed record of every position that every kid played in every inning of every game. I spend what my wife will tell you is probably way too long planning out positions for upcoming games, and work hard to keep a balance between infield and outfield time played and moving between positions there. That's why it's important to let me know if you can't make a game.
Travel Baseball. There will be additional details later for those players interested in trying out for a travel team, but it's important to note the 75 percent rule. That is, a player must attend at least 75 percent of the rec league games to qualify for a travel team.
As a little more guidance, travel baseball is a fantastic experience if you son loves to play the game. It's a great way to bond with some new teammates, learn more about the game, and get an introduction into more competitive ball as they'll be experiencing in the Minor Leagues. It does require a commitment from the middle of June through the end of July. It's either practice or a game pretty much every night, and a vacation during that time would make playing travel baseball pretty much impossible. It's four or five tournaments where you'll "travel" to Peters, South Fayette, Mt. Lebanon, etc. USC also hosts a travel tournament and you'll be asked to serve concession duty at that time. You can also read the overview at the appropriate link on the website main page.
Game cancellations. We're asked to hold off on cancelling games as much as possible. As a result, it very well might be that you come to a game to find out it is cancelled. Please be understanding in this situation, and realize you might make an unnecessary drive or two to a field only to be turned back home. Sometimes it will rain during the day, but stop at 5:00. Sometimes we can still dry the field and make it playable. Sometimes we can't. The league's focus is that we play as many games as possible, and we'll work toward that end. If a game is cancelled, I'll get a post up on the website, so you can try to check there before leaving for the field. In cases where it's a Saturday game and I can be at a field an hour or so early, I can often call everyone for cancellations. Since it takes a good half hour to make these calls, it just doesn't work on weeknight games or other games where we don't have that much time.
So, please don't assume a game is cancelled just because it has been raining unless it's confirmed otherwise. Also, if the field is playable, we'll play in light rain or finish as much of a game as we can if it starts raining in the middle provided there is no lightning.
Rule changes. Many of the players on this team have played in the USC league before, however, there are some minor rule changes/points of emphasis going into this year, as follows:
- Starting this year, there will be a "three strikes and you're out" policy. Also, players will be called out after seven pitches, regardless of whether they're strikes. In the past, it used to be seven pitches, no matter what. Players could swing at six in a row and hit the seventh. Now, they'll be called out after the third strike.
- There are catchers in this league. I ask for volunteers for the position, and hopefully will end up with five or six. Catchers aren't as important as the older leagues because there's no stealing, but it gives the players a good introduction to the position. We'll work with the catchers to help them learn the position. I count an inning of catching as equal to playing an inning of outfield in my records, and it's often just as exciting as playing the outfield. It is mandatory that catchers wear a cup, so please plan to accommodate this rule if your son comes home and tells you he volunteered to be a catcher.
- There are no lead-offs or stealing bases in this league. Not a new rule, just one to point out.
- The other rules for our league are posted for review at your leisure. It's also important to point out that the purpose of the league is developmental. No game score or win-loss records are kept. There are no playoffs for a championship.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Game Ball!
Yesterday's second game ball went to Michael. Also strong in the field, Michael and Josh combined for a three up-three down pitcher to 1st base connection in the 5th inning. Michael was four-for-five at the plate including a triple to drive in three runs for the team.
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