Season's Greetings from C5

Happy Holidays to all the Warriors players and their families.

Image captured from rightfield of Centennial #5:

Warriors Announce Megaplex Workout Schedule

The Warriors 2010 Megaplex workout schedule is now available for viewing. CLICK HERE or click on the "Schedule" link located on the right portion of the team's website to access the schedule. Please continue to monitor this site as the schedule is subject to change.

Warrior "Summit"

Here's a recent message from OYA President, Brian Gaspardo:

Hi Everyone,

The practice shirts and hats are finally in, and it's time to have our first summit of all the Warrior teams! All players along with at least one parent are asked to attend a meeting next FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27th AT 4 PM to receive the practice gear, meet the Board, discuss questions and plans for the upcoming season, and purchase Warrior gear for the coming season! The meeting will be at the Orland Park Civic Center adjacent to the Village Hall.

If you have a conflict and cannot attend, please let your coach know. If you have any specific questions in advance, please do not hesitate to e-mail me at oyawarriorsbg@gmail.com. We expect the meeting to last approximately an hour, and we will be covering a lot of ground, so please arrive at 4 PM sharp!

Thank you.

Remembering Walter Payton

November 1, 2009 marked ten years since the great Walter Payton passed away. So, why am I am I posting something about a football player on a baseball team's website? I think our players (or anyone for that matter) can learn much from how Walter Payton defined a winner:

“If you ask me how I want to be remembered, it is as a winner…a winner is somebody who gave his best effort, who has tried the hardest they possibly can…who has utilized every ounce of energy and strength within them to accomplish something. It doesn’t mean that they accomplished it or failed. It means they’ve given it their best. That’s a winner." – Walter Payton

As a tribute to Payton, the Chicago Bears prepared a video which you may view by clicking HERE. The extraordinary effort that Payton gave on the field is evident in many of these highlights.

Warriors Announce Preliminary Off-Season Schedule

The Warriors have 21 off-season events scheduled at this time. Please CLICK HERE or click on the "Schedule" link located on the right portion of this website to access the current schedule.

This schedule is preliminary and subject to change. As always, please be sure to check the website on a regular basis for revisions to the schedule.

The off-season events are optional. If a player experiences a conflict (e.g., other sports, school activities, homework assignments, etc.), he is expected to prioritize those things over these workouts. However, players are expected to notify me if they are unable to participate in a team event.

Please note that the registration fees will be collected in three installments. The first installment ($200) is due by Friday, November 20th. Checks should be made payable to "Orland Youth Association."

Parents' Meeting

Our team's parents meeting will be held on November 20th at the Leberts house. You have probably already received an invitation from Anne Lebert to attend a team gathering at her home for that night. The gathering will start at 7:00 pm.

As long as we will have most of the parents together that night, I would like to gather at 7:30 pm for a brief (15 or 20 minutes) meeting to get everyone's input on some open matters. If you are unable to make the meeting, please be sure to call me so that we can discuss the items outside of the meeting.

Roster Change

The Warriors have made an adjustment to its 2010 roster. James Ullrich has left the team to play for his hometown Orland Hills Timberwolves. C.J. Brucki will return to the Warriors to fill that open roster spot.

Grant Lewis

I had the pleaure of watching Grant Lewis pitch for the Orland Park Magic at Bremen High School in Midlothian this afternoon. Grant played two (2007 and 2008) seasons with the Warriors. He led the 2008 team in batting average, on-base % and runs batted in. Grant also led the pitching staff that season in earned run average as well as WHIP (walk and hits per inning pitched). More importantly, he was one of our team leaders and was always a positive influence for the team.

Grant continues to make significant progress as a baseball player. His performance this afternoon was impressive as he held High School players (including Seniors) scoreless in this outing. The Warriors are proud of Grant Lewis and wish him the best of luck in the upcoming seasons. Click on any photo for an enlarged view:

Baseball's Hall of Fame

My father and I visited the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York last week. This was my first visit to Cooperstown. You may CLICK HERE to view my photos from the trip. You can also click on any of the photos below to view an enlarged image.

I captured this photo of Doubleday Field. Legend has it that baseball was invented on or near this site.

The Hall of Fame is a "shrine" to baseball. Hopefully, this photo conveys the almost church-like environment inside the building:

Finally, I spent quite a bit of time reading the plaques for the individuals inducted into the Hall of Fame. CLICK HERE to view photos of some of my favorite individual plaques--including the First Class (the first five players inducted into the Hall of Fame): Babe Ruth, Christy Mattewson, Walter Johnson, Ty Cobb and Honus Wagner. I also included photos of the plaques of three of the players who we discuss often during practices: Fergie Jenkins, Ted Williams and Jackie Robinson. I pulled three of the plaques from the Chicago Cubs' famous double play combination and combined it with a popular poem from the times into Photoshop to create this poster:

A Visit to PNC Park

On September 8th, I visited PNC Park in Pittsburgh to watch the Chicago Cubs play the Pittsburgh Pirates. The following photo captured the first pitch of the game. You may click within the photo to see a larger version.

The Cubs lead off hitter, Ryan Theriot, started the game with a base hit. Then, the next seven Cubs batters also reached base safely on hits before the ninth batter of the inning, Ryan Dempster, was retired on a sacrifice bunt. The Cubs tied a Major League record with eight consecutive hits to start a game!

CLICK HERE to if you would like to view the rest of my photos from Pittsburgh from that day.

Warriors Announce Roster for 2010!

The rosters have been finalized for the 2010 season. We’ve decided to go with two Metro teams—both of which will have a mix of 13 and 14 year old players.

Tim Swiontek has already confirmed commitments from each of his 13 players. Please contact me at gnagel60@comcast.net or 708-846-1466 (cell) to confirm your commitment to next year’s Warriors team. Note that we are going with a reduced roster size this season to allow for fewer deactivations. All players will hold full-time roster spots with the exception of Jim Robley who once again prefers the part-time option this season. As I mentioned in some earlier blog postings, the registration costs for the travel team will increase somewhat (from $415 last year to approximately $500 this season). That increase will be dedicated to more playing time (fewer players on the roster) as well as more indoor professional development sessions this winter. Like last year, players will also incur the regular OYA Pony League registration fee.

The creation of this second team was very important as it allowed for more players to play baseball—and it allowed for us to allocate most (all but one) of the returning Warriors to one team. If only one team had survived, 13 less players would play baseball and at least four of the returning Warriors would have been replaced with new players based upon the independent tryout evaluations. But, the creation of the second team was a challenge. First, there was the issue of identifying a qualified coach. Then, the roster needed to be populated with enough quality players—even after some of the top performing players at the tryouts were approached by other full-time travel teams.

The first two steps of this process went forward with relative ease. Then, we were faced with a barrier. Tim Swiontek was unable to identify an assistant coach to help with the team! As you know, having success with one of these travel teams takes considerable time—and this requires assistance from other qualified coaches. After calling the parents of each of the 13 players, the team still only had one coach! This lack of an assistant coach was going to be a deal-breaker for forming the second team.

I approached Dennis Bresingham (the coach) to see if he would be willing to assist Tim with the other Warriors’ team. Dennis has the coaching experience—and more importantly a shared philosophy regarding coaching youth sports—to be a valuable addition to that team. More significantly, Dennis then had to ask his son if he would be willing to move to the other team for the benefit of both Warriors teams.

As most of you would agree, last year’s season was a very special one for the Warriors. As a second-year Warrior, Dennis Bresingham was an important part of that. At considerable sacrifice, Dennis has agreed to move from our team to play with the new team. His sacrifice (along with his father’s willingness to coach) resulted in the creation of this second team, keeping the remainder of Warriors playing together, and allowing us to keep our existing coaching staff (Jim Waner, Paul Lebert and Rich Tannebaum) in place. Please join me in expressing appreciation to Dennis for his decision.

I’m really looking forward to coaching this group of players for another season. I’ll be in touch soon regarding an optional Fall workout/scrimmage session for our Warriors!

Here are the rosters:

13/14U Warriors- Tim Swiontek

Bresingham, Dennis
Davis, Justin
Dempsey, Tyler
Giron, A.J.
Gurgone, Matt
Guitierrez, Julian
LeVigne, Matt
McHale, Shawn
Murphy, Matt
O’Connor, Patrick
Sichelski, Trent
Struzik, Zach
Swiontek, Scott

13/14U Warriors- Glenn Nagel

Cardinal, Lance
Knightly, Ryan
Lauciello, Anthony
Lebert, Jack
Marc, Sam
Maxfield, Robbie
Novak, Ryan
Prendergast, Tim
Robley, Jim (part-time)
Tannebaum, Ryan
Ullrich, James
Waner, Jason

Please do not hesitate to contact me at 708-846-1466 (cell) with any questions or comments.

"The Summer of 2009"

As always, we went into this season with three goals for this team: to learn more about baseball, to have fun and to develop a positive attitude and respect for the game and all of its participants. This group of players not only accomplished these initial goals--they went beyond them. They developed a sense of confidence and poise.

There was an overriding goal which went unstated, but which helped set the tone for this season. That goal was to create an environment where players can create lasting memories--memories that they can draw back upon in the future that instill a sense of confidence and help build character.

In the end, I like to think of the whole approach as "The Summer of 2009". By that I mean that this is a special period in the lives of our players that only comes around once--and will never be repeated. There will only be one Summer of 2009. Coaches and parents are fortunate to be a part of it. I'm pleased that all of our coaches shared this philosophy and always acted in a positive manner to maximize each player's experience.

I want to thank all of our players, parents and coaches for your support during this season. Everyone came together to make this a special season--and it is one that I will never forget.

Glenn Nagel

Warriors Win Homer Tournament Championship!

Team Photo courtesy of Ann Bresingham

CLICK HERE for team and player statistics through Game #32 (FINAL 2009)

The Warriors capped off one of the most memorable baseball seasons ever with a tournament championship in Homer on Monday night! In typical fashion, the Warriors had to stage another come from behind victory in this final game of the 2009 season.

Bolingbrook struck first with a run in the top of the first inning. The damage could have been far worse, but Jason Waner struck out Bolingbrook's #6 hitter to leave two runners stranded in scoring position. The Warriors failed to score in the bottom of the inning despite having the first two hitters of the inning reach base.

Bolingbrook scored two more runs in the top of the second inning. After Jason Waner struck out the first two hitters, an infield error kept the inning alive for Bolingbrook. Two walks and a base hit later and the Warriors were down 3-0 in the game. But, Jason recovered to strike out another hitter to end the inning with two more runners left stranded in scoring position. Fortunately, leaving runners on base became a trend with Bolingbrook as it left 14 runners stranded in this game. Once again, the Warriors went down quickly in the bottom of the second inning.

Jason Waner had good stuff in this game. He threw a 1-2-3 inning in the third. Tim Prendergast had two assists from third base in this inning.

The Warriors came back with two runs in the bottom of the third inning. C.J. Brucki got things started for the Warriors with a towering double to deep centerfield. Ryan Novak singled sharply to leftfield. Tim Carroll then put the ball in play to bring C.J. in from third base. Lance Cardinal hit the ball down the third base line to score Ryan from third base. Dennis Bresingham lined a single into centerfield. The Warriors trailed by just one run as the game moved into the fourth inning.

The fourth inning opened with an infield error by the Warriors--followed by a double to rightfield to score the run. Bolingbrook now led the game by a score of 4-2. The Warriors scored three runs in the bottom of the frame to take a one run lead. After Robbie Maxfield reached base on an infield error and Jason Waner walked, Paco Lauciello hammered a triple to score both runners. Ryan Knightly then singled into leftfield to score Paco.

Bolingbrook regained the lead by scoring two runs in the top of the fifth inning. Once again, Jason Waner came up with the big strikeout as Bolingbrook left the bases loaded as the inning came to a close.

C.J. Brucki was hit by a pitch to lead off the bottom of the fifth inning. Ryan Novak singled. With two outs and a strike on the batter, the Warriors perfectly executed its "delayed steal of home plate" play. This is a play that the team has practiced--but is only used for special occasions. As the unsuspecting catcher tossed the ball back to the pitcher, C.J. Brucki ran hard from third base and slid into the plate before the pitcher could get the ball back to the catcher--to tie the ballgame! This rattled Bolingbrook's pitcher who then promptly walked the next two hitters. A wild pitch or two later and the Warriors held an 8-6 lead over Bolingbrook as the fifth inning came to an end.

Bolingbrook scored a run in the top of the sixth inning to make it an 8-7 game. But, the Warriors bats really came alive with five hits (including 3 extra base hits) in the bottom of the inning. Sam Marc doubled to centerfield before Paco Lauciello tripled him home. Ryan Knightly singled Paco home. With the bases loaded and two outs (and two strikes), Tim Carroll lined a triple down the rightfield line to score all three runners. This huge hit gave the Warriors the cushion it needed to hold the lead through the seventh, and final, inning of play.

Ryan Novak earned his third save of the season after holding Bolingbrook scoreless in the bottom of the seventh inning.

WARRIORS: 13 runs, 11 hits, 4 errors, 6 left on base
BOLINGBROOK: 7 runs, 8 hits, 3 errors, 14 left on base

Sportsmanship: Homer Tournament

One of our team goals is for "players and coaches...to respect the game, the opponent, the umpires and each other."

The sportsmanship exhibited by all participants in the 13U Homer Athletic Club Tournament was about as good as it gets. In particular, I was very impressed by the opposing coaches throughout this tournament. Much of this probably goes unnoticed from the stands. But, it is a positive story that should be told.

Examples of good sportsmanship included:

• Coaches voluntarily discussed the pitching limitation rules prior to each game. The idea was to avoid having a team take a forfeit due to an oversight in the number of inning pitched. In most tournaments, coaches hope to "catch" a manager who makes a mistake. That results in a forfeit victory, a suspension for the manager and a difficult situation for the manager who must then explain to his players why he lost the game. Our team helped the Darien manager by letting him know that he was about to experience a pitching violation (as he had an ineligible pitcher warming up on the mound). That manager was very, very grateful!
• In the pregame discussions, coaches talked about the importance of keeping the environment positive--so as not to ruin the experience for the players. Coaches and players met this commitment.
• The Bolingbrook players went above and beyond by congratulating our hitters after extra base hits. The third baseman went over to Paco Lauciello and Tim Carroll after their triples to congratulate them on those big hits.
• Coaches applauded great defensive plays by opposing players.

If only all of youth sports were conducted in this manner...

Rule Interpretation: Batter's Interference

During last night's semi-final game against Flossmoor, Ryan Tannebaum was called out for interference. The home plate umpire ruled that Ryan's foot touched home plate as he made contact with the baseball while he laid down a bunt down the third base line.

Between innings, I pointed out that merely touching the plate is not enough for a batter to be called out for interference. Rather, OBR Rule 6.05(a) specifically points out that a batter is out..."if he hits a ball with one or both feet on the ground entirely outside of the batter's box..." For purposes of this rule, the chalk outlining the box is considered to be inside the box. So, unless Ryan's foot was entirely outside of the box--not even the back of his heel being in contact with the chalk--the interference call was not proper.

Given that the chalk was within one inch of the plate, I highly doubt that Ryan had his entire left foot on the plate!

In any event, the base umpire came over and insisted that a hitter should be called out when his foot is in contact with the plate. Given that I already proved his interpretation of a previous rule (not allowing Jason Waner to take signs from the dugout) wrong, the umpire did not have much credibility with me.

After consulting with a number of umpiring authorities, it is clear that the umpires missed this interference call as well. One umpire mentioned that this is one of his top 25 baseball "myths".

To be called out, that foot must be ENTIRELY outside of the box when he contacts the pitch. "The toe could be on the plate and the heel could be touching the line of the box, which means that the foot is not entirely outside the box. The rule makes no statement about touching the plate."

Warriors to Play for Championship on Monday!

The Warriors will face Bolingbrook in the Championship Game of the Homer Athletic Club tournament on Monday, July 20th at 6:00 pm. Players should arrive at the field by 5:15 pm in their RED uniforms.

Pitchers are limited to 12 innings in the tournament and five innings in a game. Our remaining innings are as follows: Jason Waner (9), Ryan Novak (4), Lance Cardinal (5), Ryan Tannebaum (10), Everyone Else (12).

The Warriors will play all 13 available players for this final game. Only Jim Robley, who will be out of town, will be deactivated for the Championship Game.

GO WARRIORS!

Warriors Advance to Championship Game

CLICK HERE for team and player statistics through Game #31

The Warriors advanced to the Championship Game of the Homer Athletic Club tournament after defeating the Flossmoor Firebirds on Sunday night by a score of 12-6.

Flossmoor scored two runs in the top of the first inning and another two runs in the second inning to take a 4-0 lead over the Warriors into the third inning.

Ryan Novak entered the game in relief for the Warriors in the third inning. Ryan held the Firebirds to just two unearned runs in the remaining five innings of the ballgame. In his first four innings of work, he faced just one hitter (13) over the minimum. Ryan was awarded the game's MVP by the Flossmoor coaches for this outstanding pitching accomplishment along with his two hits, two runs scored and two runs batted in! His only out of the game came on a line out to the third baseman.

The Warriors' bats came alive in the bottom of the third inning. Jason Waner and Paco Lauciello each singled in runs in this four run inning which tied the game.

After Ryan Novak again held the Firebirds scoreless in the top of the fourth inning, the Warriors put another five runs on the board. C.J. Brucki doubled to deep centerfield to score two runs. Jim Robley lined a hit to leftfield to score C.J. Ryan Novak singled home Jim. The Warriors held a 9-4 lead as the game moved into its fifth inning of play.

With the assistance of some great defense, Ryan held the Firebirds scoreless in the top of the fifth and sixth innings. Ryan Knightly made some outstanding plays at first base--stretching for some high and wide throws and digging a few throws out of the dirt. Meanwhile, the Warriors tacked on insurance runs in each of these innings to extend its lead to 12-4.

Flossmoor scored two runs in the top of the seventh before Jack Lebert fielded a ground ball at second base to end the game.

WARRIORS: 12 runs, 8 hits, 2 errors, 7 left on base
FLOSSMOOR: 6 runs, 7 hits, 3 errors, 4 left on base

Darien Tops Warriors 13-8 in Shortened Game

CLICK HERE for team and player statistics through Game #30

The Darien Demons defeated the Warriors by a score of 13-8 in five innings in the completion of a rain suspended game on Sunday morning.

Earlier in the week, Darien scored a run in the top of the first inning. With two outs and a runner on first base, Darien's hitter tapped a one hopper back to the pitcher. After fumbling the ball, the Warriors' pitcher fired the ball down the rightfield line and the baserunner scored all the way from first base. This was an omen of how the Warriors would end up playing this game.

The Warriors scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning to take a 2-1 lead. Paco Lauciello hammered his 15th double of the season to score Robbie Maxfield. Sam Marc drove Paco home with a line drive single into rightfield.

After the first seven hitters reached base in the top of the second inning, the Warriors went to Ryan Novak as its relief pitcher. Ryan allowed just one more run to score in the inning and kept the Warriors in the game. The Warriors trailed by five runs as the team came to bat in the bottom of the second inning.

The Warriors scored five runs to tie the game in the bottom of the second inning. Tim Prendergast and Jack Lebert got things started with singles to centerfield. Dennis Bresingham and Robbie Maxfield reached base by getting hit by pitches--for the third and second time of the season, respectively. Jason Waner singled to centerfield to score two runs. Unfortunately, the Warriors left two runners stranded in scoring position with just one out in the heart of its order. This wouldn't be the last time for this to occur in this shortened game.

Darien regained the lead in the top of the third inning on two hits and an infield error. With runners on second and third base and one out, it started to rain. Before long the field became unplayable and the game was suspended until early on Sunday morning.

The game proceeded at 8:00 am this morning with Darien lining a hit into leftfield to score a run. The runner from second base was thrown out at home plate. But, the Warrriors now trailed 9-7.

The Warriors wasted a golden opportunity in the bottom of the third inning. Despite two hits and drawing three walks, the Warriors scored only one run! One runner was thrown out attempting to steal second base. And, the Warriors left three runners on base as the inning came to a close with a tapper right at the third baseman.

Ryan Tannebaum entered the game in relief in the fourth inning and held Darien scoreless despite another infield error by the Warriors. However, the Warriors failed to get the tying run home despite having Robbie Maxfield in scoring postion with no outs and the heart of the batting order coming to the plate.

Darien scored four more runs in the top of the fifth, and final, inning of play. A sequence of four hits (bloopers over the infield), a walk and two more errors put an end to the Warriors' hopes in this one.

Sam Marc was recognized by the Darien coaches as the game's most valuable player for reaching base in all three plate appearances (including two line drive singles) in this game.

DARIEN: 13 runs, 14 hits, 1 error, 7 left on base
WARRIORS: 8 runs, 9 hits, 5 errors, 9 left on base

Warriors Win Big Over Bolingbrook

CLICK HERE for team and player statistics through Game #29

The Warriors came from behind to win big over Bolingbrook in the second pool play game of the Homer Athletic Club Tournament.

The Warriors scored twice in the top of the first inning. The first two batters drew walks and later scored on a single to rightfield by Paco Lauciello and a ground out to shortstop from Sam Marc.

In the bottom of the first inning, six of Bolingbrook's first seven batters got hits! With one out, Bolingbrook had already scored five runs and had the bases loaded. Lance Cardinal entered the game in relief for the Warriors and struck out two hitters. Lance did not allow another run to score in the inning--keeping the Warriors very much alive in the game.

Lance Cardinal went onto pitch four more innings for the Warriors. He held the hard-hitting Bolingbrook team to just one run in his five innings of work! Lance also reached base and scored during all three of his plate appearances. As a result of his game-changing performance, the Bolingbrook coaches awarded Lance with the game's MVP medallion during the post game ceremony.

In the meantime, the Warriors continued to score runs in each of the six innings of the ballgame. The Warriors scored three runs in the second inning to tie the game. Jim Robley, Ryan Novak and Robbie Maxfield each had hits in this inning. Ryan Tannebaum also had a timely one out ground ball to third base to score Ryan Novak from third base.

The Warriors scored the lead run in the third inning when Paco Lauciello slammed a double to deep rightfield--his 14th double of the season. He later scored on Sam Marc's single to leftfield. The Warriors led 6-5 in the third inning.

The Warriors scored two more runs in the fourth inning. Lance Cardinal and Robbie Maxfield both had key hits in the inning.

Three more runs scored in the fifth inning as a result of three walks followed by a two run single off the bat of Jim Robley.

The Warriors blew the game open with a six run sixth inning. Paco Lauciello had the big single to rightfield to score two more runs. Paco had three solid hits to the opposite field during this game.

Ryan Novak closed the game out for the Warriors--holding Bolingbrook scoreless in the bottom of the final inning.

WARRIORS: 17 runs, 10 hits, 1 error, 7 left on base
BOLINGBROOK: 6 runs, 11 hits, 3 errors, 10 left on base

Betting on the Rules

The Homer tournament has a very unusual rule--one that I have never seen before! Managers can protest a call. That call cannot be an umpire's judgment call--it must be in how a rule is interpreted. However, the manager must deposit $50 cash at the time of the protest. If the protest is upheld, the money is returned. If the protest is denied, the team loses its $50! Thankfully, my knowledge of the rules is reasonably strong!

A Talk with the Umpires...

After tonight's suspended game, I talked at length with the umpiring crew (a group of about six or seven umpires from the various fields) about some of the balk and other warnings issued to our team during the game.

Although I'm convinced that their interpretation of the rules is incorrect under Official Baseball Rules ("OBR"), the umpires contend that Homer utilizes Official Pony League Rules. They claim that all of these points of contention are issues that are interpreted differently under these Pony League Rules.

OYA uses Official Baseball Rules--with just a few exceptions for obvious items such as the continuous batting order and smaller field dimensions. So, it is possible that the Pony League Rules that these umpires refer to differ from OBR--although I doubt it very much.

I'm told that the umpires will bring their Pony League rule book with them on Saturday to show me the rules that they are siting. For example, they claim that not only is it a balk for the pitcher to not take signs from the catcher--but that the consequence is that the batter is awarded first base! Yet, Scott Ehret, the author of the "Umpire's Guide" writes that "...nothing in the rulebook prevents the pitcher from taking signs from his catcher, coach, father or favorite pet..." There were so many other strange intepretations of the rules that it felt like they were speaking an entirely different language!

The $50 challenge isn't always an effective option either. If the umpire wins, he keeps my $50. If the umpire loses, I get my $50 back. That doesn't sound like much of a bet.

Warriors Struggle Against Darien

Maybe it is a good thing that the remainder of the Darien game will be played on a new day! The Warriors really struggled in this one. The game will pick up right where it ended--with Darien leading 8-7 and batting with runners on second and third base with one out in the top of the third inning. The count is 2-1 with 39 minutes remaining within the time limit.

The Warriors committed three errors, and allowed four walks and seven hits in just over two innings of play. Within two innings, the team failed to execute a rundown, allowed runners to advance on a missed cut and failed to cover a base on a pick-off throw!

Fortunately, the Warriors offense kept the team in the game. The Warriors had six hits in two innings. Run scoring hits included a double by Paco Lauciello, a single by Sam Marc, a base hit by Ryan Tannebaum, and a two run single to centerfield by Jason Waner.

Also, Ryan Novak entered the game in the top of the second inning with the bases loaded and one out with Darien's clean-up hitter at the plate. Paco Lauciello immediately threw down to first base to pick the runner off for the second out. Ryan then struck out the hitter to end the inning.

This game will be completed on Sunday morning. It will go at least five innings regardless of the time limit to be considered official. If the time limit is reached before the fifth inning is completed, the remaining innings will be played under California rules. Under this scenario, the last out of the remaining inning starts on second base, one out is charged to the offense to start the inning and each batter starts with a count of 1-1.

Westside Warriors

Our Orland Park Warriors have experienced a successful season so far. Overall, our team has won over 60% of its games (17-11). Its Chicagoland Metro League record is 8-4 (with two of those four losses coming in the last day of the season in a doubleheader at South Cicero). The team is 6-4 in tournament play and 4-3 against full-time travel teams. Many of the games have been closely contested...our team has only been blown out once or twice all season.

A NIML tournament is underway this week. 26 travel teams are participating in this tournament. Only 5 of the 26 teams were undefeated (3-0) in pool play in this tournament. One of those teams is the Westside Warriors.

Our Orland Park Warriors defeated the Westside Warriors by a score of 9-5 in the Oak Lawn Westside tournament a few weeks ago! The head coach of the Westside Warriors told me that his team had no excuses for the game...our team just put a pounding on them.

Our Warriors should be proud of the success it has had during the 2009 season. Our group of 14 players have focused on improving their skills and have successfully competed against opponents of various levels.

Baseball & Ice Cream on Monday

The Warriors will practice at Humphrey #2 on Monday, July 13th from 5:45 until 7:15 pm followed by ice cream at Cupid Candies located just east of LaGrange Road on 143rd Street. This practice will be devoted exclusively to hitting!

Baseball's Elusive Triple Crown

One of the most difficult feats in all of sports is to win baseball's "Triple Crown". A batter is recognized with the Triple Crown when he leads his league in three major offensive categories at the end of a regular season: home runs, runs batted in, and batting average.

The last player to win the Triple Crown was Carl Yastrzemski ("Yaz") of the Boston Red Sox. Yaz accomplished this feat back in 1967. Frank Robinson of the Baltimore Orioles won the Triple Crown the year before (1967). Although the Triple Crown was awarded in those two consecutive years, no player has accomplished this feat in the 42 seasons since then!

Carl Yastrzemski

We've talked a lot about Ted Williams during this season. Ted Williams is one of only two players in baseball history to win the Triple Crown twice in his career. The only other player to do this was Rogers Hornsby of the St. Louis Cardinals back in the 1920's. The National League has not had a Triple Crown winner since 1937.

Ryan Knightly of the 2009 Warriors leads the team in two of these three offensive categories: home runs (2) and runs batted in (42). He trails Paco Lauciello in the third category, batting average, by 51 points with one week to go in the season. It's a difficult task leading a single team in all three categories--let alone also leading an entire league!

Ryan Knightly

Warriors Beat Jackie Robinson 14-8

CLICK HERE for team and player statistics through Game #27.

The Warriors defeated Jackie Robinson West ("JRW") by a score of 14-8 on Sunday morning to win two of three pool games in the Oak Lawn Thunderstruck tournament. However, unless Glen Ellyn wins a doubleheader today, the Warriors will be eliminated from the tournament--earning the #2 seed in the bracket for the second consecutive tournament.

The Warriors jumped in front with three runs in the first inning. Robbie Maxfield led off the game with a line drive down the leftfield line and later scored on Paco Lauciello's two run double to deep centerfield. Paco drove in four runs in the game and now ranks second on the team with 36 RBI for the season--six behind Ryan Knightly, the team leader in that category.

JRW came right back with two runs in the bottom of the frame. The Warriors went down quickly in the top of the second inning before JRW scored three runs to take a 5-3 lead after two innings of play.

The Warriors scored three runs in the third inning after Paco Lauciello singled to leftfield to drive home two more runs. Ryan Knightly reached safely on a swinging bunt to score Paco. The Warriors led JRW by a run (6-5) as the game advanced to the bottom of the third inning.

Jason Waner held JRW scoreless in the bottom of the third inning. C.J. Brucki threw a runner out on an attempted steal of third base in the inning.

The Warriors extended its lead to 8-5 in the top of the fourth inning after drawing two walks (Jack Lebert and Tim Carroll). Both runners were aggressive on the base paths and ultimately scored on wild pitches. JRW tied the game after scoring three runs in the bottom of the inning. The first runner reached base on a single that took a bad hop and struck the shortstop, Sam Marc, in the face. Two walks and a hit batsman later and JRW was back in the ballgame.

JRW's pitcher had control problems in the top of the fifth inning. The Warriors drew five walks in the inning. Jack Lebert, Ryan Novak and Ryan Knightly each had base hits in the inning. With Ryan Knightly on first base, Paco Lauciello scored from third base on a passed ball. As Paco was sliding into home, the catcher's throw hit him hard in the chest and the ball deflected back to the fence. Ryan Knightly scored all the way from first on the play. Paco suffered an injury on the play and was removed from the game. Fortunately, he'll be OK and ready to play again in Wednesday's game.

Ryan Novak made quick work of the fifth, and final, inning of play. He recorded his 33rd strikeout of the season for the last out as the game ended due to the two hour time limitation rule.

WARRIORS: 14 runs, 7 hits, 3 errors, 6 left on base
JACKIE ROBINSON: 8 runs, 5 hits, 1 error, 7 left on base

Fun Facts

Following are a few fun facts from the Warriors' statistics through 27 games:

• Paco Lauciello's batting average (.538), on-base % (.596), and extra base hits (15) leads all Warriors' players over the past two seasons.
• The 2009 Warriors' team batting average of .332 is 59 points higher than last year's team. Additionally, this year's team has already drawn 51 walks more than last year's team--resulting in a 92 point (or 24%) improvement in on-base percentage over last season.
• The "bean balls" are even. Warriors batters have been hit 14 times this season. Warriors pitchers have hit 14 opposing batters.
• The Warriors have drawn 42% more walks than its opponents.
• The Warriors have used 11 different pitchers this season. However, two pitchers have accounted for over half of the innings pitched: Ryan Novak and Jason Waner.
• The Warriors have outscored its opponents 282 to 220 for the season.
• 30% of the runs allowed for the season have been unearned--or a result of fielding errors.
• 78% of the runs scored for the season were driven in by Warriors hitters. 22% scored as a result of fielding errors, wild pitches or passed balls.
• Every Warriors' player has scored at least 8 runs. All but one player has scored at least 13 runs.
• Warriors pitchers average 4.6 strikeouts per game.
• The Warriors pitching staff has three complete games this season. Ryan Novak is the only pitcher to throw a complete game in each of the last two seasons.
• Many of the Warriors' wins have been decided at the end of the game or were one sided games. Of the 16 wins, only 4 resulted in save opportunities.

Warriors Set Offensive Records in Win Over Glen Ellyn

CLICK HERE to team and player statistics through Game #26.

The Warriors pounded out 22 runs in five innings to defeat Glen Ellyn in the second game of pool play in the Oak Lawn Thunderstruck tournament.

The Warriors offense started off slowly--going scoreless in the first inning. But, Jim Robley's two out double down the leftfield line with with the bases loaded in the top of the second inning got the ball rolling. Jim's double was the first of ten consecutive two out hits before the streak was finally broken when the shortstop made an error! By the time the inning was over, the Warriors had 13 hits (including five doubles) and 13 runs.

Jim Robley led the Warriors' offense in this game with three hits, two doubles, two runs scored and two RBI. Other Warriors' batters with at least two hits in the game included Jason Waner, Sam Marc, C.J. Brucki, Paco Lauciello and Ryan Novak.

The Warriors' starting pitcher, Jason Waner, kept Glen Ellyn's offense in check. Jason allowed one run in his three innings of work. Ryan Novak pitched the final two innings and allowed just one run while striking out four hitters. The Warriors kept its slim hopes of advancing to the tournament's championship game alive by holding Glen Ellyn to two runs in the ballgame.

Glen Ellyn's defense broke down in the fourth inning as the Warriors scored another six runs on just two hits. The Warriors scored three more runs in the fifth, and final, inning of play. The game ended after five innings as the mercy rule was administered.

WARRIORS: 22 runs, 19 hits, 1 error, 10 left on base
GLEN ELLYN: 2 runs, 7 hits, 7 errors, 5 left on base

Homer Tournament Schedule Now Available

The Warriors will conclude the 2009 season with the Homer Athletic Club Tournament which will begin on Wednesday, July 15th. The tournament schedule is now available through the "Schedule" link located on the right column of the team's website.

2010 14U Warriors: Update

Members of the OYA Board agree with our proposal to keep the 14U Warriors as a part-time travel team--one in which the players also play on a Pony League recreational team and in which the Warriors continue to participate in the Chicagoland Metro League and various in-house all-star tournaments. CLICK HERE to learn more about the 14U Warriors.

I am also pleased to have been approved to coach the 14U Warriors in 2010.

Open tryouts will be held for all roster spots on Saturday, August 22nd at 10:00 am on Centennial #5. An alternate tryout date is scheduled for Saturday, August 29th at 10:00 am on Centennial #5. The tryouts are expected to run about two hours--with some additional time for those players interested in pitching and/or catching.

Between three and five independent evaluators have been assigned to assess performance during both tryouts. These evaluators include members of the OYA Board as well as two head coaches from other Warriors' teams.

We expect the final roster to be announced by September 2, 2009.

Please do not hestitate to contact me at 708-846-1466 (cell) or email me at gnagel60@comcast.net with any questions or comments.

Glenn Nagel

7th Inning Meltdown Sinks Warriors

CLICK HERE for team and player statistics through Game #25.

The Oak Lawn Thunder scored 11 runs in the seventh inning to defeat the Warriors by a score of 16-6 in the opening game of the Thunderstruck tournament on Thursday night.

The Warriors went into this game shorthanded. Two of the team's most experienced pitchers and one of its catchers were unavailable. Ryan Novak (his 46.3 innings pitched ranks highest on the team) jammed two fingers on his throwing hand while Jason Waner (his 42.0 innings pitched ranks second on the team) was unavailable due to a scheduling conflict. This is a very difficult tournament to be down pitchers as the tournament enforces a 3 inning limit per pitcher in a game. The Warriors started its third most experienced pitcher, Lance Cardinal (34.3 innings pitched)--but Lance lasted just one out in the first inning before leaving the game with some stiffness in his right arm. However, the Warriors got strong performances out of Ryan Tannebaum and Jim Robley through six innings of play.

The Thunder struck first with three runs in the top of the first inning. Two of the runs came on a towering home run over the leftfield fence. The Warriors chipped away with a run in the bottom of the inning when Ryan Knightly tapped an infield hit past the pitcher to score Robbie Maxfield.

Ryan Tannebaum held the Thunder scoreless in the top of the second and third innings. The Warriors then scored three runs in the bottom of the third inning to take a 4-3 lead. Sam Marc and Paco Lauciello singled before Tim Prendergast lined a double into centerfield. Jack Lebert grounded sharply to third base to get the third run of the inning home.

The Thunder regained the lead by scoring two runs in the top of the fourth inning. The inning ended on a spectacular diving catch by Robbie Maxfield at second base.

Jim Robley held the Thunder scoreless in the fifth and sixth innings. He struck out the side in the fifth inning. After the lead off hitter walked in the top of the sixth inning, Sam Marc made a nice catch at third base on a line drive and then alertly fired to first base to complete the double play. Jim Robley then struck out the next hitter to end the inning.

The Warriors scored two runs in the bottom of of the fifth inning to take a 6-5 lead. Consecutive hits by Paco Lauciello, Ryan Knightly, Tim Prendergast and Jack Lebert fueled the rally. The inning ended when Tim was thrown out at third base attempting to advance on a wild pitch.

The game moved into the seventh, and final, inning of play with the Warriors holding a one run lead. But, six walks, five hits and a fielding error led to the most runs allowed by a Warriors' team since the Wilmington road game played over a year ago. The Warriors went through three pitchers in the inning before the Thunder's batter intentionally struck out to end the Warriors' misery. The Warriors went down quickly in the bottom of the seventh inning.

One of the bright spots in this ballgame was the play of Sam Marc. From the pre-game drills through every pitch in the game, Sam was focused and aggressive on defense. He reached base twice in the game and scored a run. He also made some nice defensive plays--including a big double play in the sixth inning. Sam has shown great progress over the past several games by staying more attentive--and putting in a strong effort to maximize his natural talent. The coaches are proud of his progress and expect him to be a force in the remaining tournament games.


OAK LAWN THUNDER: 16 runs, 10 hits, 0 errors, 4 left on base
WARRIORS: 6 runs, 9 hits, 1 error, 6 left on base

You Make the Call (Part 17)

Q #17: With a runner on first base and 1 out, the batter hits a pop up right to the second baseman. The second baseman gets under the ball and then backs up a few steps to let the ball fall to the ground untouched in front of him. He then turns the easy double play--second to first. What would you call? Infield fly rule? Double play? Just one out--which runners?

A #17:: Double play. The infield fly rule does not apply here as first base is the only base occupied. The intentionally dropped rule does not apply here as the fielder never touched the ball. The play stands.

2010 14U Warriors

Based upon the feedback from many of the parents last night, I have proposed to the OYA Board that the Pony League (13 and 14 year olds) continue its Warriors' program in a manner very similar to how it has operated over the past two seasons.

Although a move towards a full-time travel program for OYA might make sense for the younger age groups, it is my opinion (and also the opinion of many of our parents) that the current part-time travel option (with players also participating in the recreational league) is most appropriate for the older players for the following reasons:

• OYA's Pony League is much smaller than the younger leagues. Removing 14 of its most talented players from the league (and potentially up to 28 players if a 13 year old Warriors' team is formed) would destroy the recreational league--making it just a shell of what it is today. With the creation of full-time travel teams, the Pony League could lose up to 20% of its players!
• Several of our players have fathers who are coaching or assisting teams in our recreational league. With the formation of a full-time travel team, players are not eligible to participate in the recreational league so it is likely that the Pony League would lose a large number of excellent coaches and assistants. I'm probably missing some names, but at least 8 fathers of Warriors' players are actively and effectively participating in the OYA Pony League!
• Our Warriors players provide excellent examples for other OYA recreational players. Having Warriors on recreational teams throughout the league elevates the play of all 135 players in the Pony League.
• Our Warriors benefit by playing in the recreational league as they gain valuable experience playing positions (e.g. pitching) that they might not necessarily get as often as a member of the travel team.
• One of the stated goals of using the full-time travel team option to develop players for high school baseball doesn't necessarily apply to all of the Warriors--a third of which will already be in high school in 2010.
• The Warriors are already slated for an appropriate level of competition in the Chicagoland Metro League and the in-house tournaments. If we move to the full-time travel option, the team is no longer eligible to participate in the Metro League or the in-house tournaments. I think our overall record (14-10) as well as the number of very close games shows that this is the appropriate level of competition for our team at this time.
• As younger full-time Warriors' teams advance through the years, it will make sense for the Pony League to move in that direction at some point. I would estimate that this will take between two and three seasons.

A few other things are changing whether the team moves forward as a full-time or remains as a part-time travel team:

• All coaches will be subject to approval by the Board on an annual basis. The criteria for approval (i.e., baseball knowledge, ability to communicate with players, sportsmanship) is much stricter than in the past to ensure a positive experience for all Warriors' players. I have expressed my interest in coaching the 14U Warriors for 2010. The head coach will be named prior to the tryouts as that is clearly a factor for many parents and players.
• The registration fee for this year's team was $415. The estimated fee for the full-time travel option is just under $1,000. If the 14U team remains as a part-time travel team, the registration fee would land much closer to $415 than the $1,000 amount. However, I would propose increasing it somewhat to fund more development options for our players (i.e., creating individual development--hitting and pitching-- action plans with the assistance of professional baseball instructors as needed).
• Open tryouts for all roster spots will be held on an annual basis. The tryout evalations will be conducted by an independent team assigned by the OYA Board. An independent tryout helps to ensure that all players (those currently on the team as well as new players who wish to play for the team) are evaluated in an objective manner. Our existing coaches, including me, are too close to the current players to make that objective assessment. These tryouts are preliminarily scheduled for August 22nd and August 29th.

Please do not hesitate to call me at 708-846-1466 with any questions or comments. I will also be available after tonight's practice if you wish to discuss this further.

Southside Express 5, Warriors 3

CLICK HERE for team and player statistics through Game #24.

The Southside Express A team defeated the Warriors by a score of 5-3 at Centennial #3 on Tuesday night.

The Warriors struck first with a run in the bottom of the first inning on a single to leftfield off the bat of Sam Marc. That was Sam's 22nd RBI of the season--ranked 3rd on the team. However, the Warriors left the bases loaded when the SSE's leftfielder made a running catch down the leftfield line to end the inning.

The Warriors starting pitcher, Lance Cardinal, did not allow a run through his first three innings of work. He was assisted by some baserunning blunders by the Southside Express. SSE had a runner thrown out or picked off a base at least once in each of the first five innings of play!

SSE scored two runs in the top of the fourth inning to take a 2-1 lead over the Warriors. The Warriors continued to leave runners on base. By the end of the game, the Warriors stranded 12 runners!

The Warriors tied the game in the bottom of the fifth inning when Jason Waner singled to centerfield and later scored on a base hit to leftfield by Paco Lauciello.

The SSE scored took the lead on a two run homer over the centerfield fence in the top of the sixth inning. The Warriors closed the deficit to just one run when Lance Cardinal singled to centerfield to score Jack Lebert who had singled to rightfield earlier in the inning. But, the Warriors stranded two more runners in scoring position as the inning came to an end with the score 4-3 in favor of the Southside Express.

The SSE scored an important insurance run in the top of the seventh inning. The inning ended with the three runners on base when Sam Marc fielded a ground ball at third base and fired home to Paco Lauciello for the force out.

Jason Waner drew a walk in the bottom of the seventh inning to bring the tying run to the plate. But, Brad Jerantowski, the SSE closer, struck out the last two hitters to end the game.

Game Notes:

• Lance Cardinal threw the first complete game of his career. This was the third consecutive complete game by the Warriors' pitching staff!
• The Warriors had a season high 11 strikeouts on offense in this game.
• The SSE had at least one runner picked off or thrown out attempting to steal in each of the first five innings.
• Neither team committed an error in the ballgame.

SSE A: 5 runs, 12 hits, 0 errors, 9 left on base
WARRIORS: 3 runs, 7 hits, 0 errors, 12 left on base

You Make the Call (Part 16)

Q #16: With a count of 1-1, a right-handed batter properly takes his stance within the batter's box. However, as he strides to hit the pitch, most of his front (left) foot lands outside the batter's box--only a small portion of his heel is touching the chalk line that marks the batter's box as the bat makes contact with the ball. The ball ends up getting hit into the stands in foul territory. Is this a strike or an out? You make the call.

A #16:: This is a foul ball...strike. A batter should only be called out if his foot is entirely out of the batter's box when making contact with the ball. The chalk is considered to be in the batter's box.

OYA Announces Warriors' Program Plans for 2010

OYA has announced the creation of a "Competitive Development Program" for players beginning in 2010. Although I had heard rumors of such a plan, I didn't realize that this was official until I viewed the OYA main website this morning.

CLICK HERE for details regarding this new program.

Apparently, open tryouts for the 14U team will be held on August 22nd and August 29th. Further details will follow.

I have placed calls to members of the OYA Board to learn more about specifically how this will impact the 14U Warriors for the upcoming season. I will share any further information as soon as I receive it.

I am very interested in your thoughts about this new program. Please do not hesitate to call me (708-846-1466) with any questions or comments. I will also be available after Tuesday night's game and Wednesday night's practice for anyone who wishes to talk in person about this.

In any event, there isn't much time left in the 2009 season. Let's enjoy the rest of this season before getting too caught up in the next one.

You Make the Call (Part 15)

Q #15: With a count of 1-2 and 1 out, the batter swing and misses at a high fastball that hits him in the shoulder. The ball deflects to the screen and the runner from third base easily advances to cross home plate. Is this is hit batsman? A strikeout? Does the run count? You make the call.

A #15:: As soon as the batter is hit by a pitch, the ball is dead. So, no runners may advance on the play. Send the runner back to third base. If a batter swings and misses, it is a strike. The batter is out on strikes. This is a dead ball strike. We now have two outs and a runner on third base. Play ball.

Warriors Win One and Lose One--Both One Run Games!

CLICK HERE for team and player statistics through Game #23.

The Warriors advanced out of pool play and into the Oak Lawn Westside tournament's playoffs after beating Wheaton by a score of 3-2 in seven innings.

The Warriors took a one run lead in the top of the second inning when Tim Carroll grounded to shortstop to score Ryan Knightly from third base. Jason Waner pitched another gem for the Warriors and held Wheaton scoreless through the first two innings. Wheaton scored a run in the bottom of the third inning to tie the game 1-1.

Controversy erupted in the top of the fourth inning. With runners on first and second base and one out, the Warriors executed a hit and run play in which Ryan Knightly singled to leftfield to score Robbie Maxfield from second base. However, the play was nullified when Ryan was called out for interference for hitting the pitch while stepping outside of the batter's box. Both runners were sent back to their original positions. The larger issue was that the batter's box was not properly marked on the field. Under Official Baseball Rules, the batter's box should have been extended two feet closer to the pitcher. I asked the umpire to get a ruling from the tournament director on this critical call, but that request was denied. After the inning was over and the Warriors failed to score, the tournament director confirmed that the batter's box as drawn should have been ignored for purposes of interference calls--but that clarification came too late. The batter's boxes were subsequently erased from all fields of play.

The Warriors would not score again until the seventh, and final, inning of play. Meanwhile, Wheaton scored the leading run in the bottom of the sixth to take a 2-1 lead into the last inning.

The Warriors rallied in the final inning. Jason Waner started things with a walk. Ryan Knightly singled to centerfield to score Jason. Sam Marc singled to rightfield. Ryan Knightly then scored when the catcher threw down to first base on a dropped third strike. The Warriors led 3-2 as the game moved into the bottom of the seventh inning.

The Warriors' starting pitcher, Jason Waner, was still in the game and going strong. After striking out the first two batters, he walked Wheaton's #2 hitter. The Warriors successfully executed a pitch out to retire the runner who was attempting to steal second to end the game.

WARRIORS: 3 runs, 7 hits, 2 errors, 6 left on base
WHEATON: 2 runs, 5 hits, 0 errors, 9 left on base

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The Southside Express (SSE) then eliminated the Warriors in an exciting 8-7 game at 11:15 am at Worthbrook Park.

The SSE scored twice in the top of the first inning, but left two runners stranded as the inning came to a close. The Warriors battled back with three runs in the bottom of the frame on a RBI single by Ryan Knightly and a two run hit into rightfield off the bat of Jack Lebert.

The Warriors' starting pitcher, Ryan Novak, settled in and held the SSE scoreless in the second inning after striking out two hitters in the inning. The Warriors, however, would not score again until the bottom of the sixth inning!

The SSE Express added two runs in the third inning and three runs in the top of the sixth inning to take an 8-4 lead into the final inning of play.

Anthony Lauciello tripled to deep centerfield to start the seventh inning. After Sam Marc reached on an infield error, C.J. Brucki was hit by a pitch. Tim Carroll represented the tying run for the Warriors. Tim reached with two outs on a batted ball that went through the SSE's second baseman. Tim stole second base. With the runner in motion from scoring position and two strikes on the batter, the game ended on a strikeout.

The SSE starting pitcher and former Warrior, Matt Taylor, had a very impressive performance and pitched all the way into the seventh inning (with one out) before he was relieved.

Ryan Novak pitched a courageous game. He battled through a lot of adversity over seven innings during the second game of a doubleheader. He never quit--retiring the key hitters in big innings to keep the Warriors in the game. In a rare achievement, the Warriors' starting pitchers threw two complete games in the same day--a feat probably never before accomplished in the history of OYA baseball!


SSE: 8 runs, 11 hits, 3 errors, 10 left on base
WARRIORS: 7 runs, 5 hits, 2 errors, 5 left on base