U11 All Stars: Caravan leaves at 4ish

You guys are in luck!!! The U-11 All Star game vs. Germantown was rained out Monday evening, so you all have another chance to join us in West Bend! The game is rescheduled for Tuesday at 6 PM. A group will leave from Water Tower Park around 4:15 P tomorrow and convoy to the game. Come demonstrate your Bay pride, have some fun and watch some good baseball. Hope to see you there...
Karen
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Earlier reports on the U11 team (featuring Connor and Alec):
Everyone,
Great news from the U-11 team! Led by Connor Kimple's two home runs, they smashed Elmbrook 12-5 today to move into the championship game of the West Bend regional.
They will play Germantown in West Bend. Contact Connor's or Alec's parents for details about specific time and field. Germantown is undefeated in U-11 post-season play, and Whitefish Bay has only one loss -- a one-run defeat to Germantown.
The U-11 team has done a great job, and is very deserving of everyone's support.
I have heard (but I do not have first-hand info on this) that whichever team wins earns a spot in the U-11 state championship tournament in Madison.
Best of luck to the boys!
Dave

U11 Update and Game Tonight

the team won their 2nd.. 12-2 v. menonomee falls.
tonight is v. West Bend. send telepathy with your winning thoughts!
Connor and Alec are looking good and having fun..
Georgia

U10 All-Star Update

Unfortunately, the season is over for the U10 all stars. After a great first game against Northwest LL, WFB fell to Germantown on Monday night with a score of 12-5 (if I remember correctly). Germantown is a very good team both at the plate and in the field. Our team had a tough time hitting in the first four innings but rallied in the late innings. Germantown was very aggressive with their base running, picking up many runs on passed balls and single & double steals. We had too few hits and too many errors to pull it out. It was a great learning experience for the kids and coaches.
Tonight we lost a nail biter to Elmbrook LL. If we had won, we would have advanced to play Wednesday night. The teams traded runs until the mid point of the game when WFB held a four-run lead. Elmbrook stormed back in the 5th to take a one-run lead. The Dukes tied the game in the top of the 6th but in the bottom of the last inning they allowed the winning run to score on a passed ball with two outs. It was a very, very exciting game for all involved (especially the fans who turned out), and a great experience for the kids. Even though they were a little sad, all the kids could be proud of the way they played and are better for the experience.
We will continue to cheer on the U11 team and hope to make it to one of their games.
This has truly been a great season!
Rick

U10 Update

Scott and the U10 team played their first game of the tourney yesterday and won at the end of 4 innings via the slaughter rule. The final score was 16 to 5. We will keep you posted.
Thanks,
Rick

U12 All-Star Update

Braves,
I promised an update of the fate of the U12 team Chris is on, so here it is -- even though the news is not as good as I would have liked it to be.
The Whitefish Bay team played in a seven-team pool at Beckum Field in Milwaukee (a very cool place, by the way). Each team played four games, with the highest-ranking four teams advancing to additional games.
We won our first game (I sent out a report about that one), got creamed in our next two, and had to beat undefeated Germantown Friday evening to have any chance of advancing. It was nice to see the Bay team play its best game of the tournament, winning 10-5. Joe Kaszubowski started on the mound and pitched very effectively into the fifth inning. Then Chris came on and struck out the last batter of the fifth inning before mowing down the top of the Germantown lineup in the sixth, fanning the final hitter to seal the victory. Offensive highlights for Whitefish Bay included a bases-loaded blast to the center-field wall by Kyle Rogers and an opposite-field bomb over the left-fielder's head by Chris for an RBI double.
After Friday's victory, our fate depended on the outcome of a game Saturday between Beckum, with a 1-2 record, and Menomonee Falls, with an 0-3 record (and having scored only one run in its first three games). If Beckum won that game, they would have the same 2-2 record as we had, but would advance instead of us because they had allowed fewer runs. Unfortunately for us, Beckum won that game.
Despite the Bay team's failure to advance, the players enjoyed the experience and benefitted from excellent coaching (Bob Leckie, Doug James, Jeff Clark). They also learned the importance of defense -- the Whitefish Bay team committed at least 15 errors in the four games, leading to countless unearned runs.
So the U12 season is over, but the U10 (Scott) team and the U11 team (Connor and Alec) are just beginning their post-season play. They would appreciate your support!
Dave

Karen at Bat

Little League Moms' Game

Saturday party, Home Run Derby

Braves,
Party time at Water Tower! See the appended message from Majors commissioner Darren Miller.
Unfortunately, only the players who hit homers during the regular season or the WFB little league tournament are eligible for the home-run derby this year so the only guys who can represent the Braves are Nick and Chris. Come and cheer them on at 2 p.m. Saturday, and then watch the moms' game at 3 p.m.
Dave
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Coaches,
Just a few reminders:
Don't forget about the weekend party at Water Tower this weekend. The championship games for both the Minors and Majors begin at 10:00a, followed by the party until about 4:00p. Please make sure your teams are aware of the schedule:

All-Star Updates: Connor, Alec, Scott

From Dave Pritchard:
Braves,
Here's the schedule of the WFB U11 all-star team, which features our own Connor Kimple and Alec Lindfors. Good luck, guys!
Dave
----- Forwarded Message -----
Coaches,
The U11 All Star team received their schedule last night. They'll be playing in West Bend next week:

Tuesday, July 21 Whitefish Bay vs. North Central 8pm West Bend Field 2

Wednesday, July 22 Whitefish Bay vs. Menomonee Falls Nat 8pm West Bend Field 2

Thursday, July 23 Whitefish Bay vs. West Bend 6pm West Bend Field 2

Friday, July 24 Whitefish Bay vs. Germantown 8pm West Bend Field 2

If they finish in the top 4 of 8 after Friday we will play on Saturday, July 26th at 1pm or 3pm at West Bend Field 1.

If they make the championship we play on Sunday, July 27th at 6pm at West Bend Field 1.
The fields are in Riverside Park, West Bend. Looks like it is about a 40-45 min drive.
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U10 All-Star Update from Rick Rojahn:
Good evening. Here is the game schedule for our team:
Sunday, July 19th Northwest vs. WFB 12:30pm
Monday, July 20th WFB vs. Germantown 5:30pm
Tuesday, July 21st Elmbrook Nat. vs. WFB 5:30pm
All games at at Northwest Little League, which is about 92nd and Silver Spring. I will get you exact directions, but I believe you will exit Appleton avenue, go south over Silver Spring, and take the first right down the street and into the parking lot.
If we advance out of our pool, we then play single elimination on July 22, July 23, and July 24th.

U12 All-Star Update

Hey Braves,
Although the Braves’ season is over, I know that several of our guys are on other teams that are still playing. Please send updates to everyone so that we can keep track – and so that we can attend their games!
Here’s a first update::
Chris is on the WFB U-12 all-star team. Tuesday evening the boys defeated Grafton, 10-5, at Beckum Field in Milwaukee. The Bay team fell behind early in the game, 4-0. Bay inched back to be only one run behind, and then scored seven runs in the fifth inning (most of them with two outs) to take a 10-4 lead. Grafton scored a harmless run in the sixth inning, but that was all.
Highlights included great pitching by Joe Kaszubowski (who plays for the Dodgers in WFB Little League). Joe pitched five and a third innings, striking out 13. Andrew James (Phillies) blasted a two-run homer over the center-field fence. In the final inning Henry Davies (Phillies) caught a fly ball in deep center field and pegged a strike to home to nail a runner who had tagged up at third. It was a game-ending double play.
Chris started the game in right field. He had two singles in two trips to the plate, the second of which drove in the game-tying run in the fateful fifth inning. He took over on the mound with one down in the sixth inning and closed out the game.
The U-12 all-star team continues its post-season play at Beckum with games at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of this week. Lots of WFB little leaguers and their families were in the stands Tuesday evening to root for the local team. It would be great to see some of the Braves there for the rest of the games.
Beckum Field is at 9th and Brown in Milwaukee, and the concession stand is really good! If you’d like to attend one of the games this week and need directions to the field, let me know. If anyone would like a ride, I can fit two or three guys in my Honda.
It would be great to learn about the schedules of other Braves who are in post-season competition.
Dave

Braves People

Season Wrap-up: Tyler

From Coach Dave:
Tyler: Did a very nice job playing first base, and really thought about the game. In our first playoff game, for example, the Rays had runners on first and third. It was pretty obvious that they were going to have the runner on first steal second. We have a play for that situation that involves a hard throw to the shortstop in hopes of catching the runner leaning off third, but I told our catcher to simply throw the ball back to the pitcher. Tyler was standing next to me, and asked why I hadn’t put on the play. I explained that the guy at shortstop for us hadn’t played much shortstop and hadn’t practiced the play. I had visions of the shortstop dashing over to cover second while our catcher fired a hard throw into left-center field. Tyler likes to know the whys and wherefores of things, and in he’ll be a good coach when he has kids of his own.

My favorite Tyler moment came after our win over the Yankees, in which Tyler’s leg was hit by a blazing fastball. It hurt! When I gathered the team together for the post-game chat I asked Tyler how his leg felt. I loved his answer: “Great!” Winning can make everything feel better.

All posts that mention Tyler

Season Wrap-up: Scott

From Coach Dave:
Scott: One of our many gutsy players, and a guy who always seemed to have a smile on his face. Well, maybe not always – he was pretty sad, and probably mad at me, when I pulled him out of our first game against the Rays because he couldn’t walk (soccer injury). But no one had a bigger smile as he limped out to congratulate Nick and AP for the winning run. Scott did a lot of catching for us, and he has a rifle arm.
He amazed me with a huge play in our first game against the Phillies. He threw out one of the Phillies’ fastest runners on an attempted steal of second to end an inning, which was crucial to our win. But my favorite memory of Scott’s season comes from a practice at Atwater School, when he ran into the girls’ bathroom to chase down a line drive that had rolled through the bathroom door. (He never did tell us what he saw in there!)

All posts that mention Scott

Season Wrap-up: Ryan

From Coach Dave:
Ryan was quietly consistent. He did a nice job of catching for us, and played a very solid second base. By the end of the season, he had become a very good hitter. Ryan doesn’t let his emotions run away with him; he’s got a good baseball temperament. And he has a very droll sense of humor, which helped make the season fun for me.

All posts that mention Ryan

Season Wrap-up: Nick

From Coach Dave:
Nick: Who can forget the fashion statement of the hooded sweatshirt even in 90-degree heat? Nick blasted our first homer of the season, and showed stunning speed on his inside-the-park homer later in the season.

Nick’s most amazing moment came during our first game against the Pirates when he hit a line drive so hard that it literally ripped the glove off the third baseman’s hand.
All posts that mention Nick


[Thanks to Joe Kimple for the video clip.]

Season Wrap-up: Matt

From Coach Dave:
Matt: Don’t be fooled by all the eye makeup – Matt is one tough kid. (It’s really just eye black, by the way.) In mid-May Matt was pitching against the Cubs with a runner on third base. The ball got past the catcher, who scrambled to the fence to get it. The catcher made a great throw to Matt and 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. Most guys would have wanted to go to the bench, but Matt told me not only that he wanted to stay in the game but that he wanted to keep on pitching.

All posts that mention Matt

Season Wrap-up: Liam

From Coach Dave:
Liam: Started the season on the disabled list with a foot injury. Over the course of the season he made great progress both as a hitter and as a fielder. One thing I’ll remember was the time we were playing Nine Outs at a practice. Liam was playing third base. A hard ground ball hit a pebble and took a high hop – right into his face. A scary moment for Liam (and everyone), but after sitting out for a few minutes Liam rejoined the team for the end-of-practice scrimmage, and even got a hit. Another one of our very gutsy guys.

All posts that mention Liam

Season Wrap-up: Jason

From Coach Dave:
Jason: Very glad his family moved from Shorewood to Whitefish Bay! Chris had been urging me to draft this great athlete who no one in Whitefish Bay knew about. He was pretty insistent, so we made Jason the first sixth grader drafted. Thank you Chris! There was no better shortstop in the league than Jason, and he turned out to be a great clutch hitter, too. I think we all will remember his fire-in-the-eyes intensity.

Jim's footnote:
I agree with Dave: there was no better shortstop in the WFBLL this year. Jason is also my Throwback Player of the Year: the way he danced off bases to annoy pitchers and catchers, the way he scooped up grounders at short and fired to first, his fabulously aggressive baserunning -- he scored from SECOND BASE on a passed ball. He reminds me of the best of old-time baseball.

All posts that mention Jason

Season Wrap-up: Jack

From Coach Dave:
Jack: I didn’t know Jack before the season started. He was kind of quiet, a nice guy, but didn’t put too many holes in the outfield fence in pre-season practice. But what a hitter he turned out to be! He started off the season with five RBIs in our first game, and never let up.

Jack played a lot of third base for us. We tell the infielders to keep their bodies in front of hard ground balls, and no one did that better than Jack. His legs had plenty of bruises to show for it – they don’t call third base the “hot corner” for nothing. One ball even left the imprint of its seams in the bruise on his leg.

Jim's footnote:
Jack gets extra credit for classing up the bleachers with his loyal parents, his beautiful (and knowledgeable) sisters, their amiable boyfriends and various cute dogs.

All posts that mention Jack

Season Wrap-up: Evan

From Coach Dave:
Evan: He was the Brave with the best vocals (Rick was fascinated with his songs in the dugout). A reliable pitcher who always got the ball over the plate. Everyone will remember Evan's Academy Award performance after he was hit in the head by a pitch. He raised his arms in triumph and shouted, “I was wearing a helmet!” Check it out on YouTube.

All posts that mention Evan

Season Wrap-up: Connor

From Coach Dave:

Connor: You did not want to be a batter when Connor was pitching. Not only does he throw the ball incredibly hard, but he just looks mean. Huge intimidation factor. A great hitter and a daring base runner. He kept looking for a catcher to run over, but this year – unlike last year – he never got the chance. But definitely our most aggressive player.

All posts that mention Connor

Jim's footnote:
Thanks to Joe Kimple for some excellent videos and photos throughout the season.

Season Wrap-up: Chris

From Coach Dave
Chris: Chris gave the team its distinctive “What time
is it?” pre-game ritual, which all the guys enjoyed. He loved to be on the mound when the game was on the line, and more than once he struck out the side in the last inning to preserve one-run victories for the Braves. I especially liked it when he struck out the White Sox’ best hitter to end the game with the tying run on second base. I will remember one unique episode from Chris’ season – the time he struck out on a pitch that hit him in the face! I had never seen that before, and I don’t expect I’ll ever see it again.

Jim's footnote:
Chris hit 3 home runs in the Braves' two playoff games. That is truly stepping up to the plate for your team. Thanks, Chris, for your leadership at bat, in the field, on the mound and on the bench all season long.

All posts that mention Chris

Season Wrap-up: Anthony

From Coach Dave:
A.P.: One of our most versatile players, he did an especially nice job behind the plate. He juggled being on the Braves and on a travel team, but never let the Braves get lost in the shuffle. One of our most exciting games of the season was our thrilling last-inning victory over the Rays. A.P. got the inning started with a long double to right center, and then advanced to third on a passed ball. He scored the winning run on Nick’s walk-off hit.

All posts that mention Anthony (aka A.P.)