Well, it has been quite a month. After winning their first 6 games together the boys have dropped 5 of 8. Not quite devastating, but a real loss of momentum going into this weekends tournament. The San Clemente tournament was, I fear, the turning point. The boys won the first game in a dominant fashion. 14-4 in 4 innings, sparkling defense, booming offense, even Rabbit got 2 hits. They did not score 14 more runs in the entire tournament. They got sloppy, were not ready to play, and got beat by teams they had dominated previously. Very frustrating. For the first time we could clearly answer no to both important questions. We were not getting better, and we were not having much fun.
Fast forward a few weeks. School is in session, Rabbit is playing flag-football as well as Blue Wave. 3 practices a week of each is really stretching our schedules. Add in private pitching lessons (amazing results so far) and we are exhausted. We did manage to sneak away for a Dodger game this week though. Priorities!
The team is bonding, and the boys like and respect each other. When they play well, they are unbeatable. We have seen them take down AAA and even Majors teams. When they are not focused they can lose to a T-ball squad. We will have to wait and see who shows up this weekend.
I hold absolutely zero expectation for this tournament. I honestly believe that they will lose every game. I also expect they will have some fun, and that we will really enjoy our time. This is a National Championship, and we are not ready to compete at this level. However, it is a reward for the cumulative efforts of the past 12 months. That does not mean we won't get grumpy when we play poorly, more likely we will get over it quicker.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
Off to a great start
After going 2-0 on day one we knew we were the 1 seed going into ladder play. Our opponent for the first game was a team we had beaten the day before by a 7-3 score. We got off to an OK start, trailing 1-0 after their half of the first. Run scored on a balk, the first of many questionable balk calls that day. Our boys never gave it a thought. We scored early, and often. The entire team was making good contact and we were scoring runs with ease. In the field we bent, but did not break. Twice the pitchers got out of bases loaded jams without giving up so much as one run. In the bottom of the fourth we scored the decisive runs to win easily 11-1. We were in the championship! Undefeated and playing well. All the parents were stunned, happy and ready for more. The boys were stern, focused and itching to keep going. It was fun to watch.
Rabbit was given the start in the championship. He had been a rock recently, showing top of rotation stuff. Not today though. He was fair, but a little wild. In fact he walked more batters in two innings, 4, than he had in his previous three outings combined. He came out after two innings allowing 3 runs, but tied. His 45 pitches matched his total from a 5 inning game just a few months ago. Today was not his day, but he battled and gave what he had. We scraped a few more runs across and were ahead 6-3 after 3. Then the big bats came calling. The middle of the line up was tremendous, with 3 homers and several extra base hits. One boy hit a ball at least 270' to punctuate a late rally. Headed into the last inning we were ahead 10-5. The first out was made on an incredible diving grab at shortstop. Then Rabbit made an incredible effort at a ball, diving headfirst for a foul that bounced off the heel of his glove. The entire team was focused like I have never seen. The final out was made on a soft liner to second. Blue Wave had won! For the first time they had gone 4-0 in a tournament.
Rabbit was not the star this weekend. In fact, he was merely a passenger aboard the S.S. Blue Wave this weekend. He played tremendous defense at first, and although he was not as effective on the hill he still kept it close. His batting is miserable right now, three times this weekend he watched strike 3 go by on an 0-2 count. But none of that mattered. What mattered was the team picked each other up. Every player contributed, and every player gave what they could. This team should carry this confidence and focus forward. They can be very, very good.
So how do you celebrate a clean sweep in a tournament? With 5 buckets of soft-toss in the batting cage. No rest for the weary, there is always something to improve.
Rabbit was given the start in the championship. He had been a rock recently, showing top of rotation stuff. Not today though. He was fair, but a little wild. In fact he walked more batters in two innings, 4, than he had in his previous three outings combined. He came out after two innings allowing 3 runs, but tied. His 45 pitches matched his total from a 5 inning game just a few months ago. Today was not his day, but he battled and gave what he had. We scraped a few more runs across and were ahead 6-3 after 3. Then the big bats came calling. The middle of the line up was tremendous, with 3 homers and several extra base hits. One boy hit a ball at least 270' to punctuate a late rally. Headed into the last inning we were ahead 10-5. The first out was made on an incredible diving grab at shortstop. Then Rabbit made an incredible effort at a ball, diving headfirst for a foul that bounced off the heel of his glove. The entire team was focused like I have never seen. The final out was made on a soft liner to second. Blue Wave had won! For the first time they had gone 4-0 in a tournament.
Rabbit was not the star this weekend. In fact, he was merely a passenger aboard the S.S. Blue Wave this weekend. He played tremendous defense at first, and although he was not as effective on the hill he still kept it close. His batting is miserable right now, three times this weekend he watched strike 3 go by on an 0-2 count. But none of that mattered. What mattered was the team picked each other up. Every player contributed, and every player gave what they could. This team should carry this confidence and focus forward. They can be very, very good.
So how do you celebrate a clean sweep in a tournament? With 5 buckets of soft-toss in the batting cage. No rest for the weary, there is always something to improve.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
We're putting the band back together
For months it seems we have been waiting for "the team" (10U) to play. After a spring and summer of 10-11 and 9-10 tourneys we had yet to play with the roster that is going to Nevada. We have been a bad team when we are mixed with other ages. No one seems to claim any leadership and it is too easy to find fault with those that are not normally one of "the team." Well, time to put up or shut up. Starting today we have 3 weekends in a row of the 10U team playing tournaments together. After a weekend off it is off to Nevada. If we stink now there is no one to blame but us.
I am going to give the coach (possibly) more credit than he deserves. We are playing in a tournament that features some weaker competition. This is either serendipitous, or a masterstroke of strategy. Each team we face we should be able to beat. And we did today. The team played well. Not outstanding, not ridiculous, not even spectacular. But they kept control of the game and themselves. Every player on the roster pitched an inning. 11 pitchers in 11 innings. We kept errors to an absolute minimum with only one circus play all day long. Rabbit pitched well, but not brilliant. He played excellent at 1B and fair in RF. He was horrible at the plate, but he was not needed. We won the games 7-3 and 5-2. Neither game was particularly close, or ever in doubt.
In fact, I could see the moment when an opponent gave in. I have seen it happen to our boys often enough that I know it when I see it. They are the #1 seed going into Championship play tomorrow. Game time is 1PM and every arm is available. We should be able to get by our first opponent easily. And yet we have faltered many times before against weaker competition. My hope is that they continue to play well, as a team, and grow in their confidence and ability. Our worst case scenario is 2-1 weekend. It has been quite a while since we have done that well. Realistically, we should be in a battle for the title. What a great start for this team as they prepare for bigger and better things.
I am going to give the coach (possibly) more credit than he deserves. We are playing in a tournament that features some weaker competition. This is either serendipitous, or a masterstroke of strategy. Each team we face we should be able to beat. And we did today. The team played well. Not outstanding, not ridiculous, not even spectacular. But they kept control of the game and themselves. Every player on the roster pitched an inning. 11 pitchers in 11 innings. We kept errors to an absolute minimum with only one circus play all day long. Rabbit pitched well, but not brilliant. He played excellent at 1B and fair in RF. He was horrible at the plate, but he was not needed. We won the games 7-3 and 5-2. Neither game was particularly close, or ever in doubt.
In fact, I could see the moment when an opponent gave in. I have seen it happen to our boys often enough that I know it when I see it. They are the #1 seed going into Championship play tomorrow. Game time is 1PM and every arm is available. We should be able to get by our first opponent easily. And yet we have faltered many times before against weaker competition. My hope is that they continue to play well, as a team, and grow in their confidence and ability. Our worst case scenario is 2-1 weekend. It has been quite a while since we have done that well. Realistically, we should be in a battle for the title. What a great start for this team as they prepare for bigger and better things.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
I hate being right, and I'm glad I was wrong
Sadly, day one of the tournament went as expected. We lost 11-3 in the first game to the team that would eventually win the entire tournament. We had one lousy inning, allowing 8 across in the second. Rabbit played well at first, no errors, and just barely missed a pitch, popping up to RF. Game two was bad. Scary bad. Frustrating bad. The plan was for each pitcher to throw one inning to keep our arms ready for ladder play in the morning. First pitcher did OK, the second pitcher was let down by the entire team. EIGHT ERRORS in the inning meant he had to throw 27 pitches before recording an out. 50 pitches total in the inning. 14 batters, 11 runs scored. It was amazing to watch. And painful. I have seen better plays in T-Ball. The natives (parents) were getting restless. It was not a pleasant time. Sadly, a disproportionate amount of errors were committed by the 8 and 9 year olds. I want to be clear, I do not blame them in any way, shape or form. Rabbit played up last year and I know how frustrated that made the other parents. However, the younger boys became an easy target, and I fear a scapegoat for our failings.
Rabbit drilled a ball in his first at bat of game 2. Absolutely smoked it. Hardest he has hit a ball in months. Sadly it went right into the glove of the pitcher who was diving out of the way. A tough out, and his second hard hit ball of the day. He was walked on 4 pitches next time up.
After the marathon inning finally ended Rabbit came in to pitch the third. A quick come-backer, strikeout and then pop-up got him a 1-2-3 inning on only 12 pitches. He was grumpy and blowing the ball past people. I am still confused how the same teams, same defense and same offense could produce such a wildly different result from one inning to the next. The defense was great for Rabbit, but horrible for the other pitchers. Inconsistency was a hallmark of the squad this weekend.
So here we were, again, on a Saturday night, knowing Rabbit had to pitch lights out to keep the tournament alive. I was frustrated, bordering on outright anger. It is tiring watching this team lose by 10+ runs every time out. We keep holding out hope that the "10s team" will finally play together and all will be well. My biggest concern is what happens when we do get the players we want and we still get skunked? I asked Rabbit if he was getting frustrated as well. With all the seriousness he could muster he said "no." He would lose 30-0 every game and be happy, just so long as he was playing. If he was not upset by it, then I pledged I would not be either.
Sunday game and, as expected, Rabbit has the ball and will throw so long as he is effective. First inning took 7 pitches. Second only 9. He did not have A+ stuff, but was very effective. He also picked a kid off, not noteworthy in and of itself except for the fact we recorded the out! That is the first time in the last 5 pickoffs that we have actually got the player out. The opposing team stopped leading off for 3 innings after that play. One thing the opponents were good at is cheering. Little League stuff mostly, but the odd softball scream thrown in once in a while.In the 4th inning they figured out we call him Rabbit and screamed out "Silly Rabbit Trix are for Kids" as he started his windup. The umpire called a strike, called time, and instructed the bench that they could not scream as he was in process of releasing the ball. Their bench thought they were the most clever kids ever. Rabbit struck out the side on 9 pitches. He was not impressed.
After five innings we were ahead 5-2 and Rabbit had thrown 58 pitches. When he went to the mound again for the sixth I knew this was going to end quickly. He retired the side on 7 pitches for a 6IP complete game. 6H, 2ER, 0BB and 6K all on just 65 pitches. It was a dominant performance. The defense played great behind him and he worked fast and accurate. The zero walks is what impressed me most of all. We had won! An odd feeling lately. Our win put us into the Silver Division (losers bracket) Championship against the same team we had lost to in game two on Saturday. Very long story short - we had too many walks, too many errors and too many pitches. We staged a great 5 run rally in the last inning, including a two-run single for Rabbit who later came around to score, but still ended up losing 13-8.
After the games the coach gave Rabbit the team trophy. It must be 3 feet tall. The coach wants to start a new tradition of giving the MVP the hardware. Rabbit felt good and cleared space on his bookshelf for it. The grumpy part of me says that we are 3-7 in out last 10 with 6 losses by "mercy" rule. Two of our three wins come from Rabbit throwing complete games. But this is truly a team game. They win together, and lose together. Rabbit is stepping up and grabbing a leadership role. He loves the game and plays hard. It is a good example for all.
Now to the title. My expectation was zero for this weekend. And that is what we got. A lousy effort and lousy play. But Rabbit would lose every game and still wake up smiling. He could strike out every time and still get up and take his cuts. And yet, he has shown that he can and will lead this team. He will help whoever he can however he can. And that will make him a better person. Not bad for a kid who turns 11 today.
Rabbit drilled a ball in his first at bat of game 2. Absolutely smoked it. Hardest he has hit a ball in months. Sadly it went right into the glove of the pitcher who was diving out of the way. A tough out, and his second hard hit ball of the day. He was walked on 4 pitches next time up.
After the marathon inning finally ended Rabbit came in to pitch the third. A quick come-backer, strikeout and then pop-up got him a 1-2-3 inning on only 12 pitches. He was grumpy and blowing the ball past people. I am still confused how the same teams, same defense and same offense could produce such a wildly different result from one inning to the next. The defense was great for Rabbit, but horrible for the other pitchers. Inconsistency was a hallmark of the squad this weekend.
So here we were, again, on a Saturday night, knowing Rabbit had to pitch lights out to keep the tournament alive. I was frustrated, bordering on outright anger. It is tiring watching this team lose by 10+ runs every time out. We keep holding out hope that the "10s team" will finally play together and all will be well. My biggest concern is what happens when we do get the players we want and we still get skunked? I asked Rabbit if he was getting frustrated as well. With all the seriousness he could muster he said "no." He would lose 30-0 every game and be happy, just so long as he was playing. If he was not upset by it, then I pledged I would not be either.
Sunday game and, as expected, Rabbit has the ball and will throw so long as he is effective. First inning took 7 pitches. Second only 9. He did not have A+ stuff, but was very effective. He also picked a kid off, not noteworthy in and of itself except for the fact we recorded the out! That is the first time in the last 5 pickoffs that we have actually got the player out. The opposing team stopped leading off for 3 innings after that play. One thing the opponents were good at is cheering. Little League stuff mostly, but the odd softball scream thrown in once in a while.In the 4th inning they figured out we call him Rabbit and screamed out "Silly Rabbit Trix are for Kids" as he started his windup. The umpire called a strike, called time, and instructed the bench that they could not scream as he was in process of releasing the ball. Their bench thought they were the most clever kids ever. Rabbit struck out the side on 9 pitches. He was not impressed.
After five innings we were ahead 5-2 and Rabbit had thrown 58 pitches. When he went to the mound again for the sixth I knew this was going to end quickly. He retired the side on 7 pitches for a 6IP complete game. 6H, 2ER, 0BB and 6K all on just 65 pitches. It was a dominant performance. The defense played great behind him and he worked fast and accurate. The zero walks is what impressed me most of all. We had won! An odd feeling lately. Our win put us into the Silver Division (losers bracket) Championship against the same team we had lost to in game two on Saturday. Very long story short - we had too many walks, too many errors and too many pitches. We staged a great 5 run rally in the last inning, including a two-run single for Rabbit who later came around to score, but still ended up losing 13-8.
After the games the coach gave Rabbit the team trophy. It must be 3 feet tall. The coach wants to start a new tradition of giving the MVP the hardware. Rabbit felt good and cleared space on his bookshelf for it. The grumpy part of me says that we are 3-7 in out last 10 with 6 losses by "mercy" rule. Two of our three wins come from Rabbit throwing complete games. But this is truly a team game. They win together, and lose together. Rabbit is stepping up and grabbing a leadership role. He loves the game and plays hard. It is a good example for all.
Now to the title. My expectation was zero for this weekend. And that is what we got. A lousy effort and lousy play. But Rabbit would lose every game and still wake up smiling. He could strike out every time and still get up and take his cuts. And yet, he has shown that he can and will lead this team. He will help whoever he can however he can. And that will make him a better person. Not bad for a kid who turns 11 today.
Friday, July 24, 2009
What will the future hold?
Zero expectations for this weeks tourney. 0-3 with 2 mercy losses is my guess. Not having a good time right now. The good news is that we are playing 10 minutes from home, and will not play until 1 PM on Sunday. Somehow we are playing with two 8 year old players while some 10s are not on the roster. I am confused, but slightly hopeful. The roster for the National Tourney in Nevada looks very strong. No point in freaking out, but we will have to start making decisions for next year in the next 90 days. Maybe it is time to unplug for a bit.
Rabbit needs glasses. This is no surprise since both the Mrs. and I are blind as bats. This might just help at the plate. We will be seeing an eye doctor next week. Otherwise, Rabbit can finally grip a circle change, and it is very effective right now. It will be fun to watch that develop.
Had a great road trip to Albuquerque. Saw two AAA games and got to play with my 16 yo nephew. He is becoming quite a solid player and he and Rabbit had a blast together. Rabbit is itchy though, wanting to play even more than he already is. His enthusiasm is overwhelming. It is all I can do to reign him in. Relax, breathe deep. He is only 10, for 4 more days at least.
Rabbit needs glasses. This is no surprise since both the Mrs. and I are blind as bats. This might just help at the plate. We will be seeing an eye doctor next week. Otherwise, Rabbit can finally grip a circle change, and it is very effective right now. It will be fun to watch that develop.
Had a great road trip to Albuquerque. Saw two AAA games and got to play with my 16 yo nephew. He is becoming quite a solid player and he and Rabbit had a blast together. Rabbit is itchy though, wanting to play even more than he already is. His enthusiasm is overwhelming. It is all I can do to reign him in. Relax, breathe deep. He is only 10, for 4 more days at least.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
A tail in search of a head
Let me be blunt.
Today
SUCKED
100 degrees, two painfully easy games squandered to rookie mistakes and no one accepting responsibility. This team needs a leader. Since there are no volunteers, we have let Rabbit know that he is faced with the unwelcome task of being an on field general. The boys simply do not come prepared to play. They practice well, but come game time they are on another planet. Rabbit needs to help them focus,or get those who refuse to focus where they will do the least harm. The good news is that we cannot play worse.
1-5 today, with a great RBI single, and 4 Ks. Horrible in the field, mediocre on the hill and terrible with the bat. We always expect July tourneys to be rough, but this was embarrassing. No point in dwelling on the past. I am interested in what tomorrow brings.
Found a huge whole in his swing and got to work on that. But that is like using a squirt gun on a forest fire. The problems facing this team require more than a visit to the cage.
Today
SUCKED
100 degrees, two painfully easy games squandered to rookie mistakes and no one accepting responsibility. This team needs a leader. Since there are no volunteers, we have let Rabbit know that he is faced with the unwelcome task of being an on field general. The boys simply do not come prepared to play. They practice well, but come game time they are on another planet. Rabbit needs to help them focus,or get those who refuse to focus where they will do the least harm. The good news is that we cannot play worse.
1-5 today, with a great RBI single, and 4 Ks. Horrible in the field, mediocre on the hill and terrible with the bat. We always expect July tourneys to be rough, but this was embarrassing. No point in dwelling on the past. I am interested in what tomorrow brings.
Found a huge whole in his swing and got to work on that. But that is like using a squirt gun on a forest fire. The problems facing this team require more than a visit to the cage.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
The end of Little League!
We were bad parents. We took the weekend off to go to Morro Bay and sleep in and be lazy. We had planned this trip about 6 weeks ago. It turns out that this past Sunday was the first game of Tournament of Champions. So we missed game 1. Oh well. The Bruins won and we were back in town for game 2 on Monday night. Rabbit grounded sharply to third in his first at bat, played good defense in RF, and then misplayed a pop up in LF. With no outs and the bases loaded in the third inning coach had him come in to pitch. Rabbit hates coming in as a reliever, especially in situations like this. But, he did his best, and got ground balls. And more ground balls. A few strike-outs were mixed in as well. In fact, in his three innings pitched not a single ball was hit in the air, or past the infield. The 7 errors didn't help any. We lost 5-0 and now are super duper done with Little League. Except for Closing Ceremonies on Monday. Ugh.
The reason we are done is because I told the league that we were not interested in having Rabbit play with the 9-10yo All Stars. After last years overwhelmingly negative experience I already had a bad taste in my mouth. Plus, Rabbit would be the only person on that team who had not played in AAA. And I was not overwhelmed by the person who was coaching. This is where I become a world-class LL A-hole parent. It was an absolute no-win scenario for the kid. If he goes out and strikes out every batter, he is supposed to because he played in Majors. If he hits every ball over the fence, again, he is supposed to. But if he doesn't dominate then he is open to ridicule and questions of "who does this kid think he is?" from other players and parents. We had made our plans for the summer already, and those plans did not include All Stars. It was an easy decision,and we are satisfied with the outcome. As expected, once I turned down the 9-10 team we were disqualified from the 11 or 12 team. In fact, his LL coach tried to get him for the 12 team and was denied by the board. I completely understand, and endorse that decision. No matter what, he was in demand, and it is a compliment that so many coaches wanted him to play for them.
When we began Little League this season we wanted Rabbit to be able to contribute. By the end of the season he was the number 2 starting pitcher, starting 1B and clean-up hitter. He met and exceeded his goals and had a great season. He should be proud of his accomplishments.
Now that we are back to baseball 3 nights a week instead of 6 we can get back to the fun stuff. The OC Flyers home opener is tonight. Rabbit will be a bat boy for game 1 of a DH on Wednesday. Then, starting the 19th he is with his cousin in the Central Valley for 10 days of swimming pools and goofiness. It is good to be 10, and it should be.
Albuquerque later this summer, and Blue Wave tourneys from now until December. I will have more about Blue Wave later, the drama is thick. But not today.
The reason we are done is because I told the league that we were not interested in having Rabbit play with the 9-10yo All Stars. After last years overwhelmingly negative experience I already had a bad taste in my mouth. Plus, Rabbit would be the only person on that team who had not played in AAA. And I was not overwhelmed by the person who was coaching. This is where I become a world-class LL A-hole parent. It was an absolute no-win scenario for the kid. If he goes out and strikes out every batter, he is supposed to because he played in Majors. If he hits every ball over the fence, again, he is supposed to. But if he doesn't dominate then he is open to ridicule and questions of "who does this kid think he is?" from other players and parents. We had made our plans for the summer already, and those plans did not include All Stars. It was an easy decision,and we are satisfied with the outcome. As expected, once I turned down the 9-10 team we were disqualified from the 11 or 12 team. In fact, his LL coach tried to get him for the 12 team and was denied by the board. I completely understand, and endorse that decision. No matter what, he was in demand, and it is a compliment that so many coaches wanted him to play for them.
When we began Little League this season we wanted Rabbit to be able to contribute. By the end of the season he was the number 2 starting pitcher, starting 1B and clean-up hitter. He met and exceeded his goals and had a great season. He should be proud of his accomplishments.
Now that we are back to baseball 3 nights a week instead of 6 we can get back to the fun stuff. The OC Flyers home opener is tonight. Rabbit will be a bat boy for game 1 of a DH on Wednesday. Then, starting the 19th he is with his cousin in the Central Valley for 10 days of swimming pools and goofiness. It is good to be 10, and it should be.
Albuquerque later this summer, and Blue Wave tourneys from now until December. I will have more about Blue Wave later, the drama is thick. But not today.
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