Hi everyone,
We will practice Thursday (June 4) at 4 p.m. at the WFB high-school softball field (first choice) or at Atwater School in Shorewood (if the high-school field is taken). I'll let you know the location as soon as I can.
The team is entering the intense part of its season, with nine games in 18 days beginning Friday (June 5).
Please let me know as soon as possible if your son will be missing a game. I sketch out the lineups a couple of days before a game, and it really helps if I know who's going to be there!
A final note: Please remind your Brave that every player on the team will bat last in the order at least once. If a player would like to bat last against a specific opponent, I will try to accommodate his request. Just let me know. For example, Chris has asked to bat last against the Yankees.
Thanks for all your support so far this season!
Dave
Showing posts with label coaches. Show all posts
Showing posts with label coaches. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Practices Thursday and Friday
Weather permitting (and the forecast looks decent), we will practice both Thursday and Friday this week from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at the high-school softball field.
Our next game is Sunday at either 5 or 6 p.m. It's aggravating to all of us that Little League can't confirm times farther in advance; I'll pass along the final game time as soon as I learn it.
If your Brave will NOT be at the game, please let me know.
Thanks!
Dave
Our next game is Sunday at either 5 or 6 p.m. It's aggravating to all of us that Little League can't confirm times farther in advance; I'll pass along the final game time as soon as I learn it.
If your Brave will NOT be at the game, please let me know.
Thanks!
Dave
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Practice update: Swing hard, throw hard
Braves,
A good practice in the hot sun Wednesday, but our guys need to become more aggressive when they're batting -- the way they were in the first two games. Many of the players seem to be waiting for perfect pitches before swinging, but perfect pitches rarely come. Our motto for the next game should be "See it and hit it!" Anything you can do to reinforce that message at home would be great.
It was good to have Liam back on the field. He's a little rusty at the plate, but he made a nice catch of a tricky foul fly today.
FYI, it seems likely that the start of our game on Sunday, May 31, will be moved from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. to accommodate a makeup game at 4 p.m. I expect this to be confirmed very soon, but wanted to let you know now for planning purposes.
Practice again Friday at 4 p.m. Location is uncertain. If the high-school girls win their game Thursday, they will have a practice on the high-school field Friday and we'll have to look at Cahill or Cumberland. If the girls lose, however, their season is over and we can have the high-school field Friday.
As loyal WFB fans, of course we will be pulling for the girls to win on Thursday.
Dave, Rick, Ross
p.s. Please find some time to play catch with your Brave. Have him throw the ball back to you hard. We have some guys who have gotten into the habit of lobbing the ball. Runners in the Majors will take an extra base on soft throws, so we need to make sure that all of our throws are crisp and accurate.
A good practice in the hot sun Wednesday, but our guys need to become more aggressive when they're batting -- the way they were in the first two games. Many of the players seem to be waiting for perfect pitches before swinging, but perfect pitches rarely come. Our motto for the next game should be "See it and hit it!" Anything you can do to reinforce that message at home would be great.
It was good to have Liam back on the field. He's a little rusty at the plate, but he made a nice catch of a tricky foul fly today.
FYI, it seems likely that the start of our game on Sunday, May 31, will be moved from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. to accommodate a makeup game at 4 p.m. I expect this to be confirmed very soon, but wanted to let you know now for planning purposes.
Practice again Friday at 4 p.m. Location is uncertain. If the high-school girls win their game Thursday, they will have a practice on the high-school field Friday and we'll have to look at Cahill or Cumberland. If the girls lose, however, their season is over and we can have the high-school field Friday.
As loyal WFB fans, of course we will be pulling for the girls to win on Thursday.
Dave, Rick, Ross
p.s. Please find some time to play catch with your Brave. Have him throw the ball back to you hard. We have some guys who have gotten into the habit of lobbing the ball. Runners in the Majors will take an extra base on soft throws, so we need to make sure that all of our throws are crisp and accurate.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
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
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
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Game Day: Coach Dave's reminders
1. Our game against the undefeated Dodgers is at 5 p.m., not 3 p.m. as was listed in an early version of the schedule the league provided.
2. Players should be at Water Tower by 4:15 p.m.
3. It will be VERY COLD at Water Tower by game time. I recommend long-sleeved undershirts for the players as well as jackets or sweatshirts they can wear when they're not on the field. I will be wearing my winter jacket -- honest! -- and I recommend the same for fans. Some fans at Water Tower this evening were wearing mittens, and they were happy they'd brought them.
See you at the game,
Dave
2. Players should be at Water Tower by 4:15 p.m.
3. It will be VERY COLD at Water Tower by game time. I recommend long-sleeved undershirts for the players as well as jackets or sweatshirts they can wear when they're not on the field. I will be wearing my winter jacket -- honest! -- and I recommend the same for fans. Some fans at Water Tower this evening were wearing mittens, and they were happy they'd brought them.
See you at the game,
Dave
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
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.
Friday, May 8, 2009
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
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Practice tonight (Thur May 7)
Braves,
We will practice Thursday, May 7, after the high-school softball game on the diamond at the east edge of the high-school campus. The game could end as early as 5:45 p.m., so we need to have as many Braves as possible there at that time to be sure of being able to seize possession of the field when the high-school girls leave the field.
The practice will feature Braves pitching against Braves -- giving our pitchers and our hitters the kind of practice they had before last week's game. It worked out well last week, so we're trying to reproduce the experience.
Some guys who didn't have the opportunity to pitch at last week's practice will get the opportunity this time. Practice will end at 7:30 p.m.
Meanwhile, more storms are forecast to rumble in late Friday night, but probably not until our game against the Pirates is finished. Braves should arrive at Water Tower at 5:15 p.m. for pre-game warmups.
Thanks,
The coaching staff
We will practice Thursday, May 7, after the high-school softball game on the diamond at the east edge of the high-school campus. The game could end as early as 5:45 p.m., so we need to have as many Braves as possible there at that time to be sure of being able to seize possession of the field when the high-school girls leave the field.
The practice will feature Braves pitching against Braves -- giving our pitchers and our hitters the kind of practice they had before last week's game. It worked out well last week, so we're trying to reproduce the experience.
Some guys who didn't have the opportunity to pitch at last week's practice will get the opportunity this time. Practice will end at 7:30 p.m.
Meanwhile, more storms are forecast to rumble in late Friday night, but probably not until our game against the Pirates is finished. Braves should arrive at Water Tower at 5:15 p.m. for pre-game warmups.
Thanks,
The coaching staff
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
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
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Game Day: Focused, aggressive Braves win their season opener
A base on balls might not come immediately to mind when thinking of big at-bats in a 17-4 game.
But Jason's third-inning walk was a key point in the Braves' 8-run outburst during today's season-opening victory over the Orioles. His epic battle at the plate, one of several by the Braves today, typified the blend of aggression, patience and good decision making that led to victory.
Jason was down 0-2, but continued to spoil good pitches by fouling them off, and wisely laid off the pitches that weren't strikes. He endured a pitching change by the Orioles -- no easy feat, waiting with 2 strikes for a new pitcher, bringing a different speed and motion to the mound. He finally worked the new pitcher for a walk. With Alec already on base with a ringing double down the first-base line, the Braves were in business. Matt's double down the third-base line brought Alec home, and the scoring onslaught began. Thirteen Braves batted in the inning.
As Coach Dave pointed out after the game in his remarks to the team, it is rare in our little league to have every kid on the team score in a game. But the Braves pulled that off today.
Every Brave went home today with something to feel good about. The Braves where whirling around the bases so fast the electronic remote control for the scoreboard threw a hissy fit and stopped working for a while.
Some of the highlights as I saw them (feel free to add your own mentally):
PITCHING: Two dominant innings of pitching by Connor, who struck out 5 batters and showed impressive command and poise. Folks, I saw Connor pitch last season. He has made tremendous improvement on the mound. Later in the game, after the Orioles mustered a rally, Chris swaggered onto the mound and shut them down.
BATTING: RBI machine Jack drove in 5 runners with 3 hits, including 2 doubles; Alec ripped two doubles as well, and Chris and Scott each had three hits. Every Braves batter had at least one hit.
FIELDING: Jack made a nice catch in LF of a hard-hit ball to snuff out a rally (the Orioles had the bases loaded). When an Orioles runner tried to score from third, catcher Nick threw him out, with pitcher Alec alertly covering the plate and applying the tag. Evan made several sure-handed putouts at first.
THIS DAY IN WFBLL BRAVES HISTORY
With this being the Braves' first game ever, let's take a moment to note a few firsts in Braves team history:
First pitch: Connor to Scott.
First K by a pitcher: Connor.
First putout: Evan (at first base, unassisted)
First batter: Jason
First hit: Connor
First stolen base: Connor
First extra-base hit: Alec
First run scored: Alec
First RBI: Matt
Disclaimer: All opinions are my own. Any mistakes are my own, too, and have nothing to do with the coaches. If you think I got something wrong, please tell me.
Game Day: 9 a.m. vs. Orioles
Braves,
Apparently we will have only nine players at today's game (Sat 5-2-09). Here's who I think will be there:
IF ANY OF THESE GUYS WILL NOT BE AT THE GAME, PLEASE PHONE ME (961-0142) AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE SATURDAY MORNING SO THAT I CAN FIND A REPLACEMENT.
We had a good practice Friday afternoon. Everyone is ready to play ball.
Dave
Apparently we will have only nine players at today's game (Sat 5-2-09). Here's who I think will be there:
| Jason Blacher |
| Matt McLaughlin |
| Connor Kimple |
| Chris Pritchard |
| Nick Higgins |
| Scott Rojahn |
| Evan Howell |
| Jack Kivley |
| Alec Lindfors |
We had a good practice Friday afternoon. Everyone is ready to play ball.
Dave
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Practice updates, makeup game discussion
Braves,
(1) Practice as usual Friday (May 1) from 4 to 5:30 p.m. The weather forecast looks fine. If the high-school softball field is in use we will practice at Cumberland (not at Cahill). It will be good for the guys to have one more practice before our game Saturday.
(2) From now at least until the end of May we will have practices every Friday and Sunday from 4 to 5:30 p.m., with days off on Sunday May 10 (Mothers Day), Friday May 22 (beginning of holiday weekend), and Sunday May 24 (holiday weekend). Our preference is always to practice at the softball field on the high-school grounds, with Cahill and Cumberland being backup locations if the high-school field is in use.
(3) Scratch the May 22 make-up game possibility. Too many of our guys will be out of town.
(4) Right now we have two games to make up (Phillies and White Sox). Because the Majors field is so tightly scheduled (lots of Minors games are being played there), there are very few available game slots. I have suggested to the Majors commish that the first two Tuesdays in June (June 2 and 9) at 4:30 p.m. would be times when we probably could field a team. If players have conflicts with those days, I hope five weeks' notice would enable us to minimize them. Games at 4:30 p.m. cause lots of problems for adult fans and coaches, but the most important thing is to get the games in so that the kids can play.
The Majors schedule is a mess, obviously. The coaches of the teams and Majors commissioner Darren Miller are working hard to find times when we can get postponed games played.
Thanks for bearing with us in this less-than-ideal situation.
Dave
(1) Practice as usual Friday (May 1) from 4 to 5:30 p.m. The weather forecast looks fine. If the high-school softball field is in use we will practice at Cumberland (not at Cahill). It will be good for the guys to have one more practice before our game Saturday.
(2) From now at least until the end of May we will have practices every Friday and Sunday from 4 to 5:30 p.m., with days off on Sunday May 10 (Mothers Day), Friday May 22 (beginning of holiday weekend), and Sunday May 24 (holiday weekend). Our preference is always to practice at the softball field on the high-school grounds, with Cahill and Cumberland being backup locations if the high-school field is in use.
(3) Scratch the May 22 make-up game possibility. Too many of our guys will be out of town.
(4) Right now we have two games to make up (Phillies and White Sox). Because the Majors field is so tightly scheduled (lots of Minors games are being played there), there are very few available game slots. I have suggested to the Majors commish that the first two Tuesdays in June (June 2 and 9) at 4:30 p.m. would be times when we probably could field a team. If players have conflicts with those days, I hope five weeks' notice would enable us to minimize them. Games at 4:30 p.m. cause lots of problems for adult fans and coaches, but the most important thing is to get the games in so that the kids can play.
The Majors schedule is a mess, obviously. The coaches of the teams and Majors commissioner Darren Miller are working hard to find times when we can get postponed games played.
Thanks for bearing with us in this less-than-ideal situation.
Dave
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
No game Thurs April 30; possible game Fri May 22
The Braves will not be playing a game Thursday evening, even if the rains hold off. This is disappointing, but circumstances make it unavoidable.
If you are interested in an explanation for the postponing of Thursday's game, read on. If not, don't bother.
Thursday evening the White Sox will have five players and two coaches at a church function. In theory they could have filled out their team with a few players called up from the Minors, but the Majors commissioner told the White Sox several weeks ago that the game would be rescheduled so they were not planning to play Thursday. (You may remember that I sent out e-mails exploring our players' availability for May 23 and July 2, dates that turned out not to work for us.)
The Thursday game was never taken off the official schedule, however, so we naturally assumed that the White Sox had arranged to play. This evening the Majors commissioner gave me the option of winning by forfeit Thursday or continuing to work to reschedule the game. A forfeit wouldn't help our players get the game experience they need and want, and in any case I simply didn't want a cheap win at another team's expense.
The Majors commissioner is proposing that we play the White Sox May 22 at 6 p.m. I hope we can make that happen. If not, June 2 is a possibility.
I tried to see if the Phillies would be available Thursday to make up our rained-out April 25 game, but five of their players had conflicts.
So we look forward. The early forecast for our new season opener Saturday morning (MAY 2) is good. Let's keep our fingers crossed that we will actually play ball!
Dave
If you are interested in an explanation for the postponing of Thursday's game, read on. If not, don't bother.
Thursday evening the White Sox will have five players and two coaches at a church function. In theory they could have filled out their team with a few players called up from the Minors, but the Majors commissioner told the White Sox several weeks ago that the game would be rescheduled so they were not planning to play Thursday. (You may remember that I sent out e-mails exploring our players' availability for May 23 and July 2, dates that turned out not to work for us.)
The Thursday game was never taken off the official schedule, however, so we naturally assumed that the White Sox had arranged to play. This evening the Majors commissioner gave me the option of winning by forfeit Thursday or continuing to work to reschedule the game. A forfeit wouldn't help our players get the game experience they need and want, and in any case I simply didn't want a cheap win at another team's expense.
The Majors commissioner is proposing that we play the White Sox May 22 at 6 p.m. I hope we can make that happen. If not, June 2 is a possibility.
I tried to see if the Phillies would be available Thursday to make up our rained-out April 25 game, but five of their players had conflicts.
So we look forward. The early forecast for our new season opener Saturday morning (MAY 2) is good. Let's keep our fingers crossed that we will actually play ball!
Dave
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Practice Wednesday (April 29); Game Thursday (April 30)
Braves,
The weather gods willing, we will have a practice Wednesday at the softball field on the east side of the high-school grounds as soon as the high-school varsity team completes its game against Grafton.
The varsity game begins at 4:15 p.m. I would like to have members of the Braves at the field no later than 5:45 p.m. The varsity game will end around 6 p.m. (but possibly earlier), and we'll need to be ready to take the field right away. Practice will end at 7:30 p.m.
The guys on the team are getting excited about our first game of the season, which will be Thursday at 6 p.m. Braves should be at Water Tower by 5:15 p.m. for pre-game warm-ups.
Dave, Ross, Rick
The weather gods willing, we will have a practice Wednesday at the softball field on the east side of the high-school grounds as soon as the high-school varsity team completes its game against Grafton.
The varsity game begins at 4:15 p.m. I would like to have members of the Braves at the field no later than 5:45 p.m. The varsity game will end around 6 p.m. (but possibly earlier), and we'll need to be ready to take the field right away. Practice will end at 7:30 p.m.
The guys on the team are getting excited about our first game of the season, which will be Thursday at 6 p.m. Braves should be at Water Tower by 5:15 p.m. for pre-game warm-ups.
Dave, Ross, Rick
Team Rule: No seeds, big chew in dugout
Everyone,
The Braves coaches will be enforcing a team rule against food in the dugout during games. In other words, no sunflower seeds, no candy, no sharable gum (e.g., Big League Chew). Experience has shown that food in the dugout is a huge distraction when players should be paying attention to what's going on on the field, and especially to supporting their teammates.
Water, Gatorade, and other hydrating agents are fine, of course.
Thanks in advance for your help telling players about this rule and supporting our efforts to enforce it.
Dave, Ross, Rick
The Braves coaches will be enforcing a team rule against food in the dugout during games. In other words, no sunflower seeds, no candy, no sharable gum (e.g., Big League Chew). Experience has shown that food in the dugout is a huge distraction when players should be paying attention to what's going on on the field, and especially to supporting their teammates.
Water, Gatorade, and other hydrating agents are fine, of course.
Thanks in advance for your help telling players about this rule and supporting our efforts to enforce it.
Dave, Ross, Rick
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Sunday practice cancelled, schedule updates
Braves,
With standing water on all of the practice fields Saturday evening, a 90% chance of more rain overnight, and a 70% chance of thundershowers Sunday, we are canceling the practice we had hoped to have at 4 p.m. Sunday.
Meanwhile, we have been trying to reschedule our April 30 game to accommodate the White Sox, but so far it has been impossible to find a date that works any better. Lots of our guys would have had to miss a game July 2. So, barring further word from the Majors commissioner, we are planning to play that game as scheduled on Thursday.
It would be really useful to have one more practice before Thursday, so please check e-mail early in the day Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. The first day that practice fields are dry enough, we will call a practice.
No word yet on when Saturday's rain-out will be made up.
Dave, Ross, Rick
With standing water on all of the practice fields Saturday evening, a 90% chance of more rain overnight, and a 70% chance of thundershowers Sunday, we are canceling the practice we had hoped to have at 4 p.m. Sunday.
Meanwhile, we have been trying to reschedule our April 30 game to accommodate the White Sox, but so far it has been impossible to find a date that works any better. Lots of our guys would have had to miss a game July 2. So, barring further word from the Majors commissioner, we are planning to play that game as scheduled on Thursday.
It would be really useful to have one more practice before Thursday, so please check e-mail early in the day Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. The first day that practice fields are dry enough, we will call a practice.
No word yet on when Saturday's rain-out will be made up.
Dave, Ross, Rick
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Schedule change confirmed
FYI, we have received final confirmation that the May 30 game against the Dodgers has been moved to Sunday, May 17, at 3 p.m.
This is good news for us.
Dave
This is good news for us.
Dave
Friday, April 24, 2009
Opening Game Saturday
Everyone,
We have our season opener tomorrow (Saturday) at 1 p.m. against the powerful Phillies.
The coaching staff would like the players to be at Water Tower by noon, if possible, so that we can give everyone some time in the batting cage before the game, so that everyone can warm up, and so that we have time to get our team mentally ready for its first game in the Majors.
Thanks,
Dave
We have our season opener tomorrow (Saturday) at 1 p.m. against the powerful Phillies.
The coaching staff would like the players to be at Water Tower by noon, if possible, so that we can give everyone some time in the batting cage before the game, so that everyone can warm up, and so that we have time to get our team mentally ready for its first game in the Majors.
Thanks,
Dave
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