Well, things could not have gone more differently.
Sunday we were scheduled to play at 10am. We were playing two Majors teams on the day and would be challenged the whole way. As with the day before, we were always on adjacent fields to Blue Wave. It was great to see some old friends and reconnect with Coach Louis. Blue Wave was having a rough go of it, playing with a mixed 10/11 roster. In fact, on Sunday the did not score a run or manage a hit in two games. It was frustrating to see good kids and families hang their heads like that.
Our day was not any better. At 9:55 we found out one of our substitute players was not coming. Simply refused to show. No warning, no notice. We had 8 boys, and panic. We had to change positions, change pitching rotations, take an out anytime the 9th hitter was due up. The boys collapsed in game 1 from all the confusion and just plain gave up. 15-0 loss with a few mitts being thrown and pop ups not being run out. I talked to Rabbit between games and asked him how he felt, as a fielder, seeing his teammates act out like that. It really reinforced to him how the team feeds on the energy of its players. Between games he went to his teammates, got everyone smiling, even apologized to the RF from the day before for making him believe that Rabbit was angry with him.
The second game was still lopsided, but a huge improvement. 11-1, but we twice got a 1-2-3 inning, even with 8 defenders! A few hits, but two rallies killed by the automatic out. No worries at all, and a decidedly more upbeat team at the end of that game. The boys could have easily thrown away their tournament at that point. They were 0-3 with two losses by ten or more runs. We had 8 players only and no idea if we would be able to field a full team for Monday. And yet, there they were, laughing, talking it up, and having a good time. It was very satisfying.
We managed to find two players to join us on Monday, meaning we would have 10. A real luxury for Mizuno! I honestly could not remember the last team we had more than 9.
As the fates would have it, we faced Blue Wave in an elimination game first thing Monday morning. We were the 16 seed out of 18 and Blue Wave was 18th. With 9 players (10 actually) we were significantly better than our 16 seed allowed. We knew this was a game we should win easily, and we did. We scored 8 runs before the first out was recorded and ten in the first inning. The game ended at 10-0 and we were on to the semi-finals of our bracket. The team we faced in the semis had beaten Blue Wave 9-1 so we figured it to be a close game. It was a great game. Back and forth, incredible defense, some timely hits and a few key strikeouts led us to a 4-2 victory. Both of our fill in for the other fill in players made huge contributions. A great win and we were headed to the bracket championship!
The championship game was a very tense affair with a few lead changes, 3 ties, and came down to the very last out. We came up one run short 5-4. We had made a few errors at the end allowing a few runs, but they were errors from new players or existing players trying to make heroic plays. As the coach said after the game "I want to see those plays, and errors now so that when we play the games that matter we get it right." We left the park satisfied after a great day of baseball. We went from 0-3 to the finals, won consecutive elimination games, and played two amazing ball games back to back.
Rabbit really improved over the course of the weekend. His demeanor was incredible, and the team as a whole went away proud of the weekend, but sad they lost. And they still laughed all the way home about it. His hitting has really come along nicely, including 3-6 on Monday with an RBI. In fact, I can say for the first time in a long time he has a 3 game hitting streak!
Ready for a week or two off, then back to the grind.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Playing well between the ears
A three day tournament over the Memorial Day Weekend culminated a three tourneys in three weeks trifecta. The boys were excited, and I was thrilled that our first game was not until 3pm on Saturday! I liked where this was headed.
We have had an amazing run of injuries in the last month. Two boys have broken ankles/feet and another broke an elbow. With only 9 on our roster, and one of those the younger brother of an 11U, we were in rough shape. We were able to locate enough additional players to field exactly 9 for the weekend. That is scary, because if anyone cannot/does not play you will be at an incredible disadvantage.
Saturday's game was against Phenom. They are team from the desert area who likes to poach players from other organizations. The also seem to have 19 coaches, matching sweatsuits and a theme song. If you saw the remake of Bad News Bears, they are all Greg Kinnear. The boys are very good players to be sure, but their coaches are jerks. We have played them a few times and done OK with Mizuno, and been absolutely thrashed by them when we were with Blue Wave. Since September of 2009 in tournament play Phenom had scored 110+ runs while allowing only 2.
In the third inning of our game Saturday, we were ahead 5-3. Rabbit had the ball and was pitching well. The simply could not hit him squarely. Lots of pop ups and grounders. In the fourth we made a few errors and the game started to turn. With 3 fill in players we had some boys playing out of position. No worries. At one point, after an outfield error that led to two more unearned runs Rabbit kicked the dirt in front of the mound in disgust. I was not pleased. There is no need to call out your teammates. It was non-verbal, but he sent a very clear message that he was not happy. Later in the inning the Phenom coaches bullied an extra base on an overthrow call because a ball hit a bucket that the coaches had placed on the field. Very bizarre. Once they saw that Rabbit was rattled they started calling time in the box, once while he was in his windup. I was stunned that the ump allowed that. Rabbit lost his composure, and we went down to an 8-5 loss. 4IP, 1ER. Against a bona fide majors team, and the kid was furious. In fact, after he made the last out at the plate he came in and threw his equipment down. I called him over immediately and told him that was unacceptable. He knew it was going to be a long ride home and we had lots to talk about.
After he was packed up I asked him if he knew why I was upset. He said that he knew I had seen him throw his equipment and also that he had kicked the mound. We talked at length about his frustration. He never meant to blame anyone for anything. Instead, he was mad at himself for missing his spots and letting the inning get away from him. I asked him what he thought the RF must think seeing him throw a tantrum after an error. It was then that it clicked for him. The RF thought he was mad at his error rather than himself. He saw that as the pitcher he set the tone for the team. When he lost composure the team followed him. We then addressed the equipment issue. It is never OK to slam helmets or throw bats. The helmet is not responsible for him being struck out. Be mad, be upset, be aggressive, but do not be a prima donna or crybaby.
We spent 15 minutes in the parking lot, ranging from near tears on his part to riotous laugher. He knew that like it or not, he was becoming a leader on the team. He needed to carry himself better and understand the effect he has on the psyche of the team. The bottom line is that he is 11, he got hot, and temporarily lost control. It is not the first time, and it will not be the last. But I do want him thinking about how his demeanor can positively or negatively impact everyone. As we were pulling in to home I got a call from the coach. He knew I was unhappy with Rabbit, but did not know why. Coach wanted to know the situation so that he could support our process. We briefly discussed what happened, laughed a bunch about it, and looked forward to the next day.
On a side note, I let Rabbit know, in no uncertain terms, that the next time someone calls time while you are in the wind up the very next pitch goes into their ribs. The coach agreed, I like these guys.
We have had an amazing run of injuries in the last month. Two boys have broken ankles/feet and another broke an elbow. With only 9 on our roster, and one of those the younger brother of an 11U, we were in rough shape. We were able to locate enough additional players to field exactly 9 for the weekend. That is scary, because if anyone cannot/does not play you will be at an incredible disadvantage.
Saturday's game was against Phenom. They are team from the desert area who likes to poach players from other organizations. The also seem to have 19 coaches, matching sweatsuits and a theme song. If you saw the remake of Bad News Bears, they are all Greg Kinnear. The boys are very good players to be sure, but their coaches are jerks. We have played them a few times and done OK with Mizuno, and been absolutely thrashed by them when we were with Blue Wave. Since September of 2009 in tournament play Phenom had scored 110+ runs while allowing only 2.
In the third inning of our game Saturday, we were ahead 5-3. Rabbit had the ball and was pitching well. The simply could not hit him squarely. Lots of pop ups and grounders. In the fourth we made a few errors and the game started to turn. With 3 fill in players we had some boys playing out of position. No worries. At one point, after an outfield error that led to two more unearned runs Rabbit kicked the dirt in front of the mound in disgust. I was not pleased. There is no need to call out your teammates. It was non-verbal, but he sent a very clear message that he was not happy. Later in the inning the Phenom coaches bullied an extra base on an overthrow call because a ball hit a bucket that the coaches had placed on the field. Very bizarre. Once they saw that Rabbit was rattled they started calling time in the box, once while he was in his windup. I was stunned that the ump allowed that. Rabbit lost his composure, and we went down to an 8-5 loss. 4IP, 1ER. Against a bona fide majors team, and the kid was furious. In fact, after he made the last out at the plate he came in and threw his equipment down. I called him over immediately and told him that was unacceptable. He knew it was going to be a long ride home and we had lots to talk about.
After he was packed up I asked him if he knew why I was upset. He said that he knew I had seen him throw his equipment and also that he had kicked the mound. We talked at length about his frustration. He never meant to blame anyone for anything. Instead, he was mad at himself for missing his spots and letting the inning get away from him. I asked him what he thought the RF must think seeing him throw a tantrum after an error. It was then that it clicked for him. The RF thought he was mad at his error rather than himself. He saw that as the pitcher he set the tone for the team. When he lost composure the team followed him. We then addressed the equipment issue. It is never OK to slam helmets or throw bats. The helmet is not responsible for him being struck out. Be mad, be upset, be aggressive, but do not be a prima donna or crybaby.
We spent 15 minutes in the parking lot, ranging from near tears on his part to riotous laugher. He knew that like it or not, he was becoming a leader on the team. He needed to carry himself better and understand the effect he has on the psyche of the team. The bottom line is that he is 11, he got hot, and temporarily lost control. It is not the first time, and it will not be the last. But I do want him thinking about how his demeanor can positively or negatively impact everyone. As we were pulling in to home I got a call from the coach. He knew I was unhappy with Rabbit, but did not know why. Coach wanted to know the situation so that he could support our process. We briefly discussed what happened, laughed a bunch about it, and looked forward to the next day.
On a side note, I let Rabbit know, in no uncertain terms, that the next time someone calls time while you are in the wind up the very next pitch goes into their ribs. The coach agreed, I like these guys.
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