Game 8: Braves 10, Rays 5

The Braves jumped out to an early lead, then rode pitching and defense to a 10-5 victory over the talented Rays on Monday afternoon at Water Tower Park.
With one out in the first, Alec singled up the middle and Nick drew a walk. Connor then crushed his 4th homer of the season over the left-field fence. 3-0, Rays.

Alec started the game on the mound. He set a tone with the first Rays batter, Chris Siebert. Chris hit the ball hard right back up the middle, but Alec grabbed the comebacker and threw him out. With his height, athleticism and basketball-honed leaping ability, Alec has a gigantic, pteryodactyl-like range as a fielder, and puts it to good use.
Later in that inning, a Rays runner tried to steal second, but catcher Ryan threw him out, with shortstop Connor moving swiftly to the second-base side of second to make the tag.
In the top of the second, the Braves broke the game open. Scott and Anthony singled. Ryan singled down the first-base line, driving in Scott. Matt walked. Will hit a long fly deep to right field; Anthony tagged and showed his hockey toughness by barreling through the catcher to score. Alec singled to bring Ryan home. Then, with runners on first and third, Nick ripped a line drive into the right-field corner, plating both Braves on base. The fleet-footed Nick dashed to third and scored when the Rays mishandled the ball. It was Nick's third triple of the season. Braves 9, Rays 0.
Braves' strong defensive play continued in the middle innings, highlighted by Connor in right field throwing a runner out at first (in the third inning), and Matt at short throwing out the speedy Chris Siebert in the fourth. Braves first basemen Tyler, Will and Scott provided steady, surehanded service at the bag.
In a potentially scary moment, Rays batter Paul Presberg got plunked in the head with the pitch: this is why kids wear helmets. Paul got up smiling. I checked with him after the game and he said he was fine. Of course, he's a famous tough guy and Junior Blue Dukes football player.
The Rays pecked away at the Braves lead, narrowing it to 9-4 in the fifth inning. Connor came on as the closer in the bottom of the fifth with two outs and runners on second and third. He induced a fly ball from the powerful Connor Nethen that Will speared to end the rally.
In the top of the 6th, Connor helped himself with his second homer of the day (and fifth of the season), a line drive that cleared the center-field fence. 10-4, Braves.
The Rays pushed across another run in the bottom of the final inning, but Connor closed out the game by inducing a comebacker and tossing to first for the final out. Final score, 10-5 Braves.
Notes: The previously scheduled June 5 against the Yankees will be rescheduled. So the Braves' next scheduled game is 6:30 p.m. June 9 against the Red Sox. Coach Ross Harmsen did indicate he will schedule a practice between now and next week's game.

Practice photos 5-3-2010

{sorry about the low resolution -- I was using the phone camera]

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

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!

Updates: No practice Monday, be at Water Tower at 3 p.m. Tuesday

Braves,
No practice Monday. Atwater School's diamond will be in use at 4 p.m., as will the fields in Whitefish Bay. So rest up for our Big Game against the Rays Tuesday.
Tuesday's game begins at 4 p.m. Please be at Water Tower by 3 p.m. so that everyone can get in some solid pre-game batting practice. We will need to swing the bats very well to beat the Rays!
Dave

Practice update; Happy Fourth of July

Braves,
No practices Friday, July 3, or Sunday, July 5, so that everyone can enjoy the July 4 weekend. We may have a practice Monday -- stay tuned.
Dave

No Practice Wednesday; Game Thursday

Braves,
Today's practice is CANCELLED because (a) afternoon rain showers are likely and (b) most of the guys on the team have other commitments.
Be sure to be at Water Tower Thursday at 5:45 p.m. to get ready for our regular-season finale.
Dave

Updates: July 1 practice, July 2 Orioles game, July 4 parade, Little League tournament

1. We will practice Wednesday (July 1) from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at Atwater School. I hope lots of guys can make it.
2. I know that Jack, Ryan, Alec, and Connor will be absent for Thursday's regular-season finale. That leaves us with nine guys, which means that no one will be sitting on the Braves' bench. If anyone else will miss the game, please let me know ASAP because we'd have to get a third grader to play up with us.
3. If your son would like to march in the July 4 Whitefish Bay parade with other Braves, please have him get to position 22 at the parade launch site at least 20 minutes before the start of the parade (all of the info except our parade position is in the e-mail I sent earlier).
If he wants to toss or pass out candy to kids watching the parade, that's fine -- but players must supply their own candy. We will not let players throw candy hard. Hand-offs or underhand tosses are fine.
4. The Little League double-elimination tournament begins July 6. If your Brave will be unavailable any days between July 6 and July 18, please let me know.
Thanks!
Dave

Update, July 4 parade info

Good morning --
What a great game yesterday, with the Braves coming from behind to tie a very good team. It felt like a win to me, and it was nice that everyone contributed to the outcome.
Meanwhile, Little League teams have the opportunity to march in Whitefish Bay's July 4 parade, so if any of you would like to be part of the spectacle this year please let me know. I have appended the official info that the league is putting out.
Should be beautiful weather for our 5:15 p.m. practice today at Atwater School!
Dave

THE 2009
WHITEFISH BAY
4TH OF JULY PARADE
WFBLL is Position #TBD
Kids and Coaches - wear your hats and jerseys and join us -
Details:
Please make sure you are in spot #TBA between 10:45 and 11:00AM on the 5500 block of Kent Avenue. The parade will begin promptly at 11:30AM.
At the end of the parade, all groups will continue straight on Lake Drive and end at the north end of Klode Park. The tennis courts at Klode Park are a good meeting place for parents to pick up their children.
PLEASE REMEMBER, FOR SAFETY REASONS, WE STRICTLY PROHIBIT THROWING CANDY OR ANY OTHER OBJECTS FROM VEHICLES. There is great danger to children who may jump out into the street, or accidental injury to spectators due to flying objects.
You may have individuals walk near the curb and distribute candy or other items along the parade route. Non compliance may result in forfeiture, removal from the parade or liability resulting from injury. Thank you for your cooperation.

Sunday practice time change

Sunday practice at Atwater School will be from 5:15 to 6:45 p.m. rather than the previously announced 4 to 5:30 p.m.
FYI, hotmail.com and msn.com are bouncing e-mails from my UWM account back to me, so if you know a Braves family that relies on such snooty services (e.g., the families of Connor, Liam, and Alec) please pass the word along.
Thanks,
Dave

Practice added for Sunday (June 28)

Everyone,
The Braves will practice Sunday at the usual 4 to 5:30 p.m. time.
The practice will be at Atwater School in Shorewood (unless you hear differently from us).
We worked mostly on team defense at Thursday's practice. Whenever a player on the other team hits a ball EVERYONE on the Braves needs to be moving either into fielding position or to a spot where he is backing up someone else. We worked on that a lot, with pretty good results.
The other thing we worked on last night was short flies to the outfield. Results weren't so good there, largely because our outfielders were hesitant to call off infielders who were aggressively going for over-the-shoulder catches (none of which they made). We've had way too many catchable balls drop in for hits in the past few games. Outfielders need to take charge on these kinds of plays; the play is in front of them, after all.
Overall, it was a good practice. When he was playing third base, Jack K. did a wonderful job of keeping his body in front of ground balls. A couple of hot smashes slammed into his legs, so I suspect he has a bruise or two today. But he stayed in the game, and hit very well in our traditional end-of-practice scrimmage.
Dave

Practices 4 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Atwater

The forecast for 4 p.m. Thursday calls for partly cloudy skies, a temp of 77, and a gentle breeze off the lake. Perfect baseball weather!
So we'll have a practice Thursday from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at Atwater School in Shorewood. And we'll work on team defense.
The forecast for Friday is great, too, so we'll have a practice then as well. Same time, same place.
PRACTICES
Thursday, 4-530 p.m., Atwater School
Friday, 4-530 p.m., Atwater School
Dave

A Day of Rest

Braves,
We will not have our regularly scheduled Sunday practice. After two great games Friday and Saturday, the guys deserve a day of rest. In any case, I don't think there's anything we coaches could say to get them to play much better than they've played during their current six-game winning streak!
Dave

Absences

Everyone,
In the past couple of days I have heard a lot of buzz about the three confirmed cases of swine flu at Cumberland School, which seven members of the Braves attend (at least until the end of school Friday). I am sure that I would have been informed if any Braves had the disease.
Parents of our players routinely hold their sons out of practices and games if a guy isn't feeling good, which of course is best for all concerned. If we coaches see any sign of illness we will let the parents know right away.
But I don't anticipate any problems. We seem to have a bunch of healthy kids!
Dave

Updates: Games, Picture Day

Braves,
Excellent practice today! The weather was perfect, the guys fielded beautifully, and they pounded the ball against my best pitching in scrimmage! Jason popped a walk-off single to left to win it for his team.
Two items:
FRIDAY June 12, please have your Brave at Water Tower by 5 p.m. so that we can have on-field batting practice. We did this before Tuesday's game and our bats came alive, so I'd like to do it again.
SATURDAY June 13 is Picture Day. Please have your freshly scrubbed Brave at Water Tower no later than 10 a.m. The picture-taking area is at the south end of Water Tower. Please fill out your order forms before you get to Water Tower -- everything's easier that way.
See at Water Tower tomorrow for our rematch against the White Sox.
Dave

Practice 4 p.m. Thursday, June 11, at Atwater (Shorewood)

Hey Braves, great game last night!
We'll practice Thursday from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at Atwater School in Shorewood. It may be sunny and warm, so please be sure to bring water.
Dave

Game afternoon (Tues June 9), other updates

Everyone,
We play the White Sox today (Tues June 9) at 4:30 p.m. Please have your Brave at Water Tower no later than 3:45 p.m.
If both teams have all their players ready to go at 4:15 p.m., our game might begin early because a second Majors game is scheduled for 6 p.m. and rain is supposed to drift in this evening.
FYI-1: We may try for a practice Thursday from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at Atwater School in Shorewood. E-mail tomorrow letting you know for sure.
FYI-2: The WFB Little League board has its monthly meeting tomorrow (Wednesday) at 8 p.m. in the warming house at Cahill Square. The big topic of discussion will be all stars. The agenda sent out by board prez Scott Deakin is appended.
Dave
* * *
Board Meeting Agenda – June 10, 2009
Ø Review and Approval of Prior Month’s Board Meeting Minutes
Ø Discussion regarding All Stars
o Players selection
o Coaches selection
o Coaches meeting June 11 Cahill 8pm
o List of players
o Team composition – ages
o Eligibility
Ø Ladies game /EOS Party
o When
o Uniforms
Ø Playoffs
o When
o All Star hold
Ø Safety
o Nets
Ø Other
o All Star hold
Ø Safety
o Nets
Ø Other
o Items raised by WFBLL Membership or WFBLL BOD
If you have questions or comments about All stars please come and voice your opinion.
I have a correction to the ages on the team should be as follows
U13/U14 – born between May 1, 1994 and April 30, 1996
U11/U12 – born between May 1, 1996 and April 30, 1998
U10/U11 – born between May 1, 1997 and April 30, 1999
U9/U10 – born between May 1, 1998 and April 30, 2000

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

Updates: Practice notes and the ever-fluctuating Yankees game time

Updates from Coach Dave, summarized from the 95 emails he sent earlier today:

PLAYERS, WEAR YOUR GEAR: Please have your Brave wear his cup, sliding shorts and baseball pants to practice today. We will be working on base running and sliding (among other things).

TODAY'S (Thu June 4) PRACTICE: Today's practice will begin at 4 p.m. at the high-school softball field ... unless another team gets there first. The two higher-level teams that often practice there will be elsewhere this afternoon, so I'm hopeful we'll have the field.
Chris and I will be at the field by 3:40 p.m. If we can't get the field, our backup location will be Atwater School in Shorewood. I will call people right away if the practice has to be moved to Shorewood.
Looks like a gorgeous day for baseball!

EVER-FLUCTUATING TIME FOR SUNDAY'S (June 7) GAME VS. YANKEES: Now it looks as if our game Sunday may be played at the originally scheduled time of 1 p.m. The Yankees -- our worthy opponents -- have told the league that they have a strong preference for the 1 p.m. time. I told the league commissioner that the Braves could play at either 1 or 2 p.m.
Confirmation to come when Coach Dave hears the official word.

Dave