News flash: Braves win a thriller, 4-3

The Braves won a thriller at Water Tower Park Sunday evening. Nick's single in the bottom of the last inning scored Anthony with the winning run, to the jubilation of the Braves faithful.

I'll file a more detailed report on Monday.

Girls play, too

The Dukes U14 girls softball team, after their first game of the season Saturday. Zoe Higgins, back row, second from left, is Nick's big sister.

This Just In: Game time is 6 p.m. Sunday

All,
I just got confirmation that the Braves-Rays game Sunday will begin at 6 p.m., not at 5 p.m. as is listed on the WFB Little League website.
Braves players should be at Water Tower at 5:15 p.m. for the usual pre-game stuff.
See you there!
Dave

Practice report, last-minute Brewers night notes

Everyone --
Great practice this evening! We gave the guys some work on relay throws to home, on how to cover a base without risking breaking an ankle, and on handling wind-blown fly balls. Then we had the usual ultra-competitive scrimmage.
If you haven't yet given me your Brewers night form and checks, you can drop them off before 4 p.m. Sunday at our place (5059 N. Woodburn). I have to be out of town until shortly before game time Sunday, but Kathy and Chris will be around. If no one's home when you stop by, just slip the stuff into our mailbox on the driveway side of the house.
So far we have the following people for Brewers night:
Harmsens (4)
Mavrinac/Lindfors (3)
Howells (4)
Scobey-Polacheck (2)
Blacher (5)
Rojahn (2)
Kimples have turned in their stuff to their younger son's Minors coach, so they'll be there. And I'm expecting at least one or two other Braves families to drop their materials off over the weekend.
All in all, a good turnout for the Braves!
Dave

Friday practice update (May 29)

Everyone,
I am reliably informed that Cumberland's Family Fun Night is tomorrow from 3:45 to 6:45 p.m.
That means that our backup field, if Atwater is in use, will be the softball diamond at Cahill Square. The Cahill diamond is not in great shape, but it may be the best we can do if we can't use Atwater. Practice will end at 5:30 p.m. sharp so that Braves who want to catch the last hour of FFN will be able to do so.
FYI, we had a great practice this afternoon. We worked hard on fielding, with good results. Than we had a spirited scrimmage, with virtually everyone slamming the ball. Very good for the guys' self-confidence!
Dave

Little League night at Miller Park signups due Friday

Braves,
Just a reminder that if you want to attend Brewers night with thousands of other little leaguers and their parents from across the state, I need your ticket orders (and checks) by the end of the day tomorrow -- Friday (May 29).
Thanks,
Dave

Practices Thursday and Friday

Weather permitting (and the forecast looks decent), we will practice both Thursday and Friday this week from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at the high-school softball field.
Our next game is Sunday at either 5 or 6 p.m. It's aggravating to all of us that Little League can't confirm times farther in advance; I'll pass along the final game time as soon as I learn it.
If your Brave will NOT be at the game, please let me know.
Thanks!
Dave

Harvey Haddix's masterpiece

Fifty years ago at the old County Stadium, the Milwaukee Braves were both the victims and the winners of one of the greatest games in baseball history.

Lefthander Harvey Haddix of the Pittsburgh Pirates threw a perfect game against the Braves for 12 innings on May 26, 1959. Thirty-six Braves came up to bat, 36 Braves made outs. No hits, errors or walks.

But Braves pitcher Lew Burdette and his defense effectively scattered a dozen hits, keeping the game scoreless, so it went into the 13th inning.

Here are a couple of excellent anniversary stories about the game.
First up, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story from Frank Clines:

This Tuesday night, Milwaukee baseball fans will head out to a National League game with a good chance of seeing a victory fueled by power hitting. The same was true 50 years earlier to the day.

But the folks at Miller Park for the Brewers' game against St. Louis probably won't see anything like the game that took place on May 26, 1959. The 19,194 people at County Stadium that chilly night - also a Tuesday - got a victory, but only after the hometown Braves were throttled by the greatest pitching performance in major-league history.

For 12 innings, an unimposing Pittsburgh left-hander named Harvey Haddix stymied the Braves' powerful offense completely and astoundingly. Thirty-six Braves batted in those innings and 36 failed to reach base. There have been 17 perfect games pitched in the majors over nine innings, but no one else has ever gone where Haddix did.

And no one else has ever suffered such a heartbreaking loss. Because the Pirates couldn't score against Lew Burdette, the Braves were able to ruin Haddix's night in the 13th inning - in a finish almost as mind-boggling as his performance.

Continued

Next, an excellent and very detailed piece by Bob Dvorchak in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

In his later years with the Pirates, after he was the pitching coach for the 1979 champions and before the baseball bureaucracy no longer recognized his game, Harvey Haddix reflected on the most extraordinary game ever pitched.

"Not a day goes by that somebody doesn't ask me about that game," said the left-handed pitcher known as The Kitten because somebody else bigger than he was already The Tiger. "I think I got more notoriety from it because I lost."

Indeed. Fifty years ago, against the formidable lineup of the Milwaukee Braves, he retired batter after batter, inning after inning, accomplishing what no other pitcher in the game has accomplished before or since.

Continued

The Post-Gazette also has an extensive multimedia package about the game, including a slide show and a video story.

A related New York Times feature on the game

A full box score and log for the game

No practice Sunday (or Monday)

Braves,
An excellent practice Friday! Absolutely perfect weather, some good hitting and good fielding by our guys.
No practice Sunday or Monday. Enjoy the long weekend!
Dave

Little League night at Miller Park

By now I think you all have the form for 2009 Little League night at Miller Park, which will be June 23.
This is a fun outing for players and their parents, in addition to being an important fund-raiser for WFB Little League. I hope that lots of our players - dare I hope all of them? - and family members will be able to take part.
Please return the form and a check for the appropriate amount to me no later than Friday, May 29. I need to get everything to the proper authorities that weekend so that they can order the right number of tickets.
Thanks,
Dave

Practice update: Swing hard, throw hard

Braves,
A good practice in the hot sun Wednesday, but our guys need to become more aggressive when they're batting -- the way they were in the first two games. Many of the players seem to be waiting for perfect pitches before swinging, but perfect pitches rarely come. Our motto for the next game should be "See it and hit it!" Anything you can do to reinforce that message at home would be great.
It was good to have Liam back on the field. He's a little rusty at the plate, but he made a nice catch of a tricky foul fly today.
FYI, it seems likely that the start of our game on Sunday, May 31, will be moved from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. to accommodate a makeup game at 4 p.m. I expect this to be confirmed very soon, but wanted to let you know now for planning purposes.
Practice again Friday at 4 p.m. Location is uncertain. If the high-school girls win their game Thursday, they will have a practice on the high-school field Friday and we'll have to look at Cahill or Cumberland. If the girls lose, however, their season is over and we can have the high-school field Friday.
As loyal WFB fans, of course we will be pulling for the girls to win on Thursday.
Dave, Rick, Ross

p.s. Please find some time to play catch with your Brave. Have him throw the ball back to you hard. We have some guys who have gotten into the habit of lobbing the ball. Runners in the Majors will take an extra base on soft throws, so we need to make sure that all of our throws are crisp and accurate.

Practices Wednesday (May 20) and Friday (May 22)

Good morning,
True baseball weather has arrived -- finally! -- and we will take advantage of it with two practices this week.
They will be Wednesday (May 20) and Friday (May 22), each from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at the high-school softball field.
The coaches realize that not everyone will be able to make both practices because of various conflicts, but we hope that every member of the team can make at least one of them.
Catchers, please bring your gear. And everyone should bring a water bottle because it's going to be sunny, windy, and warm.
Thanks,
Dave, Ross, Rick

Notes from the Dodgers game

I'm going to offer a positive scouting report after the team's loss to the Dodgers' Sunday night. Remember, as always, these are my personal observations, not endorsed or pre-approved by our coaches, Bud Selig, or anyone else.

There are times in this age group when an obviously superior team crushes an inferior opponent through sheer talent and will. While it is clear the Dodgers are superior right now, that is NOT what happened Sunday night.

The Dodgers were efficient in making the Braves pay for many mistakes. Only one ball was hit out of the park. With better defense and baserunning by the Braves, that could have been a 5-1 game, and I don't think any of us would have felt bad about that.

The Braves did not put enough hits together, but that is nothing to be ashamed about this early in the season against a high-class opponent. (You will sometimes see 2-1 and 1-0 games in this league.) More swings and warmer weather will improve the hitting.

Defense can be improved, too. That's why we have practice. It's much better to get this kind of game out of the way earlier in the season, when there is practice time to work on fielding.

It's tempting for a player to get demoralized in such a game, so I want to single out a couple of guys for sustained, passionate effort throughout the night.

As a fielder and pitcher, Jason battled throughout the game, getting to every ball he could and making excellent throws. You could see the fire in his eyes, even when we were down big.

Evan, too, particularly when he's at 1B, makes it a point of pride to catch everything. When he was not able to handle a difficult throw in one play, he got upset, but I could see it was the right kind of upset - he expects to catch everything.

A few other notes. Again, blame me for the observations and omissions, no one else:

Pitching: Connor was effective pitching against a strong opponent. He struck out 5 in three innings, a long stretch of work. He could have gotten out of the first inning without giving up any runs, but an error kept the Dodgers at bat. Connor did what pitchers do when they get bad breaks -- he didn't moan or point fingers, he simply went back to work.

Hitting: Chris had a booming double and a single. Ryan and Anthony had singles. Nick walked twice. (He's walked 4 times in 3 games this year. Either the hair or the glare must intimidate other teams.) Jack also drew a walk.

Fielding: Scott made a nice pickup at second, firing to Tyler at first to end the second inning. In addition to his other fine plays, Jason, while pitching with the bases loaded, grabbed a grounder and fired to the sure-handed Anthony at home to force the runner.

Jim Higgins

Game Day: Coach Dave's reminders

1. Our game against the undefeated Dodgers is at 5 p.m., not 3 p.m. as was listed in an early version of the schedule the league provided.
2. Players should be at Water Tower by 4:15 p.m.
3. It will be VERY COLD at Water Tower by game time. I recommend long-sleeved undershirts for the players as well as jackets or sweatshirts they can wear when they're not on the field. I will be wearing my winter jacket -- honest! -- and I recommend the same for fans. Some fans at Water Tower this evening were wearing mittens, and they were happy they'd brought them.
See you at the game,
Dave

Thursday's game

The best measure of the character of a team is not how it wins, but how it loses.
The short-handed Braves lost to the Cubs Thursday, 20-4. But the coaches couldn’t have been prouder of the team. Our pitchers – and really, everyone on the team – showed lots of courage in the face of adversity.
We had only eight of our guys available, and were given a third grader as our ninth player (more about him later). Nonetheless, we competed hard. The breaks just didn’t go our way.
Four close calls, including three plays at the plate, went against us. It seemed that every ground ball the Cubs hit found a space between our infielders and dribbled into the outfield for a hit. Meanwhile, the Cubs made a couple of amazing plays on defense to rob us of hits that would have driven in runs.
What sticks in my mind is the courage of our guys. Consider the three players who pitched for us Thursday.
Connor was sick as a dog this week. He missed school Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. But he went to school Thursday and wanted to play against the Cubs. His parents said OK, and I put him in his habitual role as starting pitcher. He struggled, but just when it seemed that he was destined to give up his first runs of the season he reached back and found the strength to strike out a batter with two outs – and the bases loaded. A nice moment for him, and the team.
Matt took over in the middle of the second inning. With a runner on third, a pitch got past Anthony, who was catching. The runner sped for home. Matt raced to cover home. Anthony scrambled to the screen to retrieve the ball. AP made a great throw to Matt, who caught it and slapped the tag on the runner for an …. What – not an out? The ump called the runner safe.
Meanwhile, the runner had slid directly into Matt’s ankle. Matt was in a lot of pain. I have seen kids get broken ankles in such situations, and we made Matt sit down to take the weight off of his ankle. He was able to move his ankle, and he refused the ice that was rushed over. Through his tears – yes, it’s OK for guys to cry – he told me not only that he wanted to stay in the game but that he wanted to keep on pitching.
Guts.
An inning later Evan took over and pitched the rest of the game. What control! He just kept throwing strikes. He induced the Cubs to hit lots of grounders, most of which unfortunately slipped through our infield for hits. But Evan didn’t get rattled. He kept throwing the heat, and helped out his own cause by making several nice defensive plays, including catching a tricky pop fly behind the mound.
You’re wondering about that third grader? A third grader playing in a game with fifth and sixth graders – what’s going on?
The protocol for a short-handed Majors team is to ask the Minors commissioner to provide the name of a Minors player who wants to play up. We were given the name of third grader Cade Garcia. And it turned out that Cade did a great job for us!
With Connor on the mound in the first inning, a Cub hit a fly ball to right center. Cade ran over, and with the bright sun shining directly into his eyes, made the catch. It was a huge play at that point in the game. Cade also batted in one of the Braves’ four runs with a based-loaded walk. He is a player to watch for the future.
Our other runs were batted in by Alec, who knocked in one with a single, and by Ryan, who sent two guys home with a double to the fence in right-center field.
We would have scored more, except that the Cubs center-fielder made an amazing desperation-dive catch of Matt’s long drive to left-center field. It would have gone for at least a double. And with two outs Scott gave 110% to beat out an infield hit to drive in a run ….. except the base umpire, who was between second and third base, called him out at first. Everyone in both dugouts and the stands questioned that call.
But the ump is always right, at least in the scorebook. And overall, I thought the game was a good lesson for the Braves. We have won big, and now we have lost big. This is how sports, and life, works.

Thanks to Joe Kimple for filling in as first-base coach, and to the parents who came to cheer us on.

Next game: The undefeated Dodgers Sunday at 5 p.m. You will not want to miss that game! Please have your Brave at Water Tower by 4 p.m. so that we can get ready.

Thanks,

Dave

Updates from Coach Dave

Everyone,
First of all, thanks to Karen Kimple for organizing the California Pizza Kitchen outing this evening. We had four families there, unfortunately NOT including Ms. Kimple herself. Karen had to stay home to tend to Connor, who is sick. We hope he gets well in time for Thursday's game against the Cubs!
Second, I believe that we now have the final, definitive version of our schedule. Here it is:

Sat 5/2/09 9-11am Braves: 17-Orioles: 4

Fri 5/8/09 6-8pm Pirates: 1-Braves: 9

Thu 5/14/09 6-8pm Cubs vs. Braves

Sun 5/17/09 5-7pm Braves vs. Dodgers

Sun 5/31/09 5-7pm Braves vs. Rays

Fri 6/5/09 6-8pm Braves vs. Brewers

Sun 6/7/09 1-3pm Yankees vs. Braves

Tue 6/9/09 4:30-6:30pm Braves vs. White Sox

Fri 6/12/09 6-8pm White Sox vs. Braves

Sat 6/13/09 11am-1pm Braves vs. Phillies

Tue 6/16/09 6:30-8:30pm Orioles vs. Braves

Thu 6/18/09 4:30-6:30pm Phillies vs. Braves

Sat 6/20/09 5-7pm Braves vs. Pirates

Mon 6/22/09 6:30-8:30pm Braves vs. Yankees

Sat 6/27/09 11am-1pm Rays vs. Braves

Mon 6/29/09 6:30-8:30pm Braves vs. Cubs

It's an interesting schedule. We play four games during the first five weeks of the season, and then 12 games in the last 30 days of the season. Note that the May 22 game is gone from the schedule, and that the time of the May 17 game has changed from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

If any of the Braves have conflicts with any of these games, please let me know (if you haven't already).

Thanks -- see you Thursday at the game against the Cubs!
Dave
p.s. Don't forget to put Friday's practice, from 4 to 5:30 p.m., on the calendar.

Modified stance helps Counsell heat up at the plate

Nice feature story by Anthony Witrado on the Milwaukee Brewers' (and Whitefish Bay's own) Craig Counsell:

Modified stance helps Counsell heat up at plate

As he rounded first base, having just watched a ball off his bat clear the right-field fence, Craig Counsell pumped his fist.

He immediately regretted the gesture.

"I shouldn't have done that," Counsell said. "Matt Williams always used to get on me (when we played for Arizona) because he said I fist-pump every home run. And I always said that's because I don't hit enough home runs. I'm always so excited when I hit one."

Counsell, the Milwaukee Brewers' utility infielder not known for his pop, had just hit his first home run of the season against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday to inspire the hand motion. At the time of that home run, Counsell had already scored a run and set up another by moving a runner over earlier in the game, so he figured into three of the team's four runs at that point.

It isn't surprising Counsell didn't approve of his own spur-of-the-moment action. He is soft-spoken, low-key and not great at talking about his own success.

Continued

And, if you like a little baseball humor, check out The Onion's satirical story:
Turns Out Craig Counsell Was Actually Best Baseball Player of the Steroid Era

California Pizza Kitchen

Dear Braves families,

In case you don't have enough going on this week...I wanted to let you know that I am trying to get a group of Braves' families together to attend the California Pizza Kitchen fundraiser this Tuesday night (May 12). The flyer for this fundraiser was posted on the Concession Stand and if you need a copy, just let me know and I will forward it to you. (I would attach it to this note, but I don't know how to attach another e-mail's attachment and I don't have all of your e-mails).

Anyway, the way it works is CPK agrees to donate 20% of the amount of our restaurant bill that night. May 12 is designated for Pee Wees and Juniors and May 19 is for Majors and Minors, but we can't make it on May 19 and it doesn't matter in the least because all the money still goes to the WFB Little League. Everyone is welcome--siblings, friends, neighbors, etc.

Let's meet at 6:30 at CPK. We'll try to get two tables, one for the adults and one for the players. Please let me know if you are planning to be there and how many will be in your group. So far it is the Kimples and the Pritchards. Here's another fun social event for the Braves involving pizza--hope to see you there!

Karen Kimple

Updates: Band-O-Rama, practice schedule

Braves,
Please let me (Dave) know ASAP whether your Brave will be at Thursday's game. We are already down two players for Thursday because of Liam's foot injury and the fact that Jack K. will miss the game because of a family event.
I am concerned about having enough players because I just learned that there is a conflict between our 6 p.m. game against the Cubs Thursday and the 7 p.m. Band O Rama at the high school, which features kids in WFB public schools who are in the 5th through 12th grade bands.
I know that at least a few Braves are members of bands that will be in Band O Rama. If they all opt to take part in Band O Rama, we will have to ask at least a couple of younger players from Minors to play in our game.
Meanwhile, we will not have a practice Monday or Tuesday. We would have had to practice over the dinner hour on a school night, and we've done too much of that. So let's rest up for Thursday's game.
We will practice Friday, May 15, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. to get ready for our game Sunday against the powerful Dodgers. Sunday's game will begin at 5 p.m.; we would like the players to be at Water Tower by 4:15 p.m.

Moms & Baseball

Q. What's does a baseball player usually say when a TV camera catches him by surprise during a game?
A. Hi, Mom.

Both the big boys of Major League Baseball and the little boys of Little League know that Moms make baseball possible. Mom gave us life, and Mom also took us to a million practices, celebrated victories with us and consoled us after losses. In many families, Mom gets out on the field and helps with the game. (I can't tell how proud I was to see Karen get out on the field and play in the season-ending Mother's Game at Water Tower Park.)

In Whitefish Bay, we honor this day for Moms by not having Little League! In recent years, Major League Baseball has collaborated with Susan G. Komen for the Cure on Mother's Day breast cancer awareness and fundraising. In 2006 cooperating MLB players started using special pink bats on Mother's Day; the game-used bats were auctioned off later on.

The Brewers' Bill Hall is both a leader and a star of this new tradition. In 2006, he swung a mighty pink bat in the 10th inning to beat the New York Mets. TV cameras showed his proud mother Vergie in the crowd. Here is a low-quality (but still enjoyable) fan video of that moment:



Hall hit another pink bat homer on Mother's Day, 2007. As has become his tradition, Hall is also making a $25,000 contribution to Komen this year.

---

"The Chicken Runs at Midnight"
On a day devoted to family, I commend to you a heartwarming, yet sad, story from the Palm Beach Post of a major-league coach and a player from another team (and country) who bonded over their lost children:

"They met for the first time on a cold morning in an empty baseball stadium — the 62-year-old coach from Steubenville, Ohio, and the 25-year-old pitcher from Maracay, Venezuela.

"Rich Donnelly and Anibal Sanchez had spoken once before over the phone.

"They knew enough about each other to understand they share a common bond that extends beyond baseball.

"Both are fathers who lost a child."

Continued

The special bonus in this story for us is that Whitefish Bay's Craig Counsell plays a key role in the middle of it.

Happy Mother's Day, Everyone

Jim Higgins

Happy Mother's Day to all our Braves Moms

Standings

Winning doesn't matter much in a developmental program like Whitefish Bay Little League, but this morning I sneaked a peek at the Majors standings.
The Braves are tied for first place with the powerhouse Dodgers -- both teams with a 2-0 record. The powerhouse Phillies are right behind with a 1-0 record. Each of the seven other teams has at least one loss.
We will lose our share of games this season (and not just to the Dodgers and Phillies), but it's nice to see all of our guys playing good solid fundamental baseball so far.
Dave

Coach Dave: Post-Game Comments, Practice Possibilities, Happy Mother's Day

We will NOT have practice Sunday, May 10, because of Mother's Day. Guys, do something nice for your moms!
The weather willing, we may try to sneak in a practice at 5:45 p.m. either Monday or Tuesday on the high-school softball field. It would be good to have a practice before our game with the Cubs (6 p.m., Thursday, May 14).
I can't tell you how pleased I was with our players Friday evening. They played with focus and passion. A few plays keep rolling through my head. We put in a special bunt sign for Matt this game, and when he saw it he tapped a perfect bunt down the third base line and beat it out for a hit. When the Pirates tried their only bunt, Jason flashed off the mound to grab the ball and fire a strike to first to nip the runner. And then Nick smashed a line drive so hard that it literally ripped the glove off the Pirates' third baseman's hand!
Many thanks to the players' family members for supporting the team. Your presence means a lot to the players!
Dave

Game Story: Braves Make Practices Pay Off, Win 9-1

It's an axiom in sports that players learn skills in practice and show them in games. That's particularly true of baseball, which has so many little skills, plays and strategic decisions that can only be learned through repetition.
Clearly our Braves are paying attention in practice. Skills and situations they've worked on recently paid off in Friday night's 9-1 win over the Pirates at Water Tower Park.
Last Sunday, former Whitefish Bay High School Coach Dean Ledzian worked with the Braves on bunting. In last night's game, Coach Dave put the bunt sign on, and Matt laid a perfect bunt down the third-base line, beating it out for a hit.
That directly affected how the Pirates played Matt the next time up. Matt tried to bunt the first pitch in the same place, pulling the third baseman in. With the third baseman pulled in, Matt swung away at the next pitch. Had he connected, he had an excellent chance to drive the ball past the drawn-in infielder for a big hit.
Like all baseball coaches do, Dave, Rick, Ross and Stuart stress kids playing catch with each other, with siblings, with parents. Well, one reason the Braves have won their first two games is their outfielders can catch a fly ball. Chris made two fine catches of hard-hit balls to center field (one resulted in a double play). Matt made another excellent catch in center. At this level of competition, the outfield is a not a daisy-plucking position. Outfielders who can catch the ball and hit the relay man make the difference between winning and losing.
I can't say enough about Jason's good fielding. I watched him in practice this week Hoover up everything hit his way. Then, in last night's game, he charged off the mound to field a Pirates bunt and fired a strike to Nick at first to get a hard-charging runner. With the confidence and precision he showed on that play, Jason looked like a high school player.
When a player puts the bat on the ball, good things can happen, even if the result is not a hit. We had a number of productive outs in this game. Evan moved Connor to third in the 2nd inning with a groundout to the right side; Connor later scored. Connor later drove in a run with a groundout himself. And this is a good place to note that hustle also matters: Connor legged out two infield hits in this game.
This was not an easy game. The Pirates are a decent team. Nick subbed a game for them last year, and I was impressed with their coaches, who are quality guys with a teaching, encouraging approach to Little League, similar to the approach our Braves coaches take. Their shortstop made some outstanding plays in this game. Their final pitcher, Jack Arnold, dominated on the mound. This could not have been a fun outcome for them, and I was impressed at the calm, classy way they handled it. If we are on the losing side of a game like this in the future, I hope we will handle it just as well.
More highlights from the game:
BATTING: Ryan, in his first at-bat of the season, battled back from an 0-2 count, fouling off several pitches and drawing a walk. He went on to steal a base and score. Scott doubled in two runners. Chris, on a 0-2 pitch, ripped a double to center field that bounced up against the fence. Alec followed by pounding a double to center that brought Chris home.
Forgive me if I'm biased here, but I must give a slack-jawed tip of the cap to Nick, who did something I have never seen before in a Little League game. In his second-inning at-bat, Nick ripped a line drive about chest high in the hole between the third baseman and the shortstop. Nick hit the ball so hard it tore the glove off the third baseman's hand. The ball landed in left-center field, the glove landed a few feet away from the player. I asked Nick about it after the game. He told me that when he saw what happened, he said to himself "Oh (bleep)," because he thought he had broken the third baseman's hand.
The third baseman was fine and stayed in the game.
PITCHING: High-quality outings from all three pitchers. Connor struck out 6 batters around 2 walks. In other words, no one hit the ball when he pitched. Jason was effective on the mound, aided by good defense, including his own. Chris was dominant again as our closer.

This Day in WFBLL Braves History

First successful bunt hit: Matt
First double play: Chris (CF) made a running catch of a fly ball, threw to Nick (2B) to double up baserunner who had left early.
First steal of home: Jack

Jack's steal made me think immediately of Jackie Robinson, who famously stole home in the 1955 World Series against the Yankees. Robinson's steal was even more remarkable because it was a straight steal - no passed ball or wild pitch involved. The catcher was ready for him, and it was a close play, as you can see by the video excerpt below:



Disclaimer: All opinions are my own. Any mistakes are my own, too, and have nothing to do with the coaches. If you think I got something wrong, please tell me.

Game Day: Scorecard (Thanks, Rick!)

Game Day: Braves win, 9-1

Braves win over the Pirates, 9-1, with lights-out pitching, aggressive baserunning, steady defense, and timely hitting.
Details to come.
Dave

Game Day: 6 p.m. vs. Pirates; Practice post-mortem (as in Dave's ERA)

A spirited practice Thursday, with about two-thirds of the team plus four dads (me, Rick R., Stuart B., and Jim H.) at the high-school softball field.
As usual, our guys had a pretty sloppy practice until we separated into two teams for a scrimmage. Then they got their game faces on and made some great plays. Jason, Nick, and Matt were especially impressive in the field.
I pitched for both teams. A 20 mph wind was blowing straight in from center field and I had full command of my pitches. So I told the guys that I'd buy ice cream for everyone if anyone hit a home run over the fence, which is roughly the same distance as the fence at the Majors field at Water Tower.
As you have probably guessed, I learned the lesson that so many have learned before me: "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." Chris blasted my best fastball into the teeth of the wind. It landed 15-20 feet on the ice-cream side of the fence in left-center field, and the players erupted in celebration. A bit later Nick hit one just as hard, but on a lower trajectory. It reached the fence on a couple of bounces.
Everyone had a good time at Culver's.
We play the mighty Pirates Friday at 6 p.m. Please have your Brave at Water Tower by 5:15 p.m. I am expecting everyone except Tyler (on extended spring training in Florida) and Liam (on the DL for another week and a half). Please let me know if any other Braves will NOT be at the game.
Thanks,
Dave

Practice tonight (Thur May 7)

Braves,
We will practice Thursday, May 7, after the high-school softball game on the diamond at the east edge of the high-school campus. The game could end as early as 5:45 p.m., so we need to have as many Braves as possible there at that time to be sure of being able to seize possession of the field when the high-school girls leave the field.
The practice will feature Braves pitching against Braves -- giving our pitchers and our hitters the kind of practice they had before last week's game. It worked out well last week, so we're trying to reproduce the experience.
Some guys who didn't have the opportunity to pitch at last week's practice will get the opportunity this time. Practice will end at 7:30 p.m.
Meanwhile, more storms are forecast to rumble in late Friday night, but probably not until our game against the Pirates is finished. Braves should arrive at Water Tower at 5:15 p.m. for pre-game warmups.
Thanks,
The coaching staff

Happy Birthday, Willie Mays

Braves: If you don't know who Willie Mays is, ask your parents or coach to tell you about him. Among his many, many accomplishments, he made one of the greatest catches in baseball history.

Jim Higgins

Batting Order

Your sons may have told you that every player on the Braves will be the last hitter in the batting order at least once this season. It’s true.

After Rick posted the lineup in the dugout before Saturday’s game, the guys rushed over to see where they were in the order. A couple of minutes later I sat them down for the pre-game talk. I asked Alec if he knew why he was batting last. “Not really,” he replied.

I told Alec that he was batting last simply because someone had to bat last, not because anyone thought he was a bad hitter. And then I said that everyone on the team would bat last at least once during the season. I didn’t really plan to say it – it just kind of popped out – but I definitely think it’s the way to go in a developmental program such as Little League.

It will be good for every player on the team to have the experience of batting in the first inning. And it will be good for every player on the team to have the experience of batting last.

The players seem to think that this is very fair. I hope it helps them realize that everyone on the team is important, that everyone can contribute. Certainly the last two batters in our lineup against the Orioles made contributions. Jack and Alec both went 3 for 4, each with two doubles.

We won’t always get that kind of production from the last two guys in the order, but that’s not the point. The point is that we don’t want anyone on the team to think that he’s more important that the others on the team.

Of course everything’s easier when you win by 13 runs. The true test of team morale will come after we lose by a big margin. I suspect we’ll be just fine when that happens – and it will!

Hope to see you all at Friday’s game,

Dave

Practice, 5-3-2009

Dean Ledzian, former coach of the Whitefish Bay High School baseball team and professional hitting instructor, was our guest coach for Sunday's practice. He put the boys through a number of creative drills.

Game Day: Scenes from today's game

Fandemonium

Game Day: Focused, aggressive Braves win their season opener

A base on balls might not come immediately to mind when thinking of big at-bats in a 17-4 game.

But Jason's third-inning walk was a key point in the Braves' 8-run outburst during today's season-opening victory over the Orioles. His epic battle at the plate, one of several by the Braves today, typified the blend of aggression, patience and good decision making that led to victory.

Jason was down 0-2, but continued to spoil good pitches by fouling them off, and wisely laid off the pitches that weren't strikes. He endured a pitching change by the Orioles -- no easy feat, waiting with 2 strikes for a new pitcher, bringing a different speed and motion to the mound. He finally worked the new pitcher for a walk. With Alec already on base with a ringing double down the first-base line, the Braves were in business. Matt's double down the third-base line brought Alec home, and the scoring onslaught began. Thirteen Braves batted in the inning.

As Coach Dave pointed out after the game in his remarks to the team, it is rare in our little league to have every kid on the team score in a game. But the Braves pulled that off today.

Every Brave went home today with something to feel good about. The Braves where whirling around the bases so fast the electronic remote control for the scoreboard threw a hissy fit and stopped working for a while.

Some of the highlights as I saw them (feel free to add your own mentally):

PITCHING: Two dominant innings of pitching by Connor, who struck out 5 batters and showed impressive command and poise. Folks, I saw Connor pitch last season. He has made tremendous improvement on the mound. Later in the game, after the Orioles mustered a rally, Chris swaggered onto the mound and shut them down.

BATTING: RBI machine Jack drove in 5 runners with 3 hits, including 2 doubles; Alec ripped two doubles as well, and Chris and Scott each had three hits. Every Braves batter had at least one hit.

FIELDING: Jack made a nice catch in LF of a hard-hit ball to snuff out a rally (the Orioles had the bases loaded). When an Orioles runner tried to score from third, catcher Nick threw him out, with pitcher Alec alertly covering the plate and applying the tag. Evan made several sure-handed putouts at first.

THIS DAY IN WFBLL BRAVES HISTORY

With this being the Braves' first game ever, let's take a moment to note a few firsts in Braves team history:

First pitch: Connor to Scott.
First K by a pitcher: Connor.
First putout: Evan (at first base, unassisted)
First batter: Jason
First hit: Connor
First stolen base: Connor
First extra-base hit: Alec
First run scored: Alec
First RBI: Matt

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own. Any mistakes are my own, too, and have nothing to do with the coaches. If you think I got something wrong, please tell me.

Game Day: Scoresheet

Notice how Coach Rick had to extend the third inning into an overflow column. Good eyes and great hitting from the Braves! (Click on the scoresheet to enlarge it.)

Game Day: 9 a.m. vs. Orioles

Braves,
Apparently we will have only nine players at today's game (Sat 5-2-09). Here's who I think will be there:

Jason Blacher

Matt McLaughlin

Connor Kimple

Chris Pritchard

Nick Higgins

Scott Rojahn

Evan Howell

Jack Kivley

Alec Lindfors

IF ANY OF THESE GUYS WILL NOT BE AT THE GAME, PLEASE PHONE ME (961-0142) AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE SATURDAY MORNING SO THAT I CAN FIND A REPLACEMENT.
We had a good practice Friday afternoon. Everyone is ready to play ball.
Dave