Braves,
(1) Practice as usual Friday (May 1) from 4 to 5:30 p.m. The weather forecast looks fine. If the high-school softball field is in use we will practice at Cumberland (not at Cahill). It will be good for the guys to have one more practice before our game Saturday.
(2) From now at least until the end of May we will have practices every Friday and Sunday from 4 to 5:30 p.m., with days off on Sunday May 10 (Mothers Day), Friday May 22 (beginning of holiday weekend), and Sunday May 24 (holiday weekend). Our preference is always to practice at the softball field on the high-school grounds, with Cahill and Cumberland being backup locations if the high-school field is in use.
(3) Scratch the May 22 make-up game possibility. Too many of our guys will be out of town.
(4) Right now we have two games to make up (Phillies and White Sox). Because the Majors field is so tightly scheduled (lots of Minors games are being played there), there are very few available game slots. I have suggested to the Majors commish that the first two Tuesdays in June (June 2 and 9) at 4:30 p.m. would be times when we probably could field a team. If players have conflicts with those days, I hope five weeks' notice would enable us to minimize them. Games at 4:30 p.m. cause lots of problems for adult fans and coaches, but the most important thing is to get the games in so that the kids can play.
The Majors schedule is a mess, obviously. The coaches of the teams and Majors commissioner Darren Miller are working hard to find times when we can get postponed games played.
Thanks for bearing with us in this less-than-ideal situation.
Dave
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
No game Thurs April 30; possible game Fri May 22
The Braves will not be playing a game Thursday evening, even if the rains hold off. This is disappointing, but circumstances make it unavoidable.
If you are interested in an explanation for the postponing of Thursday's game, read on. If not, don't bother.
Thursday evening the White Sox will have five players and two coaches at a church function. In theory they could have filled out their team with a few players called up from the Minors, but the Majors commissioner told the White Sox several weeks ago that the game would be rescheduled so they were not planning to play Thursday. (You may remember that I sent out e-mails exploring our players' availability for May 23 and July 2, dates that turned out not to work for us.)
The Thursday game was never taken off the official schedule, however, so we naturally assumed that the White Sox had arranged to play. This evening the Majors commissioner gave me the option of winning by forfeit Thursday or continuing to work to reschedule the game. A forfeit wouldn't help our players get the game experience they need and want, and in any case I simply didn't want a cheap win at another team's expense.
The Majors commissioner is proposing that we play the White Sox May 22 at 6 p.m. I hope we can make that happen. If not, June 2 is a possibility.
I tried to see if the Phillies would be available Thursday to make up our rained-out April 25 game, but five of their players had conflicts.
So we look forward. The early forecast for our new season opener Saturday morning (MAY 2) is good. Let's keep our fingers crossed that we will actually play ball!
Dave
If you are interested in an explanation for the postponing of Thursday's game, read on. If not, don't bother.
Thursday evening the White Sox will have five players and two coaches at a church function. In theory they could have filled out their team with a few players called up from the Minors, but the Majors commissioner told the White Sox several weeks ago that the game would be rescheduled so they were not planning to play Thursday. (You may remember that I sent out e-mails exploring our players' availability for May 23 and July 2, dates that turned out not to work for us.)
The Thursday game was never taken off the official schedule, however, so we naturally assumed that the White Sox had arranged to play. This evening the Majors commissioner gave me the option of winning by forfeit Thursday or continuing to work to reschedule the game. A forfeit wouldn't help our players get the game experience they need and want, and in any case I simply didn't want a cheap win at another team's expense.
The Majors commissioner is proposing that we play the White Sox May 22 at 6 p.m. I hope we can make that happen. If not, June 2 is a possibility.
I tried to see if the Phillies would be available Thursday to make up our rained-out April 25 game, but five of their players had conflicts.
So we look forward. The early forecast for our new season opener Saturday morning (MAY 2) is good. Let's keep our fingers crossed that we will actually play ball!
Dave
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Practice Wednesday (April 29); Game Thursday (April 30)
Braves,
The weather gods willing, we will have a practice Wednesday at the softball field on the east side of the high-school grounds as soon as the high-school varsity team completes its game against Grafton.
The varsity game begins at 4:15 p.m. I would like to have members of the Braves at the field no later than 5:45 p.m. The varsity game will end around 6 p.m. (but possibly earlier), and we'll need to be ready to take the field right away. Practice will end at 7:30 p.m.
The guys on the team are getting excited about our first game of the season, which will be Thursday at 6 p.m. Braves should be at Water Tower by 5:15 p.m. for pre-game warm-ups.
Dave, Ross, Rick
The weather gods willing, we will have a practice Wednesday at the softball field on the east side of the high-school grounds as soon as the high-school varsity team completes its game against Grafton.
The varsity game begins at 4:15 p.m. I would like to have members of the Braves at the field no later than 5:45 p.m. The varsity game will end around 6 p.m. (but possibly earlier), and we'll need to be ready to take the field right away. Practice will end at 7:30 p.m.
The guys on the team are getting excited about our first game of the season, which will be Thursday at 6 p.m. Braves should be at Water Tower by 5:15 p.m. for pre-game warm-ups.
Dave, Ross, Rick
Team Rule: No seeds, big chew in dugout
Everyone,
The Braves coaches will be enforcing a team rule against food in the dugout during games. In other words, no sunflower seeds, no candy, no sharable gum (e.g., Big League Chew). Experience has shown that food in the dugout is a huge distraction when players should be paying attention to what's going on on the field, and especially to supporting their teammates.
Water, Gatorade, and other hydrating agents are fine, of course.
Thanks in advance for your help telling players about this rule and supporting our efforts to enforce it.
Dave, Ross, Rick
The Braves coaches will be enforcing a team rule against food in the dugout during games. In other words, no sunflower seeds, no candy, no sharable gum (e.g., Big League Chew). Experience has shown that food in the dugout is a huge distraction when players should be paying attention to what's going on on the field, and especially to supporting their teammates.
Water, Gatorade, and other hydrating agents are fine, of course.
Thanks in advance for your help telling players about this rule and supporting our efforts to enforce it.
Dave, Ross, Rick
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Sunday practice cancelled, schedule updates
Braves,
With standing water on all of the practice fields Saturday evening, a 90% chance of more rain overnight, and a 70% chance of thundershowers Sunday, we are canceling the practice we had hoped to have at 4 p.m. Sunday.
Meanwhile, we have been trying to reschedule our April 30 game to accommodate the White Sox, but so far it has been impossible to find a date that works any better. Lots of our guys would have had to miss a game July 2. So, barring further word from the Majors commissioner, we are planning to play that game as scheduled on Thursday.
It would be really useful to have one more practice before Thursday, so please check e-mail early in the day Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. The first day that practice fields are dry enough, we will call a practice.
No word yet on when Saturday's rain-out will be made up.
Dave, Ross, Rick
With standing water on all of the practice fields Saturday evening, a 90% chance of more rain overnight, and a 70% chance of thundershowers Sunday, we are canceling the practice we had hoped to have at 4 p.m. Sunday.
Meanwhile, we have been trying to reschedule our April 30 game to accommodate the White Sox, but so far it has been impossible to find a date that works any better. Lots of our guys would have had to miss a game July 2. So, barring further word from the Majors commissioner, we are planning to play that game as scheduled on Thursday.
It would be really useful to have one more practice before Thursday, so please check e-mail early in the day Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. The first day that practice fields are dry enough, we will call a practice.
No word yet on when Saturday's rain-out will be made up.
Dave, Ross, Rick
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Aaron helps open 'Chasing the Dream'
From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Cooperstown, N.Y. — He's still the classiest man in the room, just like in his playing days when with quick wrists and amazing grace he chased the ghost of Babe Ruth, chased the greatest record in baseball.
On Saturday, Hank Aaron came back to Cooperstown - where ballplayers are forever young - and reminded a new generation of fans just why he's part of the fabric and history of a game, and a nation.
Thirty-five years after he surpassed the great Ruth to become baseball's all-time home run king, the slugger who once plied his trade with the old Milwaukee Braves and the modern-day Brewers was on hand for the ribbon-cutting of an extraordinary permanent exhibition: "Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream."
In the entire history of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, only two players have been deemed worthy of having permanent exhibitions to detail their careers: Ruth, the larger-than-life figure who brought baseball into a modern slugging era, and now, Aaron, more of an everyman whose consistency in all phases of the game marked a stellar career.
Aaron's 1957 World Series ring he won with the Milwaukee Braves was on display, along with his National League MVP plaque. And so, too, was the shirt, pants, cap and helmet Aaron wore when he hit his 715th while playing with the Atlanta Braves.
Braves Rainout Theater
When I was a boy growing up in Pittsburgh, televised baseball was much rarer than it is today. We could see only one national game of the week on Saturday afternoon, plus the road games of our hometown team, the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Sometimes those road games were rained out. So the local TV would substitute something called Pirate Rainout Theater, and throw any old movie they had laying around on the air.
Here at Braves Blog Central, we aren't going to throw any old video up on the blog. Only baseball video. So relax and enjoy these clips.
unbelievable baseball pickle (4-13-09) from jay be-gone on Vimeo.
Sometimes those road games were rained out. So the local TV would substitute something called Pirate Rainout Theater, and throw any old movie they had laying around on the air.
Here at Braves Blog Central, we aren't going to throw any old video up on the blog. Only baseball video. So relax and enjoy these clips.
unbelievable baseball pickle (4-13-09) from jay be-gone on Vimeo.
Schedule change confirmed
FYI, we have received final confirmation that the May 30 game against the Dodgers has been moved to Sunday, May 17, at 3 p.m.
This is good news for us.
Dave
This is good news for us.
Dave
Friday, April 24, 2009
Opening Game Saturday
Everyone,
We have our season opener tomorrow (Saturday) at 1 p.m. against the powerful Phillies.
The coaching staff would like the players to be at Water Tower by noon, if possible, so that we can give everyone some time in the batting cage before the game, so that everyone can warm up, and so that we have time to get our team mentally ready for its first game in the Majors.
Thanks,
Dave
We have our season opener tomorrow (Saturday) at 1 p.m. against the powerful Phillies.
The coaching staff would like the players to be at Water Tower by noon, if possible, so that we can give everyone some time in the batting cage before the game, so that everyone can warm up, and so that we have time to get our team mentally ready for its first game in the Majors.
Thanks,
Dave
Proposed game change
Everyone,
The Majors commissioner has just sent me a proposal for moving the April 30 game against the White Sox to Thursday, July 2, at either 4:30 or 6:30 p.m.
If enough of the players could be there on July 2, I'd favor a 6:30 p.m. game so that more parents could attend.
Please let me know ASAP if your son could NOT make a 6:30 p.m. game on July 2.
Thanks!
Dave
The Majors commissioner has just sent me a proposal for moving the April 30 game against the White Sox to Thursday, July 2, at either 4:30 or 6:30 p.m.
If enough of the players could be there on July 2, I'd favor a 6:30 p.m. game so that more parents could attend.
Please let me know ASAP if your son could NOT make a 6:30 p.m. game on July 2.
Thanks!
Dave
Schedule update: No Memorial Day weekend game
Braves,
We will NOT be playing on Memorial Day weekend -- too many of our players will be out of town.
We continue to explore ways to help out the White Sox, who will have trouble fielding a team for the game scheduled for April 30. One suggestion was to play the game on May 10, but that's Mothers Day and none of the brutish, insensitive men who are working on this problem wanted to propose a Mothers Day game to the families of their players.
Updates as they become available.
Dave
We will NOT be playing on Memorial Day weekend -- too many of our players will be out of town.
We continue to explore ways to help out the White Sox, who will have trouble fielding a team for the game scheduled for April 30. One suggestion was to play the game on May 10, but that's Mothers Day and none of the brutish, insensitive men who are working on this problem wanted to propose a Mothers Day game to the families of their players.
Updates as they become available.
Dave
Friday practice (April 24), Uniforms
Braves,
It was great to see everyone at the pizza party Thursday! The kids had a blast, and I enjoyed meeting and talking with the parents.
Bring a water bottle to today's practice; for 4 p.m. the National Weather Service predicts a temp of 83 degrees under a blazing sun.
Friday's practice will begin at 4 p.m. at the softball field on the east side of the high-school campus. Chris and I will be there by 3:45 p.m. if anyone wants to show up for some pre-practice hitting.
Practice will end at 5:15 p.m. because a bunch of the Braves are going to Miller Park for the minor-league game that begins at 7 p.m.
(You may not need much water for Saturday's game. As of 7 a.m. today, the NWS forecast called for thunderstorms (70% chance) and a game-time temp of 56 degrees.)
Here are the Miller Park transportation plans:
Dave Pritchard takes Chris, Connor, and Evan.
Stuart Blacher takes Jason, Matt, and Liam.
Ross Harmsen takes Tyler and Tyler's younger brother.
We will be heading to Miller Park directly from practice. Kids should bring:
Thanks (especially to party planner Karen Higgins),
Dave
UNIFORMS UPDATE
Uniforms have arrived!
We hope to have them delivered to our practice Friday. Uniforms of guys who won't be at practice will be delivered direct to their homes.
Dave
It was great to see everyone at the pizza party Thursday! The kids had a blast, and I enjoyed meeting and talking with the parents.
Bring a water bottle to today's practice; for 4 p.m. the National Weather Service predicts a temp of 83 degrees under a blazing sun.
Friday's practice will begin at 4 p.m. at the softball field on the east side of the high-school campus. Chris and I will be there by 3:45 p.m. if anyone wants to show up for some pre-practice hitting.
Practice will end at 5:15 p.m. because a bunch of the Braves are going to Miller Park for the minor-league game that begins at 7 p.m.
(You may not need much water for Saturday's game. As of 7 a.m. today, the NWS forecast called for thunderstorms (70% chance) and a game-time temp of 56 degrees.)
Here are the Miller Park transportation plans:
Dave Pritchard takes Chris, Connor, and Evan.
Stuart Blacher takes Jason, Matt, and Liam.
Ross Harmsen takes Tyler and Tyler's younger brother.
We will be heading to Miller Park directly from practice. Kids should bring:
- Money ($10 for their ticket, plus whatever you're comfortable having them spend on concessions)
- A change of clothes if they don't want to wear their cleats, baseball pants, sliding shorts, and cup to the game. I think they'll be able to change in the bathroom in the high-school gym.
- A sweatshirt or jacket, because it may be chilly at the game and during the post-game trek back to the vehicles.
Thanks (especially to party planner Karen Higgins),
Dave
UNIFORMS UPDATE
Uniforms have arrived!
We hope to have them delivered to our practice Friday. Uniforms of guys who won't be at practice will be delivered direct to their homes.
Dave
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Weather note for Thurs April 23 practice
Braves,
Dress warm for today's practice! The wind chill at Water Tower on days like today is nothing to be trifled with.
Coach Dave
Dress warm for today's practice! The wind chill at Water Tower on days like today is nothing to be trifled with.
Coach Dave
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Thursday Practice, Pizza Party, Friday Practice, Schedule Changes
Braves Parents & Friends:
Lots of Braves news in emails from Coach Dave this week. I'll try to summarize the key items here.
Thursday April 23 practice and party: Practice at 4 p.m. at lovely WATER TOWER PARK. Then, following practice, pizza party for players and their families at the CAHILL PARK WARMING HOUSE, hosted by the lovely and talented Karen Higgins (kwhiggy@hotmail.com).
Friday April 24 practice, post-practice field trip: 4 p.m. practice at Cahill/Cumberland/wherever the coaches can find a field. Coach Dave notes that practice may end a little early Friday (a) to keep the guys fresh for their first game of the season the next day and (b) field trip.
After practice, some folks are planning to head for Miller Park to watch the so-called "Border Battle," featuring a Midwest League matchup between the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Brewers farm team) and the Peoria Chiefs (Cubs farm team).
For this game, any seat in Miller Park costs only $10. The game begins at 7:05 p.m. Let Coach Dave know if you are interested and want to talk about transportation.
Uniforms: Dave says, "The LL board does not know when uniforms will arrive. A call is in to the supplier, and the board HOPES that the uniforms get here before the season opens Saturday. If the uniforms don't show up in time, then kids will play the way they've played through most of history since Abner Doubleday walked the earth -- wearing t-shirts and battered hats from random teams or farm-implement manufacturers."
Schedule changes, issues: First, six players on the White Sox have a church function at 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 30, which is when we are scheduled to play them. The White Sox coach has asked whether we'd be willing to move the game to Saturday, May 23, at 11 a.m.
Dave says, "I wouldn't want to make the switch if a lot of you will be away that day, which is the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. If we had enough guys to play, however, the benefits of the switch would include (a) the likelihood of better weather, (b) having one less game on a school night, (c) giving us a game in the 16-day gap between May 14 and May 30, and (d) helping out White Sox coach Carl Fuda, who doesn't have too many other options."
If your player would NOT be able to make a game on May 23, please let Dave know as soon as possible.
Second, Dave has received good news from our league commissioner about our request to change the game we were scheduled to play on Saturday, May 30. The game (against the Dodgers) has been moved to 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 17. This change is good for the Braves because it gets us out of a back-to-back game situation on May 30-31, and because it gives us another game in mid-May.
Lots of Braves news in emails from Coach Dave this week. I'll try to summarize the key items here.
Thursday April 23 practice and party: Practice at 4 p.m. at lovely WATER TOWER PARK. Then, following practice, pizza party for players and their families at the CAHILL PARK WARMING HOUSE, hosted by the lovely and talented Karen Higgins (kwhiggy@hotmail.com).
Friday April 24 practice, post-practice field trip: 4 p.m. practice at Cahill/Cumberland/wherever the coaches can find a field. Coach Dave notes that practice may end a little early Friday (a) to keep the guys fresh for their first game of the season the next day and (b) field trip.
After practice, some folks are planning to head for Miller Park to watch the so-called "Border Battle," featuring a Midwest League matchup between the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Brewers farm team) and the Peoria Chiefs (Cubs farm team).
For this game, any seat in Miller Park costs only $10. The game begins at 7:05 p.m. Let Coach Dave know if you are interested and want to talk about transportation.
Uniforms: Dave says, "The LL board does not know when uniforms will arrive. A call is in to the supplier, and the board HOPES that the uniforms get here before the season opens Saturday. If the uniforms don't show up in time, then kids will play the way they've played through most of history since Abner Doubleday walked the earth -- wearing t-shirts and battered hats from random teams or farm-implement manufacturers."
Schedule changes, issues: First, six players on the White Sox have a church function at 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 30, which is when we are scheduled to play them. The White Sox coach has asked whether we'd be willing to move the game to Saturday, May 23, at 11 a.m.
Dave says, "I wouldn't want to make the switch if a lot of you will be away that day, which is the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. If we had enough guys to play, however, the benefits of the switch would include (a) the likelihood of better weather, (b) having one less game on a school night, (c) giving us a game in the 16-day gap between May 14 and May 30, and (d) helping out White Sox coach Carl Fuda, who doesn't have too many other options."
If your player would NOT be able to make a game on May 23, please let Dave know as soon as possible.
Second, Dave has received good news from our league commissioner about our request to change the game we were scheduled to play on Saturday, May 30. The game (against the Dodgers) has been moved to 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 17. This change is good for the Braves because it gets us out of a back-to-back game situation on May 30-31, and because it gives us another game in mid-May.
Practice today (Wednesday April 22)
Good morning Braves,
Take a look at that big, round, glowing orb in the eastern sky! Sunny weather couldn't come at a better time for the Braves.
I know that many of the guys on the team won't be able to be at practice right at 3:30 today. The students from Cumberland, for example, aren't released until 3:15. Then they have to get home, grab a snack, take off their school clothes. pull on their sliding shorts and baseball pants, grab their glove, bat, and water bottle, and dash over to Cahill. I don't think too many of our players who can do that in 15 minutes.
Chris and Jason go to the middle school, which gets out at 2:57, so they and I will be at the field by 3:30 to stake our claim. We'll start practice at 3:45, and will intend to end it around 4:45.
Thanks for understanding the need for practices three days in a row before our season opener. Most of the Braves have never played in a Majors game, and the team we will be facing Saturday is a good one with a couple of flame-throwing pitchers. We may not win -- young teams need to have realistic expectations for games like these -- but we want to be as prepared as possible so the players can feel good about how they played.
Thanks,
Dave
Monday, April 20, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Pizza Party, Post-practice Baseball Game
Little League baseball is more than boring drills and screaming coaches. It's also about getting to know people and fun.
So please consider the following two events:
This week, THURSDAY after practice, we will have a pizza party in the warming house at Cahill Square for all of the guys on the team, their siblings and their parents. Our practice at Water Tower will end around 5:30 p.m., and we have rented the warming house beginning at 6 p.m.
This will be a great opportunity for Braves parents to get to know each other while the kids play. The pizza party is a rain-or-shine event, so we hope you come even if practice is canceled because of bad weather.
Please let Karen Higgins (kwhiggy@hotmail.com) know how many people from your family will be attending so that she can know how much pizza and soda to have. We will ask each family to contribute a few dollars toward the cost of the food and the rental of the warming house. In addition, it would be great if each family could bring some uncomplicated snacks like cookies, chips, carrot sticks, etc.
FRIDAY we practice at 4 p.m. After practice at least a few of us are planning to head for Miller Park to watch the so-called "Border Battle," featuring a Midwest League matchup between the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Brewers farm team) and the Peoria Chiefs (Cubs farm team).
For this game, any seat in Miller Park costs only $10. The game begins at 7:05 p.m., and it would be great if lots of Braves (and some of their parents) wanted to go. Let me know if you're interested and I'll organize transportation.
We may end practice a little early Friday (a) to keep the guys fresh for their first game of the season the next day and (b) to be able to get to Miller Park in time to get great seats to see future Brewers and Cubs.
Coach Dave
So please consider the following two events:
This week, THURSDAY after practice, we will have a pizza party in the warming house at Cahill Square for all of the guys on the team, their siblings and their parents. Our practice at Water Tower will end around 5:30 p.m., and we have rented the warming house beginning at 6 p.m.
This will be a great opportunity for Braves parents to get to know each other while the kids play. The pizza party is a rain-or-shine event, so we hope you come even if practice is canceled because of bad weather.
Please let Karen Higgins (kwhiggy@hotmail.com) know how many people from your family will be attending so that she can know how much pizza and soda to have. We will ask each family to contribute a few dollars toward the cost of the food and the rental of the warming house. In addition, it would be great if each family could bring some uncomplicated snacks like cookies, chips, carrot sticks, etc.
FRIDAY we practice at 4 p.m. After practice at least a few of us are planning to head for Miller Park to watch the so-called "Border Battle," featuring a Midwest League matchup between the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Brewers farm team) and the Peoria Chiefs (Cubs farm team).
For this game, any seat in Miller Park costs only $10. The game begins at 7:05 p.m., and it would be great if lots of Braves (and some of their parents) wanted to go. Let me know if you're interested and I'll organize transportation.
We may end practice a little early Friday (a) to keep the guys fresh for their first game of the season the next day and (b) to be able to get to Miller Park in time to get great seats to see future Brewers and Cubs.
Coach Dave
Practice today (Sun April 19)
Just a reminder that we have practice today at 4 p.m., the weather gods willing. The forecast mentions a chance of rain, but we will try very hard to get the practice in, given that our first game is only six days away.
We hope to have today's practice at the high-school softball field. I'll get there around 3:45 p.m. to stake our claim. If anyone wants to show up for some early hitting, please do.
If another team is on the field I will call home numbers immediately to let you know where practice has moved to. Or you can call me (414-306-1497).
Looking ahead, we have practices this week Thursday April 23 (4 p.m., Water Tower) and Friday April 24 (4 p.m., location TBA). And then our first game is Saturday at 1 p.m. against the Phillies.
Dave
We hope to have today's practice at the high-school softball field. I'll get there around 3:45 p.m. to stake our claim. If anyone wants to show up for some early hitting, please do.
If another team is on the field I will call home numbers immediately to let you know where practice has moved to. Or you can call me (414-306-1497).
Looking ahead, we have practices this week Thursday April 23 (4 p.m., Water Tower) and Friday April 24 (4 p.m., location TBA). And then our first game is Saturday at 1 p.m. against the Phillies.
Dave
Friday, April 17, 2009
Practice update
Hey Braves!
Great practice Thursday (and great weather). Our work on team defense is really paying off; it will make the difference between winning and losing in a game or two this season.
After all of the defense drills, the guys were ready to hit. And hit they did. Jack and Chris poked long fly balls for extra-base hits. Nick, Tyler and Scott rifled line drives through the infield. Ryan and Evan made heads-up plays in the field.
We finished with a bit of sliding -- several of the Braves need practice hitting the dirt! -- and two raucous rounds of Super Pickle, won by Jack and Nick.
We'll do it again Friday (April 17) at 4 p.m., hopefully at the high-school softball field. If there's a change in location, coaches will give you a call to let you know where the team will be.
Looking forward, we will also be practicing Sunday (April 19) from 4 to 5:30 p.m.
Enjoy this gorgeous weather!
Dave, Ross, Rick
Great practice Thursday (and great weather). Our work on team defense is really paying off; it will make the difference between winning and losing in a game or two this season.
After all of the defense drills, the guys were ready to hit. And hit they did. Jack and Chris poked long fly balls for extra-base hits. Nick, Tyler and Scott rifled line drives through the infield. Ryan and Evan made heads-up plays in the field.
We finished with a bit of sliding -- several of the Braves need practice hitting the dirt! -- and two raucous rounds of Super Pickle, won by Jack and Nick.
We'll do it again Friday (April 17) at 4 p.m., hopefully at the high-school softball field. If there's a change in location, coaches will give you a call to let you know where the team will be.
Looking forward, we will also be practicing Sunday (April 19) from 4 to 5:30 p.m.
Enjoy this gorgeous weather!
Dave, Ross, Rick
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Practice Thursday (April 16) and updates
Hello Braves,
Just a reminder about practice tomorrow (Thursday), for those of you chose to stay in sunny Whitefish Bay over the kids' spring break.
Practice will begin at 4:30 p.m. on the high-school softball field along Ardmore. We plan to finish at 6 p.m. Chris and I will be over there around 4 p.m. to stake claim to the field. If anyone wants to joins us at 4:00, I'll be glad to throw batting practice.
From now on, please have your Brave wear cup, sliding shorts, and baseball pants to practice. We will be starting to run the bases as we would in a close game. We also will be having the players face live pitching from kids instead of from coaches. All part of the strategy to gear up for the beginning of the season.
Meanwhile, if you go to the WhitefishBayNow site, you'll see that Braves photographer Jim Higgins has posted a photo of the guys who showed up at last week's chilly practice.
Also, be sure to reserve next Thursday (April 23) not only for our practice at Water Tower from 4 to 5:30 p.m., but for our pre-season pizza party at the Cahill Square warming house. Festivities will officially begin at 6 p.m., but I suspect that the doors will be open shortly after 5:30 p.m. This will be a low-cost way for Braves families to get to know each other before the season begins.
Many thanks to Karen Higgins for organizing this event, which will be held even if the practice is rained (or snowed) out. Whatever the weather outside, it will be warm and cozy inside the Cahill Square warming house.
In addition to Thursday's practice, we will practice Friday (4 to 5:30 p.m.) and Sunday (4 to 5:30 p.m.). Lots of baseball, but our season begins in 10 days and there's lots of work to do to get our guys ready.
Dave, Ross, Rick
Just a reminder about practice tomorrow (Thursday), for those of you chose to stay in sunny Whitefish Bay over the kids' spring break.
Practice will begin at 4:30 p.m. on the high-school softball field along Ardmore. We plan to finish at 6 p.m. Chris and I will be over there around 4 p.m. to stake claim to the field. If anyone wants to joins us at 4:00, I'll be glad to throw batting practice.
From now on, please have your Brave wear cup, sliding shorts, and baseball pants to practice. We will be starting to run the bases as we would in a close game. We also will be having the players face live pitching from kids instead of from coaches. All part of the strategy to gear up for the beginning of the season.
Meanwhile, if you go to the WhitefishBayNow site, you'll see that Braves photographer Jim Higgins has posted a photo of the guys who showed up at last week's chilly practice.
Also, be sure to reserve next Thursday (April 23) not only for our practice at Water Tower from 4 to 5:30 p.m., but for our pre-season pizza party at the Cahill Square warming house. Festivities will officially begin at 6 p.m., but I suspect that the doors will be open shortly after 5:30 p.m. This will be a low-cost way for Braves families to get to know each other before the season begins.
Many thanks to Karen Higgins for organizing this event, which will be held even if the practice is rained (or snowed) out. Whatever the weather outside, it will be warm and cozy inside the Cahill Square warming house.
In addition to Thursday's practice, we will practice Friday (4 to 5:30 p.m.) and Sunday (4 to 5:30 p.m.). Lots of baseball, but our season begins in 10 days and there's lots of work to do to get our guys ready.
Dave, Ross, Rick
Braves family pizza party, 6 p.m. Thurs April 23
Greetings from the Social Chairwoman:
In conferring with Coach Dave, we are designating a Pizza night on (Thursday) April 23rd at Cahill Square (from 6-7p.m.) for all team members and their families. While it's a school night, it will give us a chance to hang out a bit before the season opener.
This is the plan. Practice is up at the Water Tower Little League fields from 4 - 5:30 p.m. We will plan to eat at 6 over at Cahill Lodge. Parents can get to know each other and siblings can play! We realize this is a school night, but this is our initial social event to break the ice, and fire up for the new season.
We will estimate costs of pizza,soda, and rental of Cahill and ask families to pitch in a few dollars to help out with the cost.
What I need to know:
Can you make it?
How many family members can attend?
Tell me any easy snack like chips, cookies, carrot sticks (had to put something healthy in there!) you can bring.
[Send your party-related emails to kwhiggy[ATSIGN]hotmail.com.]
We look forward to seeing if we can get almost everyone there! And I cannot wait to hear the magic words in a few weeks at our season opener of "play ball"!
Karen W. Higgins
Social Chairwoman
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Practices April 16 & 17
Hello Braves!
I can take a joke as well as the next guy, but this weather is getting to be ridiculous. I left work at 5:15 p.m. Monday and got a face full of sleet as I stepped outside my building!
Enough is enough, so we coaches have ordered up sunshine and warmer temps for our TWO PRACTICES THIS WEEK. The when and where:
Thursday, April 16, 4:30 to 6 p.m., softball field on the east side of the high-school campus
Friday, April 17, 4 to 5:30 p.m., softball field on the east side of the high-school campus
(If there's any change in location for a practice, we will send e-mails or phone you as soon as we can.)
We know that several Braves are out of town. If your player CAN make it for either or both of the practices, please let me know. We can do better planning for the practices if we know who's going to be there.
This week we will be working on sliding, among other things, so please have your Brave wear sliding shorts, baseball pants, cleats, and the all-important cup. Our first game is less than 12 days away, so it's time for us to be more serious and more focused about practice without sacrificing the fun.
Everyone should bring a water bottle to practice. And, crazy as it may seem, if it's sunny don't be afraid to smear some sunscreen on your son.
I can't tell you how happy we coaches are with the team. The boys have responded very positively to the suggestions we have given them so far.
Keep in mind that we'll also have a practice Sunday, April 19, from 4 to 5:30 p.m., location TBA.
Thanks everyone!
Dave, Ross, Rick
I can take a joke as well as the next guy, but this weather is getting to be ridiculous. I left work at 5:15 p.m. Monday and got a face full of sleet as I stepped outside my building!
Enough is enough, so we coaches have ordered up sunshine and warmer temps for our TWO PRACTICES THIS WEEK. The when and where:
Thursday, April 16, 4:30 to 6 p.m., softball field on the east side of the high-school campus
Friday, April 17, 4 to 5:30 p.m., softball field on the east side of the high-school campus
(If there's any change in location for a practice, we will send e-mails or phone you as soon as we can.)
We know that several Braves are out of town. If your player CAN make it for either or both of the practices, please let me know. We can do better planning for the practices if we know who's going to be there.
This week we will be working on sliding, among other things, so please have your Brave wear sliding shorts, baseball pants, cleats, and the all-important cup. Our first game is less than 12 days away, so it's time for us to be more serious and more focused about practice without sacrificing the fun.
Everyone should bring a water bottle to practice. And, crazy as it may seem, if it's sunny don't be afraid to smear some sunscreen on your son.
I can't tell you how happy we coaches are with the team. The boys have responded very positively to the suggestions we have given them so far.
Keep in mind that we'll also have a practice Sunday, April 19, from 4 to 5:30 p.m., location TBA.
Thanks everyone!
Dave, Ross, Rick
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Dale Sveum's Easter Sunday homer
To all of you who celebrate it, Happy Easter today. Easter brings to mind new clothes for kids, joyous music, baskets of candy and -- if you are a Brewers fan of some duration -- Dale Sveum's Easter Sunday walk-off homer to put the Brewers at 12-0 in 1987.
Follow this link to a story about that day, and a video clip of Sveum's homer:
http://tiny.cc/sveum
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Checking In
Great turnout at practice yesterday, Braves! All nine guys who were in town showed up! This is a group that can't get enough baseball.
We had the shivering players do a lot of running to warm up their muscles, and by the end of the practice most of the guys had shed their jackets and sweatshirts. We finished with a spirited scrimmage highlighted by some timely hitting and a couple of nice plays in the field, including shortstop Matt making a lunging snare of a low line drive headed for center field and Alec vacuuming up a tough grounder at third and making a great throw to nip the runner at first.
Meanwhile, those of you who are interested in pitching should take a look at the big photo of Braden Looper on page 5 of the sports section of today's Journal Sentinel. Note the two-seam fastball grip and how the ball is facing center field. It is clear that Looper's arm had been fully extended.
Enjoy the weekend, everyone!
Dave
Photo credit:
Mark Hoffman
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
We had the shivering players do a lot of running to warm up their muscles, and by the end of the practice most of the guys had shed their jackets and sweatshirts. We finished with a spirited scrimmage highlighted by some timely hitting and a couple of nice plays in the field, including shortstop Matt making a lunging snare of a low line drive headed for center field and Alec vacuuming up a tough grounder at third and making a great throw to nip the runner at first.
Meanwhile, those of you who are interested in pitching should take a look at the big photo of Braden Looper on page 5 of the sports section of today's Journal Sentinel. Note the two-seam fastball grip and how the ball is facing center field. It is clear that Looper's arm had been fully extended.
Enjoy the weekend, everyone!
Dave
Photo credit:
Mark Hoffman
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Friday, April 10, 2009
Cold but undaunted: April 10 practice
The coaches organize the plan for practice.
Matt McLaughlin pitches to catcher Scott Rojahn.
Here's Matt batting, with Nick Higgins catching.
Chris Pritchard in the process of belting one all the way to Paducah.
Just fyi: Junior Blue Dukes football registration happening this month
Dear Braves parents and friends:
A friendly fyi tangent here: Junior Blue Dukes football signup is happening this month.
Your Braves players Scott Rojahn and Nick Higgins played on the 5th grade Junior Blue Dukes team last fall, and I think they would tell you they had a blast. Kids who live in the Bay are eligible to play.
If you are interested, I have signup info and can forward it to you. Feel free to browse the Junior Blue Dukes blog from last year.
A friendly fyi tangent here: Junior Blue Dukes football signup is happening this month.
Your Braves players Scott Rojahn and Nick Higgins played on the 5th grade Junior Blue Dukes team last fall, and I think they would tell you they had a blast. Kids who live in the Bay are eligible to play.
If you are interested, I have signup info and can forward it to you. Feel free to browse the Junior Blue Dukes blog from last year.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Braves update, post-practice
Great practice today! On short notice we had 12 of the 13 Braves, a great turnout. For the first half of the practice we focused on team defense -- the ways players at different positions have to move depending on where the ball is hit, what the game situation is, etc. Much work remains to be done, but it was a good beginning.
For the second half of the practice we split into three teams of four players each for a scrimmage (one team bats while the other two play in the field). Several very nice defensive plays, including a great catch in the outfield by Jason. Lots of good hitting too, with titanic home runs from Chris, Nick, and Connor. (I didn't take notes, and my memory is not what it was, so I know I am omitting several equally good plays. Mea culpa.....)
We will continue to work on fundamentals of fielding and hitting, and soon will begin to identify kids who want to pitch.
Next practice is Friday from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at Water Tower. If your Brave won't be able to make it, could you please let me know?
And please remember that a key to development of our players this season will be playing catch, hitting some balls, etc., outside of formal practices and games. Guys can get together by themselves, or a parent can round up a few Braves.
Most of all, have fun!
Dave
For the second half of the practice we split into three teams of four players each for a scrimmage (one team bats while the other two play in the field). Several very nice defensive plays, including a great catch in the outfield by Jason. Lots of good hitting too, with titanic home runs from Chris, Nick, and Connor. (I didn't take notes, and my memory is not what it was, so I know I am omitting several equally good plays. Mea culpa.....)
We will continue to work on fundamentals of fielding and hitting, and soon will begin to identify kids who want to pitch.
Next practice is Friday from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at Water Tower. If your Brave won't be able to make it, could you please let me know?
And please remember that a key to development of our players this season will be playing catch, hitting some balls, etc., outside of formal practices and games. Guys can get together by themselves, or a parent can round up a few Braves.
Most of all, have fun!
Dave
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Next practice: 4 p.m. Fri April 10 at Water Tower
Everyone,
We have been able to secure the Majors field at beautiful Water Tower Park for practices at the following times:
Friday, April 10, 4-5:30 p.m.
Thursday, April 23, 4-5:30 p.m.
Dave, Ross, Rick
We have been able to secure the Majors field at beautiful Water Tower Park for practices at the following times:
Friday, April 10, 4-5:30 p.m.
Thursday, April 23, 4-5:30 p.m.
Dave, Ross, Rick
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Practice Wednesday (April 8)
Hello everyone,
We coaches took a look at the weather forecast for Wednesday -- sunny skies and a high of about 50 degrees -- and just knew that we had to practice that afternoon. So we'll get the team together Wednesday from 4 to 5:30 p.m.
We hope to practice on the softball field along the east side of the high-school campus, but there's a good chance that the field will be occupied by one of the WFB schools' girls softball teams. Our second choice is the field at the northwest corner of Cahill Square park, but the girls teams practice and play there, too. So we may end up at our third choice, the diamond on the west edge of the Cumberland School playground (along Ardmore).
Please check e-mail early Wednesday afternoon for more concrete info about the practice location. Rick and I will be running this practice. Please make note of our cell phone numbers, which will come in handy if anyone needs a last-minute update about practice.
Dave's cell: 414-306-1497
Rick's cell: 414-303-5091
We have your numbers, too, just in case we need to make a last-minute switch.
Wednesday we plan to spend the first half of practice working on team defense. We'll finish up with 45 minutes of fun, probably a scrimmage of some sort.
Thanks in advance for understanding that we need to call practices on short notice sometimes, given the vicissitudes of April weather in Wisconsin.
Dave
We coaches took a look at the weather forecast for Wednesday -- sunny skies and a high of about 50 degrees -- and just knew that we had to practice that afternoon. So we'll get the team together Wednesday from 4 to 5:30 p.m.
We hope to practice on the softball field along the east side of the high-school campus, but there's a good chance that the field will be occupied by one of the WFB schools' girls softball teams. Our second choice is the field at the northwest corner of Cahill Square park, but the girls teams practice and play there, too. So we may end up at our third choice, the diamond on the west edge of the Cumberland School playground (along Ardmore).
Please check e-mail early Wednesday afternoon for more concrete info about the practice location. Rick and I will be running this practice. Please make note of our cell phone numbers, which will come in handy if anyone needs a last-minute update about practice.
Dave's cell: 414-306-1497
Rick's cell: 414-303-5091
We have your numbers, too, just in case we need to make a last-minute switch.
Wednesday we plan to spend the first half of practice working on team defense. We'll finish up with 45 minutes of fun, probably a scrimmage of some sort.
Thanks in advance for understanding that we need to call practices on short notice sometimes, given the vicissitudes of April weather in Wisconsin.
Dave
Sunday, April 5, 2009
First Practice a Success
Hey Braves, excellent practice today! Nine players made it on very short notice, and they looked very good. Everyone got some solid hits during batting practice, and there were also a bunch of great fielding plays. We coaches loved the guys’ enthusiasm.
Don’t be surprised if a few muscles are sore. We all were using body parts that hadn’t had much of a workout over the winter. Fortunately, kids heal quickly. (It takes longer for coaches…..)
The goal of today’s practice was simply for the players to have fun and get to know each other. Our future practices will be more structured as we try to work on specific skills. We never want to lose sight of the fun part of baseball, though, so every practice will conclude with some kind of game.
We hope to have a regular schedule of practices (Friday and Sunday from 4 to 5:30 p.m.). We’ll skip tomorrow, given the rain, sleet and snow in the forecast.
Next Friday is Good Friday and the beginning of WFB public schools’ spring break. If your Brave will not be available for a practice that day, could you let us know? I do not anticipate that we will practice on Easter Sunday.
We may try to sneak in an extra practice or two during spring break week (the week of April 13) to make up for time lost to the rotten weather we’ve been having.
Formal practices aside, please encourage your sons to get together in small groups to play on their own. There’s lots of space at Cumberland and Cahill for kids who want to play catch or hit some balls.
We are fortunate to have such a good group of kids. It’s going to be a fun summer!
Dave, Ross, Rick
Don’t be surprised if a few muscles are sore. We all were using body parts that hadn’t had much of a workout over the winter. Fortunately, kids heal quickly. (It takes longer for coaches…..)
The goal of today’s practice was simply for the players to have fun and get to know each other. Our future practices will be more structured as we try to work on specific skills. We never want to lose sight of the fun part of baseball, though, so every practice will conclude with some kind of game.
We hope to have a regular schedule of practices (Friday and Sunday from 4 to 5:30 p.m.). We’ll skip tomorrow, given the rain, sleet and snow in the forecast.
Next Friday is Good Friday and the beginning of WFB public schools’ spring break. If your Brave will not be available for a practice that day, could you let us know? I do not anticipate that we will practice on Easter Sunday.
We may try to sneak in an extra practice or two during spring break week (the week of April 13) to make up for time lost to the rotten weather we’ve been having.
Formal practices aside, please encourage your sons to get together in small groups to play on their own. There’s lots of space at Cumberland and Cahill for kids who want to play catch or hit some balls.
We are fortunate to have such a good group of kids. It’s going to be a fun summer!
Dave, Ross, Rick
Friday, April 3, 2009
Game Schedule
Tonight the final schedule appeared on the WFB Little League web site. Here's the slate of our games:
2009 SCHEDULE FOR WFB BRAVES
Saturday, April 25, 1 p.m. (Phillies)
Thursday, April 30, 6 p.m. (White Sox)
Saturday, May 2, 9 a.m. (Orioles)
Friday, May 8, 6 p.m. (Pirates)
Thursday, May 14, 6 p.m. (Cubs)
Saturday, May 30, 5 p.m. (Dodgers)
Sunday, May 31, 5 p.m. (Rays)
Friday, June 5, 6 p.m. (Brewers)
Sunday, June 7, 1 p.m. (Yankees)
Friday, June 12, 6 p.m. (White Sox)
Saturday, June 13, 11 a.m. (Phillies)
Tuesday, June 16, 6:30 p.m. (Orioles)
Saturday, June 20, 5 p.m. (Pirates)
Monday, June 22, 6:30 p.m. (Yankees)
Saturday, June 27, 11 a.m. (Rays)
Monday, June 29, 6:30 p.m. (Cubs)
We have a 16-day stretch in May with no games, which is a bit odd, but overall the schedule looks good.
Keep your fingers crossed for warmer weather. Everyone's itching to get on the field!
Coach Dave
2009 SCHEDULE FOR WFB BRAVES
Saturday, April 25, 1 p.m. (Phillies)
Thursday, April 30, 6 p.m. (White Sox)
Saturday, May 2, 9 a.m. (Orioles)
Friday, May 8, 6 p.m. (Pirates)
Thursday, May 14, 6 p.m. (Cubs)
Saturday, May 30, 5 p.m. (Dodgers)
Sunday, May 31, 5 p.m. (Rays)
Friday, June 5, 6 p.m. (Brewers)
Sunday, June 7, 1 p.m. (Yankees)
Friday, June 12, 6 p.m. (White Sox)
Saturday, June 13, 11 a.m. (Phillies)
Tuesday, June 16, 6:30 p.m. (Orioles)
Saturday, June 20, 5 p.m. (Pirates)
Monday, June 22, 6:30 p.m. (Yankees)
Saturday, June 27, 11 a.m. (Rays)
Monday, June 29, 6:30 p.m. (Cubs)
We have a 16-day stretch in May with no games, which is a bit odd, but overall the schedule looks good.
Keep your fingers crossed for warmer weather. Everyone's itching to get on the field!
Coach Dave
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