We had a good practice last night and ended a fun week. Rabbit is now at "Grandma Camp" with his cousin. That means 6 days with no kid! Except for having everyone over for dinner on Sunday, Dodger game and his birthday party on Monday and throwing on Tuesday. For his birthday we got him a new backpack style gear bag that is quite roomy. It will be much easier on his shoulders.
Our next practice is on Monday the fourth and then we do not have a game until the 16th and 17th. I know Rabbit will enjoy the break and I hope he has a good time being a 10 year old spaz. We are off to my brother's house next weekend for 3 days of pool time. The 10s team is playing this week in a CCYB tournament and we wish them well. For now though it nice to have a respite.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
One for three
Well, we finally got a chance to play at the Big League Dreams parks this past weekend. This was originally scheduled as a 9U tourney, but we ended up playing in 10U. There were 9 9yo and 3 10yo if I remember correctly. The first two games were against 9U teams though so we felt like we might have a good showing after back-to-back disappointing tournaments. Well, so much for that idea.
The boys were not ready to play. It must be summer. We took about 4 innings to get into the game and lost a game that was extremely winnable. Rabbit sat the first inning, then came in to play 1st base. He never left the field, or 1st base, after that. He played the next14 innings at first. He looked great and made the plays he needed to. Sinking liners, pop-ups, long stretches, flips to the cover man, a good set of games for him. The one thing he does need to work on is receiving pick-off attempts. He misplayed 2 of those that led to runners advancing.
Rabbit also hit well on day 1. Two infield singles and two RBIs helped ease some of the sting. He struck out once and flew out once to go 2-4 on the day. The second game was a mess. There was a moment in the third inning when you could watch the entire team give up. It was frustrating to watch them quit caring. I imagine all of the boys heard about it on the way home, after they heard about it from the coach. They needed to be better on Sunday. We had no chance of getting to the finals, but this level of play was simply unacceptable. We talked with Rabbit about acting as a leader, keeping his teammates in the game, encouraging the pitcher and basically not allowing the team to quit. He took it to heart.
Sunday morning the boys warmed up with a spring in their step. They looked like a different team entirely. We were the home team and did not allow a hit or run in the first inning. A first! We then came back in the bottom of the inning and put up a 6 spot. Rabbit laced a single over second to drive in his third run of the tourney. Back on 1B he made the plays he needed to and did a great job helping everyone stay focused. It was an entirely different team out there. The boys were all talking, encouraging, congratulating and helping in any way they could. At one point we retired 8 straight opposing batters. The SS had some amazing plays and the pitchers were on their games. It was fun to watch. We ended up winning 11-7 in a game that never really got close. It was a good win and everyone felt much better.
Since Rabbit did not pitch this tournament I took him to the park to throw once we got home. He threw 72 pitches under a "simulated game" format. He was a mess early, but settled in nicely and popped 50-51. he then wanted to run, shag flies, take throws at 1B and hit. We had to drag him off the field to go to Grandma's for dinner.
We ended the weekend on a high note which we needed. Tonight is hitting and then practice Wednesday and Friday. We have passed on the CCYB World Series tourney due to being out of town so our next tournament appears to be August 9-10.
7 2 3 3 0 2
The boys were not ready to play. It must be summer. We took about 4 innings to get into the game and lost a game that was extremely winnable. Rabbit sat the first inning, then came in to play 1st base. He never left the field, or 1st base, after that. He played the next14 innings at first. He looked great and made the plays he needed to. Sinking liners, pop-ups, long stretches, flips to the cover man, a good set of games for him. The one thing he does need to work on is receiving pick-off attempts. He misplayed 2 of those that led to runners advancing.
Rabbit also hit well on day 1. Two infield singles and two RBIs helped ease some of the sting. He struck out once and flew out once to go 2-4 on the day. The second game was a mess. There was a moment in the third inning when you could watch the entire team give up. It was frustrating to watch them quit caring. I imagine all of the boys heard about it on the way home, after they heard about it from the coach. They needed to be better on Sunday. We had no chance of getting to the finals, but this level of play was simply unacceptable. We talked with Rabbit about acting as a leader, keeping his teammates in the game, encouraging the pitcher and basically not allowing the team to quit. He took it to heart.
Sunday morning the boys warmed up with a spring in their step. They looked like a different team entirely. We were the home team and did not allow a hit or run in the first inning. A first! We then came back in the bottom of the inning and put up a 6 spot. Rabbit laced a single over second to drive in his third run of the tourney. Back on 1B he made the plays he needed to and did a great job helping everyone stay focused. It was an entirely different team out there. The boys were all talking, encouraging, congratulating and helping in any way they could. At one point we retired 8 straight opposing batters. The SS had some amazing plays and the pitchers were on their games. It was fun to watch. We ended up winning 11-7 in a game that never really got close. It was a good win and everyone felt much better.
Since Rabbit did not pitch this tournament I took him to the park to throw once we got home. He threw 72 pitches under a "simulated game" format. He was a mess early, but settled in nicely and popped 50-51. he then wanted to run, shag flies, take throws at 1B and hit. We had to drag him off the field to go to Grandma's for dinner.
We ended the weekend on a high note which we needed. Tonight is hitting and then practice Wednesday and Friday. We have passed on the CCYB World Series tourney due to being out of town so our next tournament appears to be August 9-10.
7 2 3 3 0 2
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
A great time in Florida
Well, we accomplished our goal of baseball and barbecue in Florida. Overall we saw three games. A rain out on Friday led to a double header (9 inning game, then a 7 inning game) on Saturday. On Sunday morning we left Jacksonville for Savannah, GA for a 2PM game there. At 5PM on Sunday we had seen 25 innings of baseball played in less than 23 hours. I was in heaven.
Minor league ball is a blast. In Jacksonville we were granted a full access tour including the owners suite, clubhouse, underground cages and field. We were also allowed to go out early and watch BP and get autographs. Also in Jacksonville Rabbit got the ball from the final out of the first game when the CF tossed it to him. At the Savannah game Rabbit and I were brought out onto the field between innings for the home run derby. Starting in Left Field you hit the ball off the tee. Kid first, then father. If you get it over the fence in 2 hits you win. Rabbit did his part, I failed miserably. We still got the Chili's gift certificates anyway.
We had a great time and many thanks to our friends in Jacksonville for setting it all up. Now, back to reality. Practice Wednesday, hitting lesson Thursday and then a tournament Saturday and Sunday. We are still deciding about the next tourney, a week-long affair that starts the 26th.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
So... about that last tournament
Well, they stunk. They lost all 3 games and the last 2 by mercy. It was a group effort and everyone was off their mark. Many, many errors, including 3-4 by Rabbit added up quickly. On the plus side, Rabbit hit the ball hard 3 times and got a hit, only striking out once. Rabbit did get a chance to pitch in the second game and got some ground balls. He pitched effectively and will continue to throw for the 9's team and maybe again for the 10's. Oh well, time to move on.
We leave for Florida in the morning so we have been trying to get our baseball out of the way early this week. Spent yesterday in the park hitting 2 full buckets of flies to OF. This morning we were on the bump again, 50 pitches this time. He was sharp, throwing mainly strikes (probably 35-38) and tapped 49 twice on the gun. His change-up is coming on quite nicely.
Off to the cages this afternoon, then shutting it down for a few days. Next tourney is the weekend of July 19-20.
4 1 1 1 0 1
We leave for Florida in the morning so we have been trying to get our baseball out of the way early this week. Spent yesterday in the park hitting 2 full buckets of flies to OF. This morning we were on the bump again, 50 pitches this time. He was sharp, throwing mainly strikes (probably 35-38) and tapped 49 twice on the gun. His change-up is coming on quite nicely.
Off to the cages this afternoon, then shutting it down for a few days. Next tourney is the weekend of July 19-20.
4 1 1 1 0 1
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
A chance to play with the big boys
The new bat is working well and Jason, the swing doctor, is pleased with Rabbit's progress. On Sunday we went to the LL park and threw off the mound focusing on velocity. His first 10 pitches averaged 44 MPH on the Bushnell gun. His last 10 (he only was allowed to throw 50) averaged 48.5, including 2 at 49 and one at 50. Not bad for a first effort. A longer stride really helped his speed.
We will be playing this coming weekend on July 5 and 6 with the 10U team. Since Rabbit is only 9 I expect that he will not play very much. I am quite happy about this honestly. I hope he can take this tournament and treat it as a learning opportunity. His time in the dugout can be spent listening to the coaches, seeing how they set up the fielders and focusing on the pitchers. I think this a great opportunity for him.
After the tournament we are off for almost 2 weeks. We are headed to Jacksonville, Florida to visit some friends. While out there we will see some minor league ball, eat BBQ, and complain about the heat. It should be a fun time all around.
We will be playing this coming weekend on July 5 and 6 with the 10U team. Since Rabbit is only 9 I expect that he will not play very much. I am quite happy about this honestly. I hope he can take this tournament and treat it as a learning opportunity. His time in the dugout can be spent listening to the coaches, seeing how they set up the fielders and focusing on the pitchers. I think this a great opportunity for him.
After the tournament we are off for almost 2 weeks. We are headed to Jacksonville, Florida to visit some friends. While out there we will see some minor league ball, eat BBQ, and complain about the heat. It should be a fun time all around.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
All Stars - Game 2
Well, after game 1 we had a few days off. On Monday Rabbit went to his "swing doctor" and then a practice on Tuesday night. Game 2 was scheduled for Wednesday. Since it is a double elimination format we needed to win or we would be out of the tournament.
We were visitors and batted first. Nothing too exciting, no runs across. In the bottom of the inning we played good defense (Rabbit started on first base) and looked good. In the second we scored 3. Rabbit walked his first time up and came around to score on a wild pitch. The pitcher for the opposing team hit his arm when he fell and came out of the game after 1.2 innings and we had a 3-1 lead. Sadly, we did not get any more runs that inning. In their half of the second we got two outs quickly, but struggled mightily to get that last out. The coach pulled the starter when the game was 4-3 and brought in Rabbit to get the last out. He got 3 ground balls, none of which were fielded. A bloop single over our 3B who was playing shallow for some reason, and a sleepy catcher (he knelt down to tie his shoe before calling time) led to 7-3 deficit by the end of the inning. We scrapped and fought, but finally ended up on the wrong end of a 10-6 score. Rabbit got a real nice opposite field hit in his second at bat. The team was guilty of several mental mistakes, for everyone, that really cost them a chance to move on. However, the baseball they played was a far sight better than what we witnessed on Saturday.
So we are now, officially, super-duper mean it done with Little League for this season. We will not be playing "fall ball" as we are with the travel team now.
Rabbit's new bats will be here today. Even though we have a day off I suspect he will want to hit later. Nothing serious, just a bucket of whiffles. We actually have the entire weekend off as well. Crazy! We are playing in a tournament with Blue Wave on July 5-6, then off that next week to Florida on vacation before coming back for the USSSA World Series July 23-27 held at Big League Dreams fields. By the time that is over we will already be in August. Wow, it sure is moving quickly.
We were visitors and batted first. Nothing too exciting, no runs across. In the bottom of the inning we played good defense (Rabbit started on first base) and looked good. In the second we scored 3. Rabbit walked his first time up and came around to score on a wild pitch. The pitcher for the opposing team hit his arm when he fell and came out of the game after 1.2 innings and we had a 3-1 lead. Sadly, we did not get any more runs that inning. In their half of the second we got two outs quickly, but struggled mightily to get that last out. The coach pulled the starter when the game was 4-3 and brought in Rabbit to get the last out. He got 3 ground balls, none of which were fielded. A bloop single over our 3B who was playing shallow for some reason, and a sleepy catcher (he knelt down to tie his shoe before calling time) led to 7-3 deficit by the end of the inning. We scrapped and fought, but finally ended up on the wrong end of a 10-6 score. Rabbit got a real nice opposite field hit in his second at bat. The team was guilty of several mental mistakes, for everyone, that really cost them a chance to move on. However, the baseball they played was a far sight better than what we witnessed on Saturday.
So we are now, officially, super-duper mean it done with Little League for this season. We will not be playing "fall ball" as we are with the travel team now.
Rabbit's new bats will be here today. Even though we have a day off I suspect he will want to hit later. Nothing serious, just a bucket of whiffles. We actually have the entire weekend off as well. Crazy! We are playing in a tournament with Blue Wave on July 5-6, then off that next week to Florida on vacation before coming back for the USSSA World Series July 23-27 held at Big League Dreams fields. By the time that is over we will already be in August. Wow, it sure is moving quickly.
Monday, June 23, 2008
My rant about District 30 Little League
It is almost a week since this happened. I have purposely waited to let my emotions calm down and try to find a good reason for what has happened. But I am still amazed at what has happened.
As I mentioned earlier, Rabbit was selected to participate on the All Star team. Another boy from our team was selected also. Rabbit and this boy have been friends for 4 years and my wife and I are good friends with the parents. In fact, the other dad helped us coach this year. Both boys deserved the honor and were excited to play.
I was given a list of "acceptable" documents that I could provide to prove my residency. Keep in mind that this is after we had to prove our residency in order to sign up to play in the regular season. Among the allowed documents was a driver's license, utility bills, insurance cards, vehicle registration, school records and other similar documents. One mandatory document that was required was the birth certificate. But not the abstract, the actual full document. A photocopy was not allowed, neither was a notarized copy, it HAD to be the original. I even asked if I could supply his passport, a government issued photo ID. And we were supposed to leave it with the league for up to two weeks for them to verify that it was, in fact, the original. Sorry, not going to happen that way.
I supplied 4 forms of ID and made arrangements to drop off the birth certificate at the league offices the day it was needed. I simply was not comfortable leaving it with them for any length of time and knew that I would get it back the next morning. Please let me clarify that the people from our league were great. It is the district personnel that I have an issue with. I did not have faith that the district would keep track of my documents. So, I hand over the certificate at 5PM and off we go to a ChivasUSA soccer game.
We get home about 10PM and there are 3 messages on my phone. The first one is the manager of the All Star team asking me to call him immediately, the second is from our league informing us that Rabbit has been disallowed due to a problem with the documents and the third was our league trying to reach us again to clarify an issue. They had disallowed our son. I was furious. I fear that Rabbit learned some new words that night, or at least heard those words in new combinations. The basis for their disqualification was that I use my middle name. I have done that for over 20 years. No one at the league even knows my first name. My driver's license, vehicle registration and Rabbit's birth certificate had me listed as First Name Middle Name Last Name. The phone bill was listed as Middle Name Last Name. For that, that one item, they were going to disqualify us. The addresses all matched, if they bothered to read any of the documents, or cross check them it would have been obvious. But no, they refused to allow it. This is the worst form of power hungry twit I have ever dealt with. Anyone with half a brain could connect the dots. The district people are fools and spent hours trying to discredit players and parents. The were calling me a liar and accusing me of trying to game the system. This was stupid, petty and beyond unreasonable. Exactly what I expect from dealing with these clods.
They finally allowed that we were not perpetrating a massive fraud and accepted that some people do actually go by their middle names. We found that out the next morning, after a long night of no sleep. I spent hours trying to find a way to explain to my son that he would not be playing because some district flunkie had no sense of logic. Once we were reinstated we found out that Rabbit's friend had been disqualified as well. He was removed because he lived 2 blocks outside of the district boundaries. They have lived in that house nearly 20 years. For each of the last 5 seasons this boy has played in our league. They have dutifully taken their money and never raised an eyebrow in notice. Now this boy is excluded. This family can literally see the fields from their backyard, but allegedly belong to a Little League that plays 7 miles away. They "should have known" or gotten a waiver. The family was notified two weeks after the waiver deadline passed.
I have heard that an entire team of 9-10 All Stars was dismantled under the scrutiny of this district board. This is embarrassing. The district needs to reconsider their commitment to the kids. This petty, discretionary application of the rules, for a team that cannot advance to a national level anyway reeks of a power grab. They should be ashamed.
As I mentioned earlier, Rabbit was selected to participate on the All Star team. Another boy from our team was selected also. Rabbit and this boy have been friends for 4 years and my wife and I are good friends with the parents. In fact, the other dad helped us coach this year. Both boys deserved the honor and were excited to play.
I was given a list of "acceptable" documents that I could provide to prove my residency. Keep in mind that this is after we had to prove our residency in order to sign up to play in the regular season. Among the allowed documents was a driver's license, utility bills, insurance cards, vehicle registration, school records and other similar documents. One mandatory document that was required was the birth certificate. But not the abstract, the actual full document. A photocopy was not allowed, neither was a notarized copy, it HAD to be the original. I even asked if I could supply his passport, a government issued photo ID. And we were supposed to leave it with the league for up to two weeks for them to verify that it was, in fact, the original. Sorry, not going to happen that way.
I supplied 4 forms of ID and made arrangements to drop off the birth certificate at the league offices the day it was needed. I simply was not comfortable leaving it with them for any length of time and knew that I would get it back the next morning. Please let me clarify that the people from our league were great. It is the district personnel that I have an issue with. I did not have faith that the district would keep track of my documents. So, I hand over the certificate at 5PM and off we go to a ChivasUSA soccer game.
We get home about 10PM and there are 3 messages on my phone. The first one is the manager of the All Star team asking me to call him immediately, the second is from our league informing us that Rabbit has been disallowed due to a problem with the documents and the third was our league trying to reach us again to clarify an issue. They had disallowed our son. I was furious. I fear that Rabbit learned some new words that night, or at least heard those words in new combinations. The basis for their disqualification was that I use my middle name. I have done that for over 20 years. No one at the league even knows my first name. My driver's license, vehicle registration and Rabbit's birth certificate had me listed as First Name Middle Name Last Name. The phone bill was listed as Middle Name Last Name. For that, that one item, they were going to disqualify us. The addresses all matched, if they bothered to read any of the documents, or cross check them it would have been obvious. But no, they refused to allow it. This is the worst form of power hungry twit I have ever dealt with. Anyone with half a brain could connect the dots. The district people are fools and spent hours trying to discredit players and parents. The were calling me a liar and accusing me of trying to game the system. This was stupid, petty and beyond unreasonable. Exactly what I expect from dealing with these clods.
They finally allowed that we were not perpetrating a massive fraud and accepted that some people do actually go by their middle names. We found that out the next morning, after a long night of no sleep. I spent hours trying to find a way to explain to my son that he would not be playing because some district flunkie had no sense of logic. Once we were reinstated we found out that Rabbit's friend had been disqualified as well. He was removed because he lived 2 blocks outside of the district boundaries. They have lived in that house nearly 20 years. For each of the last 5 seasons this boy has played in our league. They have dutifully taken their money and never raised an eyebrow in notice. Now this boy is excluded. This family can literally see the fields from their backyard, but allegedly belong to a Little League that plays 7 miles away. They "should have known" or gotten a waiver. The family was notified two weeks after the waiver deadline passed.
I have heard that an entire team of 9-10 All Stars was dismantled under the scrutiny of this district board. This is embarrassing. The district needs to reconsider their commitment to the kids. This petty, discretionary application of the rules, for a team that cannot advance to a national level anyway reeks of a power grab. They should be ashamed.
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