Tagged: Little League

Brian back in Mariner blue

Walsh Park-LaGrange, KY:  Brian’s back with another season of Little League baseball, and he’s back with the Mariners this season (completely different team and coach, but he had success last time, so he’s happy).  The season started in April, but like most of the country our April was full of rain, snow, high winds, and all around crappy weather, causing many games to be postponed.  The boys are just now starting to play catch up on the first part of the season, sometimes seeing three games a week.  The Mariners are 4-4 as of this posting, so they’re playing respectable ball and keeping in the hunt.  A couple of games got away from them and I think they’re better than there record so we’ll see how the next half of the season turns out.  Brian is doing well at the plate.  He’s had four hits in his last three games, and has some RBI’s and runs scored thrown in there.

In the field he’s done well, but still frustrated at being stuck in the outfield most of the time.  The coach has talked with him and tried to keep him positive, but the season is warring on him already.  Hopefully he’ll get to see some action at first base sooner than later, as that’s where he likes to play and can catch the ball pretty well.   He’s got good coaches this season and they are very patient with Brian’s colorful roller coaster of emotions.  Keeping him positive is the key, and when he does well and has confidence he’s very productive and has fun.  If he can learn more about the game and let himself have a good time, that’s what it’s all about!

Here’s a video of one of Brian’s hits.  I usually get excited and don’t pay attention to what I’m recording, though…

Video and photos property of Minoring In Baseball

Fall Ball Starts

Walsh Park-LaGrange, KY:  Despite the fact that practices started in the summer, and, wait, I think technically it still is summer, but fall baseball has started at North Oldham Little League.  After a disappointed spring, I had to really convince Brian to play here in the fall.  Being this is his first experience with other kids pitching to him, I thought this was a very important step to prepare for next spring.

The Navy blue team, dubbed the Navy Seals, are 1-1 so far in the young season.  As one would expect, there was a lot of adjusting in the first couple of games, but really toward the end of the second game, the kids were getting used to being pitched to and hitting the ball.  Brian as well was a little hesitant at first, and looked to take a step back at just about every pitch.  Now he’s starting to hang in there and hit the ball, though. In the field, he’s been splitting time between left field and second base, but as also seen an inning at the hot corner.  With so many walked batters, there’s not a lot of action yet, but as the kids start hitting more the field will become more adventurous and more fun.  I think he’s liking second base, which is good, because that’s where his old man patrolled the field through Little League, high school, and into church softball.  Brian is also lucky to have some of the very best coaches this season in fall ball.  If he opens himself up and lets them help him, he has the potential to really improve.  Most of all, though, I hope he has fun and realizes how lucky he is to be able to put on a uniform and play baseball every week…

Photos property of Minoring In Baseball

Spring Season Ends

Walsh Park-LaGrange, KY:  That’s all she wrote for this season of Little League baseball.  Not much changed from my last entry, as it continued to be a frustrating season for Brian and his team.  The Diamondbacks ended the season 5-14, good for eight in the 10 team league.  The D-backs also bowed out in the first game of the playoffs, so a very different end to the season as Brian was hoisting a championship trophy at the end of June last year.

The old saying is, that you can always  learn more by losing, and if that’s the case then that is definitely the silver lining for this season.  Life parallels baseball so much, and there are so many lessons to be learned.  Sometimes you work hard and get a hit or make a solid play.  Sometimes you miss one, and you have to put it behind you and work a little harder on the next one.  Life, as in baseball isn’t always fair.  You don’t always get what you earn, and sometimes you even get called out on a strike below the knees.

Brian thrilled to have a photo with Dad

That being said, he still had a very good season, and I’m very proud of the way he played.  He still hit over .500, which is impressive even off of a hitting machine.  He improved on his catching and fielding, but we still need to work on throwing mechanics.  Brian showed a better overall understanding of the game, where the play was heading and where to throw the ball if it came to him.  At times during the season, Brian also showed signs of being a good leader on the team, cheering on his teammates and keeping a positive attitude, and I’m very proud of him for that.  I really think he enjoys the game, too, as every day he asks if we can play catch or play one of our ‘Brianball’ games out in the yard.  Fall ball starts up here the end of August and he’s looking forward to that, but I think he’s happy this small chapter of his baseball career has come to an end.

Photos property of Minoring In Baseball

Snake Bitten

Walsh Park-LaGrange, KY:  Well, we’re almost a month into the season, and the North Oldham Little League season for the Diamondbacks isn’t going as planned.  After starting out 2-0, the D-backs rattled off seven straight losses before breaking the slump on Saturday afternoon. Then they lost on a walk off in extra innings the next night.  Brian went through a little slump of his own, although not very long. Being buried at the bottom of the lineup, he had a couple of game where he was 0-1 (yes, three out of four games during the stretch he only had one at bat).  But we tweaked some things, and he’s back to being one of the best hitters on the team.  From my calculation, he’s now hitting .647 this season.  With all honesty, though, I think I missed a game in there somewhere, with all of the cancellations and re-scheduled games. Speaking of which…

If you’re wondering why we haven’t been to any more college or minor league games, the simple answer is that little league has become all-consuming.  It’s not really the game schedule, but the re-scheduling that’s been hindering our plans to see other games.  Even when we get a nice day on the weekend, more than likely the boys will be playing a make-up game due to all the rain we’ve had the last four weeks.  Don’t get me wrong, though, there’s no place I’d rather be than watching Brian play, but it wouldn’t be a bad thing to chill and watch a Bats game, or something.  We do have tickets for this Sunday, but…. 90% chance of rain…

Back to Brian’s season.  He’s been stuck in the outfield most of the time, which he doesn’t like, but has made the best of it when he gets his chances in the infield.  He’s played some pitcher, second base, and his favorite:  first base.  He did well, and caught everything that was thrown to him, but only got to play there one inning so far this season.  He’s keeping his chin up, though, and I’m teaching him to only worry about the things he can control, and do his best wherever the coach puts him.   He had the chance to catch a couple of innings, though, but didn’t end up liking it.  The mask didn’t fit well, and he took a couple of pitches in the foot.  Maybe I can talk him into being catcher again later on in fall ball.  He still has half a season left, and as long as he keeps doing his best and having fun, we’ll call it a win!

Photos property of Minoring In Baseball

2017 Little League underway

Walsh Park-LaGrange, KY:  How nice is this, that Brian is playing outside in nice weather? In April! Brian’s back in Rookie ball this season, this time suiting up for the Diamondbacks, and ready to pursue another championship.  The North Oldham Little League does a great job promoting itself, and has a pancake breakfast and parade to kick off the season.  Unfortunately, do to work, we were unable to make this early morning festivities, but he’s made the two out of the three games so far (Tuesday night we had tickets to WWE Smackdown Live that we bought well in advance).

The first game of the season the D-backs won 13-4.  Brian went 2-3 with an RBI at the dish.  In the field, he made some nice plays and had some good catches to pitch in defensively.  In the second game, the D-backs held on to win 6-5.  Brian scored the game-winning RBI in the fifth inning on his second hit of the night.  He was 2-2 with two ribeye steaks.  He didn’t get anything hit to him in the field, so he was actually mad after the game.  A little ice cream cheered him up, though.  I’ll probably kick out a mid-season report in a few weeks!

Photos property of Minoring In Baseball

Fall Ball Ends

29766854314_b7315fb03e_zWalsh Park-La Grange, KY:  It seems as it just started, but Brian’s fall ball league has come to an end. I’m really happy that he chose to keep playing, and I think he had a good time.  Honestly, I really didn’t pay too much attention to his team’s record, although I’m pretty sure they won more than they lost, and there are no playoffs.  He got a chance to play some other positions, also, finding he likes to play some infield.  He still needs to work on his throwing mechanics a little, but he’s fielding pretty good.  Brian had a solid fall season at the dish, also.  He hit well over .500, going 3-3 in two consecutive games.  After that second one, he was given the game ball by his coach as player of the game.  He had some good coaching this fall, as well, as they stayed very positive and stressed fun and learning above all else.  He’s excited to play next year, and spring can’t come soon enough.

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Brian with the game ball as 'players of the game'

Brian with the game ball as ‘players of the game’

29887523480_812c9fba38_zPhotos property of Minoring In Baseball

We Are the Champions!!!

27743469782_7a51870636_zWalsh Park-La Grange, KY: I honestly don’t know where to start!  First off, I guess we can congratulate the Mariners on winning the North Oldham Little League Rookie Division championship!  It was not an easy road, and there were many good teams in this league.  The Mariners finished third in their division and received a first round bye.  They faced the Indians in the quarter-finals, and won by the score of 4-2, with Brian getting the game-winning RBI.  In the semi-finals, they went against the Royals, a team they haven’t beat all year.  The Mariners won a tough battle, however, winning 6-4 on a hot 90 degree day at noon, to head to the championship.  The Mariners were down 5-0 in the first, then battled back for the win.  Their opponent in the final game was the Padres, the team that won the division in the regular season.  This time it was the Mariners who jumped out to a lead, 3-0 in the first, then added a pair in the middle innings.  The Padres stormed back in the fifth, scoring four runs, but the M’s held them off in the sixth for a 5-4 championship victory!  Here are a couple of shots of Brian in the final:

27712353932_2339a95ef0_b27769216971_0161ac08dd_zThe championship aside, though, I still believe this team was the best fit for Brian.  The coaches never preached winning, but focused on having the kids be positive, work hard, and have fun playing the game of baseball.  From there, the winning just sort of took care of itself.  I really think Brian learned more about being part of a team and earning something you’ve worked hard for, as much as he did about the game of baseball.  Their coach told the boys to enjoy this, as it may be the only championship they ever win, and he could be right about that.  My last year in Little League was the one and only time I’ve seen glory in all my years of playing. I’m glad he’s tasted victory, but if he keeps on playing and loving this game, it’s sure to break his heart at some point.  But that’s something I’ll start preparing for next year.  This big win sparked him to want to play Fall Ball and to keep working hard at the sport, so that gives us something to look forward to in a couple of months.

It's all about the hardware!

It’s all about the hardware!

27712346392_eb19a555e4_z27201524584_ed1bf97dcc_z27535292550_440a201aed_zHere’s a video of the final out!  You can see Brian charging in from the outfield ready to celebrate!

Video and photos property of Minoring In Baseball

Playing on Blue Grass

26868758785_61a5647848_zWalsh Park-La Grange, KY: Brian has had no problem fitting into our new environment here in Kentucky.  In fact, he suited up for the Mariners and played his first game within the first few days.  I was honestly hesitant on whether to sign him up or not, knowing he wouldn’t have any practices, and playing in a more competitive league than he’s used to.  Brian put all my concerns to rest after his first game, however.  He went 1-2 at the plate, and played well.  More than anything, his smile after the game, and the simple statement “I had fun” was all I needed to hear.  Yeah, he may be a step behind some of the other players, but at the same time he is contributing to his team, and is a step ahead of others.

26845788706_6d909c0849_z26606930580_b49c9c710a_zI also have to say that I’m very impressed with the North Oldham Little League organization, and the coaches involved.  The kids play in a beautiful facility at Walsh Park as well.  The coaches don’t baby the kids, but treat them like young men, and at the same time stressing for them to relax and have fun.  I honestly think that he’s made more friends on the field than he has at his new school, also.  Overall, this has been a great move for us, especially from a baseball perspective.  They’ve had a couple of rainouts, but look to be making some games up this weekend and early in the week.  I’ll post more updates as his season progresses.

26786512022_cf7e645f3a_zPhotos property of Minoring In Baseball

Little Lakers Clinic #3

25345494793_d735836c9a_zLake Superior State University-Sault Ste. Marie, MI:  Last week Brian participated in his last clinic hosted by the Lake Superior State Lakers softball team.  Pictured above, is him acting silly with two of his favorite players.  They are always really nice to him, and were sad to hear that he’s moving away.  Brian had a good time running through the basic drills and hitting off of the tee.  He tired out a bit in the second hour of the clinic, though. I’ve always appreciated the clinics and camps that the Lady Lakers have made available to both the girls and boys throughout the years.  Lily started attending when she was young, with her brother following suit.  I’m sure we’ll take advantage of all the camps down in Kentucky with all of the colleges and pro teams in the area.  This has also been an fairly easy winter up here, so we’re really hoping the Lakers are able to play their first home game in four years, so we can see them one last time.

25341529604_1e11ebcdd0_kPhotos property of Minoring In Baseball

Angels in the Outfield

sad1Another Little League baseball season has come and gone, and every year it just seems to go by quicker and quicker. As you can see by the photo of Brian and I up top, we’re not all that happy that the season has come to an end. Brian can be a handful, but he did great this season and learned a lot. All the Angels had fun this season, too, and I really hope I get a chance to coach them again at the next level if we’re still in this area. Here’s some pics of Brian from our last game of the season against the Yankees:

Brian hitting like a Boss!

Brian hitting like a Boss!

sad2sad5sad4sad6Here are a couple of our other Angels having fun at our last game:

sad7After the season ended, the Sault Area Little League held its annual ‘fun night’. The kids were treated with hot dogs, chips, pop, and cake. They also had a chance to play on the playground and take part in some activities. Brian really liked the slip and slide into the bases, and batting practice with the water balloons. Good stuff, and a fun way to end the season. I coached some really good kids this year, and will miss them all.

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Here’s a water balloon video:

Photos and video property of Minoring In Baseball