Braves Championship Season: By the Numbers

Thanks to season stats provided by ace statistician Rick Rojahn, here is a look at the Braves' championship season by the numbers:
**The Braves finished with a record of 18-3, including 4-1 in the playoffs. That included winning streaks of 12 games and 5 games. The team never lost more than one game in a row.
**Braves scored 240 runs, far beyond the next closest team (the Rays, who played one more game than we did, with 188). No other team was even close. Our team averaged 11.4 runs per game. But the Braves could also win close games when they needed to, winning back-to-back playoff games by one run each (6-5 and 3-2 (in extra innings)).
**Despite the yammering others did about their teams' pitching and defense, ours was pretty good, too. The Braves allowed only 111 runs, tied for third with the Rays. Our average margin of victory was more than 6 runs per game.
**An example of the Braves scoring prowess: Nick (36) and Connor (34) combined to score 70 runs, only slightly less than two of the younger teams in the league. Every player on our team scored more than 10 runs, and 5 players scored 20 or more runs.
**Our team batting average was .451, meaning slightly less than half of the time a Brave stepped to the plate, he got a hit. The Braves hit 190 singles, 52 doubles, 24 homers(!) and 6 triples.
**The Braves drew 88 walks and were hit by pitches 10 times. Braves batters struck out 140 times: 88 swinging, 52 called strike threes.
**The Braves drove in 203 runs. Nine boys were in double digits in RBIs.
**The Braves stole 34 bases. (Note: I think Coach Rick was fairly strict in that data -- real stolen bases, as opposed to bases grabbed on indifference or through a horrible wild pitch.)
**Despite the inevitable schedule conflicts that summer brings, three boys were able to play in all 21 games: Anthony, Connor and Nick. Alec, Evan & Tyler played in 20 of the games.
Stay tuned throughout the coming week as time and flood cleanup permit for more season wrapup coverage of the Braves.

Playoff Game #5: Braves 14, Rays 7

Photo courtesy of Jodi Smith Koch
For the fifth time this season, and for the third time in a 10-day stretch, the Braves faced the determined, confident Rays Monday evening at Water Tower Park. This time, the stakes were highest: the Whitefish Bay Little League Majors championship.
Behind the strong pitching of Ryan Hummer, the Rays had shut down the Braves 8-3 on Sunday. So Braves fans must have wondered: How would the team respond on Monday?
1st inning
Will Koch took the mound for the Braves to start the final game of the season. He got Rays leadoff hitter Chris Siebert to ground out to Connor Kimple at short. Paul Presberg hit a long fly to center field that Nick Higgins grabbed for the second out. Then the Rays' Brandon Turer singled to center field, moved up on the bases, and scored on a Cole Miller single. 1-0, Rays.
In the bottom of the inning, Matt McLaughlin led off with a line drive that Rays shortstop Turer snagged. Then Nick stepped to the plate. Nick's favorite big-league Brewers player is Rickie Weeks, and Nick shares some of that igniter quality with him. He stepped into a pitch and rocked a line-drive homer over the right-center fence. Alec singled up the middle, and Connor followed with a towering homer down the left-field line. 3-1, Braves.
2nd inning
The Rays, however, did not pack it in. Ryan Hummer and Connor Nethen both singled up the middle, and Will Alt crushed a 3-run homer to take back the lead. Braves pitcher Will then induced two groundouts, and got Chris Siebert to fly out to Nick to end the inning. 4-3, Rays.
In the bottom of the inning, Tyler drew a walk, stole second, and scored on Scott's double. After two groundouts, Matt singled through the left side of the infield, plating Scott. Then Nick smoked a two-run homer to left field, his second of the night and eighth of the season. Braves, 7-4.
3rd inning
The Rays clawed back. Turer doubled to right field, moved up on a groundout, and scored on a Patrick Kehoe infield single. Braves, 7-5.
Any coach will tell you this: keep tacking on runs when you have a lead. The Braves did so in the bottom of the inning. Connor singled up the middle, stole second, moved to third on an infield single by Evan, and scored when Tyler Harmsen hit into a fielder's choice. Tyler's speed made the run possible: the Rays were trying to turn a double play to get out of the inning, but Tyler ran too fast to make that happen. Braves, 8-5.
4th inning
Will, who is certainly my pick for rookie of the year in the Majors, turned in a clean sheet in the top of the fourth, inducing a groundout to third, a soft line out and a strikeout. On the last batter, catcher Ryan Ward deftly held on to a foul tip to record the K.
In the bottom of the inning, the Braves stayed true to their baseball character all season: everybody swings the bat on this team, and everyone can hit. Anthony Pogorelc led off the inning with a line single to right field. Ryan Ward singled through the second-base hole, and Matt reached on an infield single to third base. Anthony scored on a wild pitch. Then Connor Kimple ripped a hard single to right field, bringing Ryan and Matt home. Braves, 11-5.
5th inning
The Rays chipped away at the lead. Chris Siebert singled, moved up when Brandon Turer reached first and scored on an infield single by Cole Miller. But Braves pitcher Will induced a towering pop-up that first baseman Tyler Harmsen grabbed, and shortstop Alec turned a fielder's choice out at second to the ending the inning. Braves, 11-6.
In the Braves half of the inning, Will Koch and Evan Howell both walked. Tyler grounded into a fielder's choice at 3rd, leaving Evan on second and Tyler on first base. Then, with two outs, Anthony Pogorelc ripped a triple into right field, plating his teammates. (If this were a Packers radio broadcast, I think Wayne Larivee would have called that hit "the dagger.") Anthony scored on a wild pitch. Braves, 14-6.
6th inning
Will took the mound for the final inning, with the opportunity to close out the game and championship. Throughout the evening, he did not let temporary adversity get him down, and he listened carefully to Coach Ross Harmsen's suggestions on his pitching mechanics.
Rays slugger Connor Nethen, who won the Little League home run derby on Sunday, led off the inning with a booming homer to center field, but Will calmly went back to work. The next batter hit a soft liner to the mound, which Will grabbed and held up to show that he had retained possession of the snow cone (i.e., a ball sticking partly out of the glove). The next batter popped up to Matt McLaughlin at third base. The final hitter grounded to Connor Kimple at short, who threw to Evan Howell at first to record the out. Braves win, 14-7.
The boys ran to each other in a flurry of relief and excitement. Jerseys were untucked, backs were slapped, and shouts of joy could be heard as far away as Cudahy.
The Braves, true to their personality this season, scored in each inning that they batted, and some of those runs were scored with two outs.
Trophies were brought on to the field for presentation. First, Rays manager Harris Turer handed out second-place trophies to his boys. Then Coach Ross Harmsen gave two trophies to each Brave: one for finishing as regular-season champs, the second for winning the playoffs. Ross had complimentary words for each of his players and coaches, for his worthy opponents, and then thanked the parents for their support.
He also stuck to his mantra throughout the season: this was a team victory. While the Braves have a few exceptionally talented athletes, every player improved and every player contributed to our success.
Postscript
The blog is not closing up shop yet. I have several more things to write about this magical season in the coming days as time permits.
Also, if your Brave is playing in all-star or other baseball competition, please send updates for posting.
Thank you.

Mid-season report from Coach Ross

Team,
It appears that we’ll have the entire team at today’s game which is GREAT! The coaches will get to WTP (Water Tower Park) around 3:30pm with pre-game warm-ups starting shortly thereafter. Game time is scheduled for 4:30pm with the Braves batting first as we are the visitors which means we’ll have the 3rd base-side dugout.
We’ve completed half of our season and we’re off to great start … 1st place with a 7-1 record. Everyone is doing a great at the plate. The team has scored 102 runs in eight games and only given-up 40 runs. We are batting .483 as a team. Our aggressiveness at the plate has showed ... we’ve only been “called out” (not swinging) on strikes 21 times over 279 plate appearances which equates to approximately 7% of the time … that’s AWESOME. We have a team “on base percentage” of .552 … we get on base over 50% of the time! While I don’t have the numbers on this one, I recall a lot of “two strike hits” which is another stat that shows maturity at the plate. Rick Rojahn does an incredible job of recording our team stats which allows me to share this with you. If you’d like more on an individual player see Rick … he has those as well. We are fun team to watch. J
We start the second half of our season this afternoon. I will remind the players not to take things for granted and to keep working hard and stay focused. If you recall, we started out last season 7-1 as well and I believe finished 9-7 winning only two or our last eight games. I expect our team to respond with the same focus and humility shown thus far. We are looking forward to great second half of the season. I hope to see all of you at the game today.
If you have any questions or comments please see Rick or I.
Ross

Coach notes from April 21 practice

Team,
Good practice tonite! Everybody was hustling and pretty focused (given they're 5th & 6th graders). That’s excellent because our 1st game is just days away (Monday, April 26th). Please let us (Rick, Joe, or I) know if anyone CANNOT attend our first game. If we don’t hear from you, we’ll assume you’ll be there.
I have not received uniforms yet. We expect to have them by the end of the week. Also, make sure your Brave has all the proper equipment (i.e. white baseball pants, cleats, sliding pants w/cup, glove, and bat). I will NOT ask or expect players to share their bats or gloves with others. I realize these two pieces of equipment can be expensive and are the property of the individual player. Therefore, anyone who brings their own equipment must take responsibility.
Our next practice is Sunday, April 25th (weather permitting). I hope to hold this practice at Water Tower again but I’m still waiting on confirmation from our league commissioner … stay tuned to you email for updates.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask Rick, Joe, or I.
Regards,
Ross

Coach Notes from first 2010 Practice

Some notes from Coach Rick after the first Braves practice this week:
It feels great to have the season underway!

We covered our (in my eyes) team goals for the year:
1. Improve our skills as individual players.
2. Work together to grow and develop as a team.
3. Have fun playing baseball with our friends.

We also covered expectations for the season:
1. Respect each other, our coaches, our opponents and umpires.
2. Give 100% effort at practice and games.
3. Encourage and support each other.
4. Be on time for games and practice.
5. Be responsible for your own gear, practice and game days and times and attitude.
6. Practice on your own time outside of games and team practice.
7. Stay focused.
8. Be safe.

We divided into 2 teams and ran a couple of drills. The first drill was called line throw. It emphasized both speed and accuracy on infield throws from 3rd base to 1st base. It was run in a relay format and both teams performed well. The second drill was run-return-run. Again, it was a relay that focused on efficient base running and changing direction. Both teams gave 100% effort. The first heat ended in a tie, it was too close to call! We repeated the exercise and one team just edged the other. It was great to hear the boys supporting and encouraging each other. The team spirit from last year has returned!

We spent the last 45 minutes of practice with a scrimmage. We were all a little rusty, but it felt great to be in game type situations. I think we all had a great time.

We may try to throw together another practice this week but we know people are gone for spring break and we may have to contend with some rain. Watch your email for any announcements. Our practice schedule and game schedule will be released very soon.

Great practice, great to get the season underway!
Rick and your coaches

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

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.
---
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.

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

Fourth of July Parade: Cowboy Rick Rojahn and Karen Higgins

 

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.

Game Night: Scoresheet

 

[As usual, click to enlarge. Thanks to Coach Rick Rojahn for providing the scoresheet.]

Game Night: Scoresheet

 

[Click to enlarge.
Thanks, as always, to Coach Rick for the scoresheet scans.]

Game Night: Scoresheet

 

[Click to enlarge.]
[Thanks, Coach Rick, for providing the scoresheet scans.]

Practice report: Baseball, Sportsmanship

Great practice today, Braves -- and perfect weather!
Our end-of-practice scrimmage today was a classic, with a team captained by Jason edging a team captained by Chris, 3-2.
Scott (for Chris' team) and Jason slammed home runs. Jason and Chris, each playing shortstop, made superb catches of tough pop flies.
With two outs in the bottom of the last inning, Chris' team had the tying run at first base and the winning run at the plate. The batter hit a hard grounder to third, where Liam calmly gloved the ball and flipped it to Ryan at second for the game-ending force out.
We did have one "issue" to deal with today. A player in our scrimmage flipped his bat in frustration after striking out. I stopped the scrimmage to tell the guys that I had received complaints after our last game about players throwing their bats and helmets after they had made an out.
I told the players that anyone who does that in a game from this point forward will be removed from the lineup immediately. It violates league rules, and it's just plain immature. Our guys need to be good sports, to respect their opponents, and to act with class and dignity.
I know that players are disappointed when they don't perform as well as they'd like to, but all of them are old enough to have the self-discipline to avoid displays of disgust or anger.
Rick, Ross and I absolutely love this group of guys, and I'm not saying that we have a huge problem. But we have enough of a problem that people complained.
Thanks for your help in reinforcing the coaching staff's messages about good sportsmanship!
Dave

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

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: 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

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