It's been a while, time to rant

I was concerned about the effect of playing both Little League and travel ball would have on Rabbit. The six days a week has taken a slight toll, and I have slowly seen some bad habits creeping back. That being said, I am amazed at the dedication he has shown. In the midst of all of this craziness he has maintained his grades at the highest level and still manages to have fun in his spare 6 minutes a day.

So what is the problem?

The kid is 10. He is not supposed to be in Majors. That is usually for 11 and 12 year olds. I wanted him to be up with the better players. I wanted him to be challenged. And, selfishly, I wanted him to be out of pressure situations. I was perfectly happy for him to play 2 innings of outfield and sit the rest of the time. Well, he is firmly entrenched, after only 4 games, as a pitcher and 1B. Still no problem. However, last night he threw 72 pitches over 3 innings. That is a large number. I am frustrated that between the 13 other players we could not find as good an option. No big deal. It is baseball.

However, there is a significant difference between throwing a ball 60 miles per hour and knowing how to pitch. Rabbit can pitch. He cannot throw the ball past kids at this level. He can move a ball around a strike zone and hit the catcher's glove every time. Several of the opposing pitchers last night were throwing the ball as hard as they could, with half of the attempts ending up in or near the strike zone, but the other half hitting the backstop, scorers window, mascot, dugout, etc. That type of irregularity makes it difficult to string together a series of at bats that you can learn from.

And speaking of strike zones, let's spend a minute with the officials. They are painfully unqualified. I can understand missing a judgment call. But these people are often missing technical violations, and the occasional flat out wrong ruling. I want to be clear, I do not feel that they are biased, merely incompetent. At one stretch last night, between the two teams, 21 consecutive pitches that were not swung at were called balls. For two innings the only time a strike was called was if the batter swung. Meanwhile, both pitchers are hitting their targets and both benches were going crazy. Plays on the bases are being called from behind home plate. The umpire did not even make an attempt to position himself properly. Or to pay any attention. Twice players were caught off bases and tagged, but allowed or instructed to return to the base because the ump missed the play. I should understand that we are not getting pros, and that they are doing the best they can. Their best is not nearly good enough to be called competent. Luckily, the umps have yet to decide the outcome of a game, but it is only a matter of time.

Finally, I am still stunned that at this level, when most of the boys have been playing for 3-6 years, at the lack of respect for the game. Whether it is not bringing equipment to the practice or worse yet a game, or bending and breaking rules to get an edge it is frustrating to see how the little league game is played. Players cannot leave the base until the ball crosses home plate. With one umpire, especially of the quality listed above, it is not uncommon for a player to break early and be halfway to the next base by the time the catcher receives the ball. Last night a player from our team scored by sliding between the legs of the opposing catcher. The ball was still in the outfield when the player crossed the plate. I have also seen catchers, in full gear, dive into players coming toward the plate. This is dangerous for both players. And please, it is only the 4th game, how could you possibly have lost equipment by now?

I was unsure if we were going to play Little League this year. We will finish this out, but I am not seeing much hope for next year. Travel ball is not a panacea, some mythic Garden of Eden where everything is right all of the time. It is, however, a much closer approximation to the game of baseball.

Opening weekend

Saturday was the opening game for Little League and Sunday was our first Blue Wave game of 2009. We were excited to get going and a bit nervous to see how it would all go. The short answer is things went well, but we know what we need to work on.

Saturday in Little League we opened against the defending Majors division champs. The Bruins put 7 runs across in the first including Rabbit (hitting 7th) scoring on a passed ball. He had previously walked on a full count and stole 2nd and 3rd. In the field he started at 1B and played the first four innings there. The only action he saw there was when he made a good stretch to get a fast runner on a bang-bang play. After 4 innings we were ahead still 7-4. In his second at bat he struck out swinging at a ball above his head. That was tremendously out of character for him, and he was a little surprised that he had swung.

Rabbit came in to pitch the 5th and faced 4 batters retiring the side on 15 pitches. He really surprised his coaches who were not thinking he would be that effective. In fact, they kept him in to pitch the last inning with a 4 run lead. In the last of the sixth Rabbit got an out on the first pitch on a fly to right. From there no ball left the infield. A few dropped pop ups and misplayed grounders led us to a bases loaded, two out, one run ballgame. After running the count to full Rabbit threw a textbook called strike three to end the game and preserve the win. It was a great way to start.

For Sunday we arrived for game 2 of a double header with the 11U team. Blue Wave had won the first game by a mercy rule 14-2. As usual, but a surprise since this was the 11U team, Rabbit started at 1B. Again he was batting 7th and came up in the second inning with bases empty and two outs.. He tapped the second pitch to 2nd base for an easy out. He knew he was ahead of the pitcher, and I could see the gears of his mind working. In the bottom of the second he made a great scoop of a pick off attempt to retire the runner. He looks good over at 1B. In the third inning we blew the game open again with 10 runs. Rabbit came up with a runner on 2nd and drilled the 1-1 pitch back up the middle for an RBI single. Another strong play in the field at first and the team coasted to a 14-9 win. Two good wins in two days.

A great start, and it surely was time for a great weekend. 2 practices Monday, game Tuesday, practice Wednesday and Thursday and game Saturday. I am tired already and it has not started yet.

LL 1 1 0 0 1 1
BW 2 0 1 1 0 0

Spring forward!

Little League opens this weekend. We also have a Blue Wave game on Sunday. Two practices Monday, one on Wednesday, one Thursday, and a mid-week game to be announced. Yipes!

Rabbit is playing well after shaking off a slight cold. His hitting is coming together and he is throwing the ball very well. His pitching is solid, but he is leaving the ball up in the zone. It still strikes me as silly that we are having these discussions about a 10 year old. He loves playing and that is enough.

So far we have been pretty true to our idea of LL just being a silly, fun time with no pressure. That being said, I fully expect Rabbit to be starting 1B as well as pitching some. At Blue Wave he is firmly planted at 1B and starting pitcher. It will be interesting to see how Rabbit adjusts to being used as a reliever. Historically he has struggled in those situations.

As a fan I am thrilled to see the World Baseball Classic starting, spring training in full swing and am preparing for the high-school/college/minor league seasons. Our big trip this year is planned as a road trip to ABQ to visit my Father-in-law and nephew and catch some AAA Dodgers this summer.

Other than the usual chaos we are currently looking for a private school for next year. Things are not quite crazy enough so we thought we should add something extra into the mix. As I have said before, I need professional help.