Playoff Game #3: Braves 16, Yankees 5

[Today's game story was written by guest blogger Dave Pritchard.]
Powered by Liam’s four RBIs and Alec’s masterful pitching, the Braves won their semi-final game against a plucky but outmanned Yankees squad Monday. The final score was 16-5, with the Braves scoring all of their runs after two were out.
The Braves got on the board in the first inning. Nick used his burning speed to beat out an infield hit, steal second, and then end up on third despite falling down after rounding second. Connor followed with a titanic blast over the fence in center. Braves, 2-0.
In the second inning Tyler scampered home on a passed ball with two outs. Braves, 3-0.
The Yankees showed their character by refusing to give up. They scored three in the top of the third inning to tie the game.
In the bottom of the third the first two Braves batters made outs, but then Matt walked and Nick skied a long fly over the fence in left field. Braves, 5-3.
With a runner on first and only one out in the top of the fourth inning, Alec induced the next two Yankees batters to hit ground balls to Ryan at second base. Both times he calmly scooped up the ball and flipped it to shortstop Scott for forceouts.
The Braves broke the game open in the bottom of the fourth, with the big blow being a three-run homer to right-center field by Jack. The Braves hit the stuffing out of the ball in this inning, with Scott, Liam, Matt and Nick smoking line-drive hits to various portions of the outfield. Naturally, all six runs were scored after two were out. Braves, 11-3.
The never-say-die Yankees threatened in the top of the fifth. With two outs, two runs in and a man on third, the Yankees’ powerful number-three hitter smashed a sizzling line drive … right at second baseman Nick. Nick calmly gloved the ball. Braves, 11-5.
Then, with two outs and Evan on base with a walk, came the game-ending flood of runs. Tyler singled to left. So did Scott. AP legged out an infield single. Ryan walked. Two outs, three runs in, runners dancing off second and third and Liam striding to the plate. A hit would win the game for the Braves because of the 10-run slaughter rule.
Liam laced a single to center field, AP and Ryan scored, and the Braves had earned a spot in Saturday’s championship game!
The coaches awarded the game ball to Liam for his clutch hitting. Alec’s five-inning complete game also awed the crowd.
The game featured Braves reporter Jim Higgins filling in as first-base coach for Joe Kimple, who was coaching his younger son Carson’s team during the game. Jim had a quality game, as the team’s 16 runs attest.

Thanks from Coach Dave

Braves,
Thank you for the very generous gift card ... and everything else throughout the course of the season. I will retain lots of happy memories.
I remember having breakfast with Ross at Berkeleys to talk about coaching, and then another intellectually stimulating meeting (or two) with Ross and Rick at the Oakcrest Tavern in Shorewood. Karen Higgins had the inspired idea to have a pre-season pizza party so that the players and parents could begin to know each other. Karen did all the work to organize it, and it gave us a great foundation for the season.
Jim Higgins helped the team maintain a sense of team community with his game stories and multimedia blog. And there couldn't have been a more perfect end to the season than the wonderful evening at the Scobey-Polachecks.
The games were fun, and the practices were maybe even more fun. I've never been involved with a team that enjoyed practice so much! Rick and Ross were great to work with; the three of us have a diversity of skills that somehow meshed pretty well. Joe Kimple and Stuart Blacher were always ready to help out with practice or coaching during games.
And you know what a fantastic group of players we had. Jen McLaughlin summed it up best in response to en e-mail I sent out in early June explaining my concern that the selection of all-star teams could cause hard feelings. Jen wrote, "I think all of the boys playing in WFB little league are already all stars."
Jen hit the nail on the head. All of the Braves, and all of their families, were all stars. Thanks to everyone for everything. It was a great season!
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

Braves Rainout Theater

When I was a boy growing up in Pittsburgh, televised baseball was much rarer than it is today. We could see only one national game of the week on Saturday afternoon, plus the road games of our hometown team, the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Sometimes those road games were rained out. So the local TV would substitute something called Pirate Rainout Theater, and throw any old movie they had laying around on the air.

Here at Braves Blog Central, we aren't going to throw any old video up on the blog. Only baseball video. So relax and enjoy these clips.


unbelievable baseball pickle (4-13-09) from jay be-gone on Vimeo.

Practice Thursday (April 16) and updates

Hello Braves,

Just a reminder about practice tomorrow (Thursday), for those of you chose to stay in sunny Whitefish Bay over the kids' spring break.

Practice will begin at 4:30 p.m. on the high-school softball field along Ardmore. We plan to finish at 6 p.m. Chris and I will be over there around 4 p.m. to stake claim to the field. If anyone wants to joins us at 4:00, I'll be glad to throw batting practice.

From now on, please have your Brave wear cup, sliding shorts, and baseball pants to practice. We will be starting to run the bases as we would in a close game. We also will be having the players face live pitching from kids instead of from coaches. All part of the strategy to gear up for the beginning of the season.

Meanwhile, if you go to the WhitefishBayNow site, you'll see that Braves photographer Jim Higgins has posted a photo of the guys who showed up at last week's chilly practice.

Also, be sure to reserve next Thursday (April 23) not only for our practice at Water Tower from 4 to 5:30 p.m., but for our pre-season pizza party at the Cahill Square warming house. Festivities will officially begin at 6 p.m., but I suspect that the doors will be open shortly after 5:30 p.m. This will be a low-cost way for Braves families to get to know each other before the season begins.

Many thanks to Karen Higgins for organizing this event, which will be held even if the practice is rained (or snowed) out. Whatever the weather outside, it will be warm and cozy inside the Cahill Square warming house.

In addition to Thursday's practice, we will practice Friday (4 to 5:30 p.m.) and Sunday (4 to 5:30 p.m.). Lots of baseball, but our season begins in 10 days and there's lots of work to do to get our guys ready.

Dave, Ross, Rick