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Post by IrishNY on Jul 6, 2009 13:06:55 GMT -5
That's ridiculous that the pitch counts go out the window when tournament play starts...same thing happened to my leagues All-star team last weekend except our four coaches agreed that trophies be damned, protecting those young arms was the most important thing... BTW, we had a great showing in the tournament...so proud of the kids. The only bad part was when my son, lefty, struck out to end the game, with the tieing run on second, winning run on first...he was upset and I was really upset for him...tried to use it as a life lesson which actually worked out okay...told him I was proud and that he didn't lose the game...gotta re-group and get it next time. Happy 4th! I'll be looking forward to checking out some more updates soon. You guy's won? Congrats brother! Happy 4th Irishny. Michigan Fan, We didn't win but the kids played great. No-one expected our team to do anything in the tournament but the kids showed a lot of skill and heart... Hope you had a great 4th!
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Post by IrishNY on Jul 6, 2009 13:11:48 GMT -5
Totally agree on the pitch counts Irish, glad you came back and updated us. Hope your boy gets a chance and does succeed. Well we hosted a tournament at our field with 5 quality teams (including ourselves). The easiest way was for everyone to play all the other teams in pool play. Then the two lowest seeds played a single elimination game on Sunday for the right to advance and play the 1 seed in the semifinals. We won all our pool play games (14-2, 12-2, 8-0, and 8-2). All but the last one was a run rule. Then today we beat the team we beat earlier 11-2 (another run rule). The championship game was a classic that we won 5-4. Got the championship at our own field. On the weekend we went 6-0 and outscored our opponents 58-12. The team with the second lowest runs allowed was 35. Damn proud of them this weekend, and the work on the field, concessions, setup, umpires, etc. was damn exhausting, but all worth it when our kids jumped up and down after winning the title. BTB, Congrats, that's great news...very happy for you guys! BTW, luckily my son is not discouraged...we had a long talk about effort, dealing with adversity & not giving up...all year long I told all my kids if you strike out...remember two things, I hope you struck out swinging and go get him next time...no shame in striking out just try to do better the next time... Congrats again!
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Post by tophb21 on Jul 6, 2009 14:21:31 GMT -5
Totally agree on the pitch counts Irish, glad you came back and updated us. Hope your boy gets a chance and does succeed. Well we hosted a tournament at our field with 5 quality teams (including ourselves). The easiest way was for everyone to play all the other teams in pool play. Then the two lowest seeds played a single elimination game on Sunday for the right to advance and play the 1 seed in the semifinals. We won all our pool play games (14-2, 12-2, 8-0, and 8-2). All but the last one was a run rule. Then today we beat the team we beat earlier 11-2 (another run rule). The championship game was a classic that we won 5-4. Got the championship at our own field. On the weekend we went 6-0 and outscored our opponents 58-12. The team with the second lowest runs allowed was 35. Damn proud of them this weekend, and the work on the field, concessions, setup, umpires, etc. was damn exhausting, but all worth it when our kids jumped up and down after winning the title. That is a heckuva run. Must have been playing IAA and MAC teams...oh wait wrong sport. ;D ;D Seriously, that is quite a dominating performance. Congrats!!
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Post by BTB07 on Jul 6, 2009 22:15:41 GMT -5
No we didn't play teams that remind us of Penn State's OOC schedule this year... just played great.
Thanks Toph, it was awesome. 6 walks in 30 innings pitched. Only gave up 16 hits and had 23 strikeouts. That is pretty damn awesome.
Tonight one of our pitchers (whose dad keeps yacking at me about, and he is another coach) did so bad I couldn't believe it and was embarassed. He threw 2 1/3 innings and gave up 3 runs and a couple of hits (that wasn't the terrible part). Not only was it ugly, but the kid threw 40 pitches, 35 percent of which were strikes. That is 14 strikes and 26 balls. I was embarassed, and the kids dad made an excuse about the mound, and I almost blew my lid.
We ended up losing 6-1. I think part of it was being burnt out after a great weekend and a lot of hours at the ballpark. So I didn't get on them too much.
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Post by BTB07 on Jul 6, 2009 22:16:56 GMT -5
Totally agree on the pitch counts Irish, glad you came back and updated us. Hope your boy gets a chance and does succeed. Well we hosted a tournament at our field with 5 quality teams (including ourselves). The easiest way was for everyone to play all the other teams in pool play. Then the two lowest seeds played a single elimination game on Sunday for the right to advance and play the 1 seed in the semifinals. We won all our pool play games (14-2, 12-2, 8-0, and 8-2). All but the last one was a run rule. Then today we beat the team we beat earlier 11-2 (another run rule). The championship game was a classic that we won 5-4. Got the championship at our own field. On the weekend we went 6-0 and outscored our opponents 58-12. The team with the second lowest runs allowed was 35. Damn proud of them this weekend, and the work on the field, concessions, setup, umpires, etc. was damn exhausting, but all worth it when our kids jumped up and down after winning the title. Sounds great BTB. I really think what you do is special and when I stop playing baseball I think I will coach. BTW the rain pushed our whole playoffs back Thanks Miz, I missed this post earlier. Being a coach is awesome, and I am betting that you could be a darn good one as well. Hope you get those playoffs in and best of luck man!
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Post by MIZ-SIU on Jul 6, 2009 23:34:29 GMT -5
Yeah we won tonight and we play our rivals Wednesday. I hate those guys
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Post by tophb21 on Jul 8, 2009 7:43:31 GMT -5
Yeah we won tonight and we play our rivals Wednesday. I hate those guys Bring home the W. What position do you play? What spot in the order do you hit?
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Post by BTB07 on Jul 8, 2009 8:00:29 GMT -5
Yeah we won tonight and we play our rivals Wednesday. I hate those guys Congrats man, bring home another W.
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Post by MIZ-SIU on Jul 8, 2009 10:24:56 GMT -5
Yeah we won tonight and we play our rivals Wednesday. I hate those guys Bring home the W. What position do you play? What spot in the order do you hit? I pitch and play first base. I usually hit 6th in the lineup
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Post by tophb21 on Jul 8, 2009 10:40:08 GMT -5
Bring home the W. What position do you play? What spot in the order do you hit? I pitch and play first base. I usually hit 6th in the lineup When are you pitching next? Are you another fellow lefty like BTB and myself? Good luck tonight.
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Post by badgersballers on Jul 8, 2009 10:44:19 GMT -5
Yeah we won tonight and we play our rivals Wednesday. I hate those guys More then Kansas? ;D
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Post by MIZ-SIU on Jul 8, 2009 10:49:14 GMT -5
I pitch and play first base. I usually hit 6th in the lineup When are you pitching next? Are you another fellow lefty like BTB and myself? Good luck tonight. I am a fellow lefty and I might pitch tonight but I am not exactly sure
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Post by BTB07 on Jul 8, 2009 11:02:20 GMT -5
When are you pitching next? Are you another fellow lefty like BTB and myself? Good luck tonight. I am a fellow lefty and I might pitch tonight but I am not exactly sure That is awesome man! Keep being crafty...
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Post by tophb21 on Jul 8, 2009 22:05:40 GMT -5
When are you pitching next? Are you another fellow lefty like BTB and myself? Good luck tonight. I am a fellow lefty and I might pitch tonight but I am not exactly sure Sweet. Keep us posted if you do. What pitches you have in the repetoire? I usually went with the 4 seamer, 2 seam cutter, and curve, with the occasional change up.
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Post by MIZ-SIU on Jul 8, 2009 23:40:14 GMT -5
Well we lost 5-0. Our hitters did not show up. I relieved and went 2 Innings and gave up 1 ER. Oh and toph my main pitch is a changeup, then a two seamer, and then a sweeping curveball
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Post by BTB07 on Jul 9, 2009 7:36:20 GMT -5
Well we lost 5-0. Our hitters did not show up. I relieved and went 2 Innings and gave up 1 ER. Oh and toph my main pitch is a changeup, then a two seamer, and then a sweeping curveball That is too bad MIZ. You guys still in it, or was it single elimination? Sounds like you are like me and Toph, better keep the ball down to be successful.
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Post by BTB07 on Jul 9, 2009 7:39:23 GMT -5
We played our last game at our field last night. Fences of 180 down the line and 200 in center cannot be the home field for an 11 year team. We had a great two years there and the lights and grass infield made it incredible for our kids.
We let the kids pick their positions out of a paper bag which had numbers on them. We roster batted for the first time all year. I still picked the pitcher and catcher though. We had guys make plays way outside their norm and comfort level, sort of interesting.
We still ended up winning 5-4 after being down 4-0 after 3 innings.
The best part was after the game the parents brought ice cream and the toppings and all the kids made sundaes. Then our catcher came up to me, and gave me a handshake, then pulled me in for a hug and told me 'Thank you for making my time at this field so special coach'.
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Post by tophb21 on Jul 9, 2009 7:44:04 GMT -5
Well we lost 5-0. Our hitters did not show up. I relieved and went 2 Innings and gave up 1 ER. Oh and toph my main pitch is a changeup, then a two seamer, and then a sweeping curveball That is too bad MIZ. You guys still in it, or was it single elimination? Sounds like you are like me and Toph, better keep the ball down to be successful. Keep it at the knee to shins! ;D
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Post by tophb21 on Jul 9, 2009 7:45:07 GMT -5
We played our last game at our field last night. Fences of 180 down the line and 200 in center cannot be the home field for an 11 year team. We had a great two years there and the lights and grass infield made it incredible for our kids. We let the kids pick their positions out of a paper bag which had numbers on them. We roster batted for the first time all year. I still picked the pitcher and catcher though. We had guys make plays way outside their norm and comfort level, sort of interesting. We still ended up winning 5-4 after being down 4-0 after 3 innings. The best part was after the game the parents brought ice cream and the toppings and all the kids made sundaes. Then our catcher came up to me, and gave me a handshake, then pulled me in for a hug and told me 'Thank you for making my time at this field so special coach'. What that kid did is what coaching those kids is all about.
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Post by BTB07 on Jul 9, 2009 8:12:39 GMT -5
Without a doubt Toph. Certainly rewarding to hear a kid say that to me, cause it sure as hell ain't the pay. I wasted a bunch of time yesterday finishing our stats (which no one else sees but me). Our team pitching staff has given up 85 walks in 245 innings (that is 45 games) and 205 K's. I also keep track of how many balls and strikes each kid throws. Our team percentage is 64% strikes for the season. All our pitchers combined average 15.3 pitches per inning. Also keep track of WHIP (a fantasy nerd/sabermetric stat) our team WHIP is 1.45. Pretty darn proud of them. No more regular season games, but a couple of practices before we head to an out of town tournament in Indiana.
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Post by Velocity on Jul 9, 2009 9:03:55 GMT -5
That's a great statistical line for a team, BTB. You sure have a good team on your hands; good luck at the tourney in Indiana!
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Post by tophb21 on Jul 9, 2009 9:34:42 GMT -5
Like OSC indicated, those are great numbers for any level of baseball, especially Little Leaguers. Best of luck in Indy. Bring home the title!
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Post by BTB07 on Jul 9, 2009 9:47:32 GMT -5
Like OSC indicated, those are great numbers for any level of baseball, especially Little Leaguers. Best of luck in Indy. Bring home the title! Thanks guys! Our guys throw a lot of strikes, but I let them know when they don't throw quality strikes. In the top divisions of travel baseball the middle of the order will punish pitches at or above the belt. None of our guys have good enough stuff to just blow it by them. The spots that they hit are a huge reason our team ERA is 3.49. I do some strange things in our bullpen sessions. I stand in the box when the kid is pitching (without a bat but with my glove on to catch and errant pitch at me). I move around the box (up, back, towards the plate, away from the plate). I expect my catcher to read me feet, and my swings to pick a spot. Sometimes I put my toes on the plate, and make them throw inside and tell them an outside pitch with a hitter like that is like it right down the middle. I guess stressing spots in bullpen sessions has done them a little good. We have had all 12 kids pitch in the last 7 games and we won a tournament and won a league game. Not too bad.
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Post by BTB07 on Jul 9, 2009 9:50:38 GMT -5
I worry about over pitching some of our best kids, so I get everyone on the mound.
We have three 'tiers' of guys. Our top 3 have 29-32 innings pitched (none of them have thrown more than 450 total pitches). Our next tier is 6 guys who have from 17-22 innings pitched (none have thrown over 400). Our final tier is 3 guys who will pitch in less important games and range from 11-14 innings pitched.
The teams in the tournament in Indiana are going to be really good. One of the teams is from Panama, and another couple of teams are from California. Teams that travel that far are going to be solid. As a community team I am not sure we will be able to win, but we are sure as hell going to have a lot of fun out there. The pool, the parking lot (for the parents drinking), etc. will be a hell of a time and something the kids hopefully remember for a while.
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Post by tophb21 on Jul 9, 2009 9:53:38 GMT -5
Like OSC indicated, those are great numbers for any level of baseball, especially Little Leaguers. Best of luck in Indy. Bring home the title! Thanks guys! Our guys throw a lot of strikes, but I let them know when they don't throw quality strikes. In the top divisions of travel baseball the middle of the order will punish pitches at or above the belt. None of our guys have good enough stuff to just blow it by them. The spots that they hit are a huge reason our team ERA is 3.49. I do some strange things in our bullpen sessions. I stand in the box when the kid is pitching (without a bat but with my glove on to catch and errant pitch at me). I move around the box (up, back, towards the plate, away from the plate). I expect my catcher to read me feet, and my swings to pick a spot. Sometimes I put my toes on the plate, and make them throw inside and tell them an outside pitch with a hitter like that is like it right down the middle. I guess stressing spots in bullpen sessions has done them a little good. We have had all 12 kids pitch in the last 7 games and we won a tournament and won a league game. Not too bad. What you do in the bullpen sessions is probably what is giving them the presence to perform in the game. Pitching is all about repetition and reading each situation. Those excercises are definitely preparing them. Good work and good teaching excercise.
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Post by BTB07 on Jul 9, 2009 10:03:34 GMT -5
Thanks Toph, it has been a lot of fun for me.
I have each guy throw in the bullpen about 2 times a week at practice. Each time is only about 25 pitches, but it seems to be working pretty well.
Last year we went to a World Series event and in 42 innings of pitching had 9 walks (at age 9!). One of the kids we picked up from an older team because he was young enough to be on our team. He is still with our team this year and throws the ball hard (probably 55-58 MPH from 46 feet). Last year in the World Series he threw 8 innings and had 4 of our walks (I hadn't worked with him until a week or two before we left). This year he has thrown 32 innings for us, and has 7 walks.
The guys who throw a lot of fastballs for strikes get fewer fastballs in the bullpen and work more on their cut-fastball and changeup. Hopefully it helps them in the long run.
I really like to see my catcher reading the batter and giving the right spot to our pitcher without me having to give a sign on location (I do pick the pitches though). I told them next year they will call their own games (in non-league games) and at 12 they will call the league games too. A catcher who can call the game is a hell of a skill...and a tough one to learn.
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Post by MIZ-SIU on Jul 9, 2009 10:46:10 GMT -5
It is double elimination and we play tonight. I really hated losing to that team because their SP is a douche bag. He hit 3 people in a span of five batters and he did not even receive a warning
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Post by BTB07 on Jul 9, 2009 10:56:26 GMT -5
It is double elimination and we play tonight. I really hated losing to that team because their SP is a douche bag. He hit 3 people in a span of five batters and he did not even receive a warning I hope you get another shot at them, and take them out this time. That seems like a lot of HBP, the umpire must have been asleep...
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Post by tophb21 on Jul 9, 2009 13:32:21 GMT -5
It is double elimination and we play tonight. I really hated losing to that team because their SP is a douche bag. He hit 3 people in a span of five batters and he did not even receive a warning Was he just that wild?
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Post by MIZ-SIU on Jul 9, 2009 13:40:33 GMT -5
No
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