With a full roster in the dugout for the first time in a couple of weeks, the Braves defeated the Cubs 11-2 Tuesday night at Water Tower.
The victory clinched #1 seeding for the Braves in the playoffs.
As visiting team, the Braves batted first. With one out, Alec, Jack and Connor all drew walks, and Alec scored on a wild pitch. Connor took the mound in the bottom half of the inning, and struck out the side. 1-0, Braves.
The Braves have a team where all 12 players can have good at-bats. They proved this in the top of the second inning, when the lower half of the batting order propelled the team to a big inning. Scott singled up the middle and Tyler drew a walk. Anthony doubled to center field, driving in Scott. Liam grounded out productively to the second baseman, driving in Tyler. Ryan walked. Nick doubled to center field, driving in Anthony and Ryan. With two outs, Jack singled over the first baseman's head, and Nick came in to score. Connor then tripled to right field, scoring Jack.
In the bottom half of the inning, Evan Miller singled for the Cubs, but Connor struck out the next two batters, and Anthony caught a fly ball in right field to end the inning. 7-0, Braves.
The game rolled quietly until the bottom of the 4th, when the Cubs scratched out a run, in part due to fielding miscues. 7-1, Braves.
In the top of the 5th, Nick singled through the right side of the infield, took second base on a wild pitch, and moved to third base on Jack's groundout. Then the fleet-footed Cambodian-American, leading aggressively off third base, drew a wild throw and dashed home to score. Connor singled up the middle, took second base on a passed ball, and scored on Will's single to right center field. Evan then singled to right center, scoring Will. 10-1, Braves.
In the bottom of the 5th, with Alec on the mound, a Cubs batter reached on an infield single. But when the next batter, Sam Horn, hit a foul fly partway down the right field line, Cookie (Will) hustled over from first base to make the catch. Alec struck out the next batter for the second out. With the bases loaded, our big redhead fanned the next batter for the third out. 10-1, Braves.
In the top of the 6th, Scott singled through the left side and moved to second on a passed ball. Tyler hit a strong fly to center field, but the Cubs centerfielder made a nice sliding catch to record an out. Anthony grounded out to the shortstop; Scott moved to third on the play, then scored when the Cubs failed to take care of the ball. Ryan ripped a liner to the right side that the Cubs second baseman speared in a fine play.
In the bottom of the 6th, Cubs batter Zach Casey walked, but was erased on a fielder's choice that left the next batter on base with one out. That Cubs runner was then caught in a rundown between first and second, with shortstop Connor throwing to first baseman Tyler, who applied the tag. Two outs.
Cubs slugged Evan Miller then smacked a ground rule double to right center. When the next batter reached base, Miller scored, and the ball squirted out to the middle of the infield. Tyler alertly scooted over, grabbed the ball and fired to second, with many of us thinking he had thrown the advancing runner out. However, he was called safe. The next batter grounded sharply to the right side, but second baseman Ryan swiftly caught to the ball, pivoted, then calmly threw the runner out. Braves win, 11-2.
Game ball: Coaches awarded the game ball to Connor for his strong three innings of pitching and his consistent hitting all year.
Playoff seeding: Coach Ross also announced that victory clinched #1 seeding for the Braves in the playoffs. The playoffs begin Tuesday July 6. Unofficially, the likely scenario right now is that the #8 and #9 seeds would play on July 6; the winner of that game would play against the Braves on Wednesday July 7. This is a double-elimination tournament, so teams continue to play until they lost two games. The scenario I just outlined is unofficial; Little League will release the playoff schedule after the regular season ends Friday.
Next game: The Braves conclude their regular season on Friday with a game against the Phillies. Game begins at 6:30 p.m.; please have your Brave there at 5:30 p.m. for batting practice and warmups.
Showing posts with label Cubs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cubs. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
Game 5: Braves 8, Cubs 1
Led by strong pitching and fueled by a big inning, the Braves defeated the Cubs on a chilly night at Water Tower.
The Braves made excellent contact, striking out only once in the game. Liam thumped a single and a double. With one out in the bottom of the first, Alec doubled to left field, Nick walked, and Connor's RBI single drove in Alec. 1-0, Braves.
Connor pitched around some errors to shut the Cubs through 3 innings. Meanwhile, Cubs shortstop Carter Heston kept his team in the game with several dazzling defensive plays. The Cubs tied the game in the fourth.
But in the bottom of the inning, the Braves put 7 runs on the board while batting around. Scott singled, Tyler walked, Anthony moved the runners over. Liam singled, Matt walked,
Alec doubled, Nick singled up the middle, Connor singled, Evan doubled to drive in Nick and Connor. Braves 8, Cubs 1.
Alec closed on the mound, knocking down a hard shot and throwing the runner out, then striking out the final batter.
Notes: While pitching, Connor had an epic battle with Cubs slugger Evan Miller. Evan fouled off several good pitches before Connor got him to miss a change of speed -- not the goofy changeup some kids are throwing, but a modest variation in speed that nonetheless disrupted the batter's timing.
Both teams grasped the importance of pitchers covering home on wild
pitches and passed balls, as both teams tagged runners out at the plate.
Karen Kimple, Connor's mom, celebrated her birthday at the park with a
surprise cake.
Next game: Saturday May 22, 3 p.m. at Water Tower, vs. the As. Have your Brave there by 2 p.m., please.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Playoff Game Report: Cubs 10, Braves 8
The Braves’ season ended Thursday evening with a 10-8 loss to the Cubs, but our guys went down fighting. They can hold their heads high.
The Cubs, who had a very rough time winning during the regular season, played extremely well Thursday. Their coaches were amazed at their team’s flawless performance.
The Braves played well, too, with several solid hits and some sparkling defense. Our fielding was simply great.
In the first inning, for example, with a bright sun burning into his eyeballs, second baseman Ryan somehow caught a pop-up in short right field. In the third inning first baseman Tyler saved several runs by s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g ever so far to catch three less-than-perfect throws for outs. Everyone marveled at how he was able to keep his toe in contact with the base on those plays.
The Cubs started to make a move in the fourth, but the Braves cut them short with two nice plays. The first came with a runner on third, Jason pitching, and Ryan catching. A pitch got past Ryan, and the runner sprinted for home. Ryan scrambled back to the fence to retrieve the ball and made a perfect toss to Jason covering the plate for the out. The second play came with two outs and runners on the bases. The batter smoked a line drive toward center field. Chris, at shortstop, dove to his left and somehow snared the ball in the webbing of his glove for the out.
The Braves had lots of success at the plate, too, slamming seven extra base hits. In the first inning Chris bombed a three-run homer to right-center field. Later in the first, Ryan laced a triple down the right-field line, scoring on Alec’s RBI single.
In the second Scott led off with a line shot to the left-center-field fence for a double. Then Matt drove in Scott with a double of his own, this one to right-center. Not to be outdone, Jason blasted a double to left-center, driving in Matt.
The Braves had runners on base in the fourth and fifth innings, but could not get them home. Then the sixth, with the Braves down 10-6. Chris led off with a solo homer over the center-field fence. Jack followed with a double, and after two outs Alec drove him in with a single. Now the score was 10-8, with a good base runner on first. We wanted to stay aggressive and maintain pressure on a flustered defense. We gave Alec the sign to steal. Sadly (for us), the Cubs’ catcher made his best throw of the season to nip Alec at second, and the game was over. The good feelings about the season, however, were not over – and never will be. The evening ended with perfect weather and a wonderful team party at Liam’s house. All of the Braves were there, and everyone had a ball.
Thanks to all of you.
Dave
The Cubs, who had a very rough time winning during the regular season, played extremely well Thursday. Their coaches were amazed at their team’s flawless performance.
The Braves played well, too, with several solid hits and some sparkling defense. Our fielding was simply great.
In the first inning, for example, with a bright sun burning into his eyeballs, second baseman Ryan somehow caught a pop-up in short right field. In the third inning first baseman Tyler saved several runs by s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g ever so far to catch three less-than-perfect throws for outs. Everyone marveled at how he was able to keep his toe in contact with the base on those plays.
The Cubs started to make a move in the fourth, but the Braves cut them short with two nice plays. The first came with a runner on third, Jason pitching, and Ryan catching. A pitch got past Ryan, and the runner sprinted for home. Ryan scrambled back to the fence to retrieve the ball and made a perfect toss to Jason covering the plate for the out. The second play came with two outs and runners on the bases. The batter smoked a line drive toward center field. Chris, at shortstop, dove to his left and somehow snared the ball in the webbing of his glove for the out.
The Braves had lots of success at the plate, too, slamming seven extra base hits. In the first inning Chris bombed a three-run homer to right-center field. Later in the first, Ryan laced a triple down the right-field line, scoring on Alec’s RBI single.
In the second Scott led off with a line shot to the left-center-field fence for a double. Then Matt drove in Scott with a double of his own, this one to right-center. Not to be outdone, Jason blasted a double to left-center, driving in Matt.
The Braves had runners on base in the fourth and fifth innings, but could not get them home. Then the sixth, with the Braves down 10-6. Chris led off with a solo homer over the center-field fence. Jack followed with a double, and after two outs Alec drove him in with a single. Now the score was 10-8, with a good base runner on first. We wanted to stay aggressive and maintain pressure on a flustered defense. We gave Alec the sign to steal. Sadly (for us), the Cubs’ catcher made his best throw of the season to nip Alec at second, and the game was over. The good feelings about the season, however, were not over – and never will be. The evening ended with perfect weather and a wonderful team party at Liam’s house. All of the Braves were there, and everyone had a ball.
Thanks to all of you.
Dave
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Cubs game today, then what might be beyond that
Because people have been asking.....
If we beat the Cubs Thursday, we will play the Yankees Saturday at 10 a.m. (unless the Yankees beat the Dodgers, in which case we would play the Dodgers at that time). If we win both Thursday and Saturday, we will play Sunday at 2 p.m. (there's no way to predict against whom).
But first we need to win Thursday. We can't let our heads droop and shoulders sag if the Cubs take an early lead. We've had several come-from-behind victories this year because we didn't give up. We forgot that important lesson against the Rays Tuesday, and they trounced us.
Our season ends with our next loss, so let's get back to never-give-up Braves baseball against the Cubs!
Players, please report to Water Tower at 3 p.m.
See you there,
Dave
If we beat the Cubs Thursday, we will play the Yankees Saturday at 10 a.m. (unless the Yankees beat the Dodgers, in which case we would play the Dodgers at that time). If we win both Thursday and Saturday, we will play Sunday at 2 p.m. (there's no way to predict against whom).
But first we need to win Thursday. We can't let our heads droop and shoulders sag if the Cubs take an early lead. We've had several come-from-behind victories this year because we didn't give up. We forgot that important lesson against the Rays Tuesday, and they trounced us.
Our season ends with our next loss, so let's get back to never-give-up Braves baseball against the Cubs!
Players, please report to Water Tower at 3 p.m.
See you there,
Dave
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Game Story: Rays 16, Braves 5
Maybe you've heard the song, written by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits and also sung by Mary-Chapin Carpenter:
"Sometimes you're the windshield
Sometimes you're the bug."
Unfortunately, the Braves were the bug on the windshield of the speeding Rays in a 16-5 playoff loss Tuesday afternoon at Water Tower Park.
The Rays jumped out early and, after a short Braves rally, pulled away steadily. Their defense was spectacular, as they made outstanding catches of several balls hit hard by the Braves.
A couple of Braves bright spots: Chris crushed a 3-run homer to right-center in the final inning. Liam deftly slid under a tag attempt at third base to avoid getting caught stealing.
Season's not over! Playoffs continue: This is a double-elimination playoff tournament, so the Braves have at least one more game (and I am hoping they will play several more). After the loss Tuesday, Coach Dave exhorted team members to bring their passion and focus to the next game.
It's at 4 p.m. Thursday July 9 at Water Tower vs. the Cubs. Players should be at Water Tower at 3 p.m. for practice.
A team party will follow Thursday's game at the Scobey-Polacheck home from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. I'll post the details on that separately.
Let's go Braves!
"Sometimes you're the windshield
Sometimes you're the bug."
Unfortunately, the Braves were the bug on the windshield of the speeding Rays in a 16-5 playoff loss Tuesday afternoon at Water Tower Park.
The Rays jumped out early and, after a short Braves rally, pulled away steadily. Their defense was spectacular, as they made outstanding catches of several balls hit hard by the Braves.
A couple of Braves bright spots: Chris crushed a 3-run homer to right-center in the final inning. Liam deftly slid under a tag attempt at third base to avoid getting caught stealing.
Season's not over! Playoffs continue: This is a double-elimination playoff tournament, so the Braves have at least one more game (and I am hoping they will play several more). After the loss Tuesday, Coach Dave exhorted team members to bring their passion and focus to the next game.
It's at 4 p.m. Thursday July 9 at Water Tower vs. the Cubs. Players should be at Water Tower at 3 p.m. for practice.
A team party will follow Thursday's game at the Scobey-Polacheck home from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. I'll post the details on that separately.
Let's go Braves!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Game Story: Braves 16, Cubs 1
Coaches Dave and Ross have drilled and hammered the Braves on their defensive responsibilities in practice during the last week-plus. The Braves proved they've been paying attention in a 16-1 victory over the Cubs Monday evening at Water Tower Park.
While the Braves hit well on this windy and rain-interrupted evening, they weren't hammering the ball out of the park. Instead, they took advantage of every Cub mistake, while playing stout defense they deprived the Cubs of any chance to make it a game.
Liam led the parade with stellar fielding in right field and left field. He caught a deep fly ball in right field with no outs and a runner on first base, likely preventing a run. He also cleanly picked up two other singles hit to the outfield, and made strong, accurate throws to the cutoff men. Coach Dave was beaming about Liam's outfield play.
Jason started the game on the mound, and helped his own cause by spearing a liner and grabbing a grounder.
Then the Braves batted around in the first inning. Jason doubled. Chris brought him home with a single to right field. Jack walked, and Alec singled Chris home. Matt walked, Jack stole home on a passed ball. Evan singled, driving in Alec and Matt. Nick singled. Evan scored on a passed ball. Tyler walked, Anthony singled, scoring Nick. Connor singled, bringing Tyler home. Jason came to bat for the second time in the inning, and ripped a hard liner that was snared by the Cubs shortstop. The inning ended with the Braves up 8-0.
More highlights:
Batting: Each Brave reached base at least once, and 10 different Braves scored at least one run.
As Coach Dave pointed out after the game, three Braves took one for the team, getting hit by pitches: Scott, Alec and Tyler, all in the second inning.
Two Braves hit the ball hard, took off running, and never stopped until they cross home plate. In the third inning, with Jason on base, Scott ripped a ball into center field that bounced hard and got past the Cubs centerfielder. Scott made it all the way home. Coach Rick scored it a triple and error by the Cubs, but the boys treated it as a homer and rushed out to greet Scott.
Then, in the fourth inning, Nick smashed a ball down the right field line and zoomed around the bases before sliding safely across home plate. Coach Dave called it a legit inside-the-park home run, as the Cubs made no errors on the play, and joked that he had never seen Nick run so fast. What I noticed was how flawlessly Nick turned at each base.
Connor was 3 for 3 with 3 singles. Jason, Chris, Alec, Nick & Anthony each had 2 hits. Matt walked 3 times. With a single and a walk, Evan drove in 3 runs.
Pitching: Scott made his Braves pitching debut in the 4th inning. Aided by their stingy defense, Jason, Matt, Chris and Evan turned in scoreless innings. Evan finished off the final out with a running snow-cone grab of a soft liner.
Defense: At shortstop, Chris snagged a hard liner by Cubs' slugger Zach Casey. In the 4th inning, with runners on 1st and 2nd and no outs, shortstop Jason scooped out a hard grounder and threw alertly to Matt at 3rd to get the lead runner. (I love watching Jason in the field -- he always has his head in the game.) In addition to his other fine plays, Liam almost threw out the lead runner going to second on a single to right field.
Debuts: In addition to Scott's pitching debut, Jason made his Braves' debut as a catcher in the 6th inning.
Next game: 6:30 p.m. Thursday July 2, vs. the Orioles. Have your Brave at Water Tower by 5:45 p.m. for warmups and practice.
While the Braves hit well on this windy and rain-interrupted evening, they weren't hammering the ball out of the park. Instead, they took advantage of every Cub mistake, while playing stout defense they deprived the Cubs of any chance to make it a game.
Liam led the parade with stellar fielding in right field and left field. He caught a deep fly ball in right field with no outs and a runner on first base, likely preventing a run. He also cleanly picked up two other singles hit to the outfield, and made strong, accurate throws to the cutoff men. Coach Dave was beaming about Liam's outfield play.
Jason started the game on the mound, and helped his own cause by spearing a liner and grabbing a grounder.
Then the Braves batted around in the first inning. Jason doubled. Chris brought him home with a single to right field. Jack walked, and Alec singled Chris home. Matt walked, Jack stole home on a passed ball. Evan singled, driving in Alec and Matt. Nick singled. Evan scored on a passed ball. Tyler walked, Anthony singled, scoring Nick. Connor singled, bringing Tyler home. Jason came to bat for the second time in the inning, and ripped a hard liner that was snared by the Cubs shortstop. The inning ended with the Braves up 8-0.
More highlights:
Batting: Each Brave reached base at least once, and 10 different Braves scored at least one run.
As Coach Dave pointed out after the game, three Braves took one for the team, getting hit by pitches: Scott, Alec and Tyler, all in the second inning.
Two Braves hit the ball hard, took off running, and never stopped until they cross home plate. In the third inning, with Jason on base, Scott ripped a ball into center field that bounced hard and got past the Cubs centerfielder. Scott made it all the way home. Coach Rick scored it a triple and error by the Cubs, but the boys treated it as a homer and rushed out to greet Scott.
Then, in the fourth inning, Nick smashed a ball down the right field line and zoomed around the bases before sliding safely across home plate. Coach Dave called it a legit inside-the-park home run, as the Cubs made no errors on the play, and joked that he had never seen Nick run so fast. What I noticed was how flawlessly Nick turned at each base.
Connor was 3 for 3 with 3 singles. Jason, Chris, Alec, Nick & Anthony each had 2 hits. Matt walked 3 times. With a single and a walk, Evan drove in 3 runs.
Pitching: Scott made his Braves pitching debut in the 4th inning. Aided by their stingy defense, Jason, Matt, Chris and Evan turned in scoreless innings. Evan finished off the final out with a running snow-cone grab of a soft liner.
Defense: At shortstop, Chris snagged a hard liner by Cubs' slugger Zach Casey. In the 4th inning, with runners on 1st and 2nd and no outs, shortstop Jason scooped out a hard grounder and threw alertly to Matt at 3rd to get the lead runner. (I love watching Jason in the field -- he always has his head in the game.) In addition to his other fine plays, Liam almost threw out the lead runner going to second on a single to right field.
Debuts: In addition to Scott's pitching debut, Jason made his Braves' debut as a catcher in the 6th inning.
Next game: 6:30 p.m. Thursday July 2, vs. the Orioles. Have your Brave at Water Tower by 5:45 p.m. for warmups and practice.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Schedule issues
After this evening's game (Sat June 20), the Braves will have four regular-season games remaining. Here is the schedule:
Monday, June 22, at 6:30 p.m. against the Yankees
Saturday, June 27, at 11 a.m. against the Rays
Monday, June 29, at 6:30 p.m. against the Cubs
Our June 16 game against the Orioles was rained out. Initially we were told that it would be made up Thursday, June 25, but that turns out NOT to be the case. Both teams would like the game to be made up on Thursday, July 2, at 6:30 p.m. But of course nothing is official until it appears on the Little League web site.
Dave
Monday, June 22, at 6:30 p.m. against the Yankees
Saturday, June 27, at 11 a.m. against the Rays
Monday, June 29, at 6:30 p.m. against the Cubs
Our June 16 game against the Orioles was rained out. Initially we were told that it would be made up Thursday, June 25, but that turns out NOT to be the case. Both teams would like the game to be made up on Thursday, July 2, at 6:30 p.m. But of course nothing is official until it appears on the Little League web site.
Dave
Friday, May 15, 2009
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.
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
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
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:
Dave
p.s. Don't forget to put Friday's practice, from 4 to 5:30 p.m., on the calendar.
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).
Dave
p.s. Don't forget to put Friday's practice, from 4 to 5:30 p.m., on the calendar.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
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.
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.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
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
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
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