A Few Softball Photos from Last Night

Despite all of the rain, my niece was able to play her OYA softball game last night as the infield is all gravel. CLICK HERE if you would like to see my photographs from the game.

It's Been a Rainy Month

Once again, April has been a rainy month with many baseball event cancellations. One of these years, the Pony baseball season will finally get pushed back a week so that players can experience the joy of playing baseball in the sun. After all, it is a summer game.

I've had a little more free time for photography as a result of these cancellations. CLICK HERE to view a few rural landscape photos (mostly flooded farm fields from the Monee area) captured earlier today.

Pizza on Saturday

STATUS UPDATE:
Anne Lebert has volunteered to bring pizzas and soft drinks to Junior Diggins after our pitching clinic this Saturday. Please respond to her email so that so we know how many people will be staying and how much to order.

Also, please note that this is not an item covered within our team's budget. Please bring some cash to reimburse Anne for these expenses. I'm estimating about $5 per person---but Anne will provide me with the final cost once we order the food and drinks.

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I thought it might be a good idea to bring some pizzas and soft drinks into Junior Diggins for the players and parents after the pitching clinic on Saturday. The pitching clinic will end around 5:30 pm.

If anyone (preferably two people) is interested in volunteering to coordinate this, please let me know. It would involve distributing an email to the parents/players to find out how many people (including parents) would like to stay for pizza, collecting the money, ordering the pizza (Costco) and bringing the pizzas and a cooler of soft drinks to the facility. The cost would be minimal--probably well under $10 total per family (or under $5 per individual player).

Flossmoor Game is Cancelled

STATUS UPDATE (as of 10:40 am):
I just received a call from the Flossmoor coach. It started raining at the field. The coach said the fields are now unplayable and they've stopped working on them. We'll try to reschedule this game (as a future doubleheader) for later in the season.
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The Warriors will open the Chicagoland Metro League season at Flossmoor on Sunday, April 26th at 1:00 pm. Players should arrive at the field by 12:15 pm for pregame warm-ups. We will be wearing our RED uniforms. The deactivated players for this game include Lance Cardinal and Tim Prendergast.

The Flossmoor manager provided the following directions to the field:

1. Take Interstate 80 to Kedzie Avenue
2. Go south on Kedzie Avenue to Flossmoor Road
3. Go east on Flossmoor Road
4. Stay on Flossmoor Road until you pass under the train tracks
5. The field will then be located on the north side Flossmoor Road...just past the train tracks
6. I believe the park is called "Flossmoor Park"

I'll have my cell phone (708-846-1466) with me, so please call me if you have trouble finding the park.

An Afternoon at the Friendly Confines

With coaching two teams (only to be topped by Coach Jim Waner who coaches three teams!), last Thursday was a rare open day. I took the opportunity to go to Wrigley Field to watch the Cubs play the Reds.

Photography happens to be another one of my interests. I brought my camera to the game even though I knew that my grandstand seats would make it impossible to capture any action shots. Instead, I took some pictures of some of the scenes in and around the park that afternoon.

CLICK HERE if you would like to view the photographs.

Warriors Bounce Back

The Warriors dialed in an appropriate level of intensity for Friday night's scrimmage against the New Lenox Celtics. Players were attentive and supportive of their teammates.

The Warriors went with four pitchers in this scrimmage: Jason Waner, Lance Cardinal, Ryan Novak and Anthony Lauciello.

Jason Waner threw two innings and allowed one unearned run. He struck three hitters out during his second inning of work. Lance Cardinal pitched a scoreless third inning, but ran into trouble in the fourth inning. With the bases loaded and one out, Ryan Novak entered the game in relief and retired the next two hitters to get out of the jam. He allowed three runs in the fifth inning, but did not get rattled despite walking two hitters on some very close pitches. Anthony Lauciello pitched a scoreless sixth inning. Overall, the pitching staff allowed six runs in six innings. The staff allowed 8 walks and struck out 6 hitters in the game.

Robbie Maxfield led the offense from his lead off spot--reaching base three times in the game. Other hitters to reach base more than once included Jim Robley, Lance Cardinal, C.J. Brucki, Jason Waner and Jack Lebert. Game changing hits included Lance Cardinal's two run single to leftfield in the first inning and Jason Waner's bunt down the third base line to lead off the sixth inning. Anthony Lauciello also smashed a base hit to centerfield in the third inning and later scored. Overall, the offense scored 8 runs on 6 hits. The Warriors drew 7 walks and 1 hit batsman (Jason Waner) in the contest.

Baserunning was much improved during this scrimmage. The Warriors put pressure on the Celtics' defense. That pressure started early when Jim Robley tagged and scored in the first inning on a pop up to the second baseman. Coach Tannebaum's aggressiveness at third base paid off for the Warriors.

The team made good progress during this scrimmage and bounced back from a very disappointing performance in its previous game against the Hurricanes.

Fergie Jenkins on Channel 11: Update

Ferguson Jenkins is one of the baseball players we've discussed during our practices. Fergie appeared in an in-depth interview with John Callaway on Channel 11 (WTTW) on Friday, April 17th.

Update:
I had a chance to watch Ferguson Jenkins' appearance on WTTW. Most of the discussion was about his early life, the tragedies that he's faced throughout his life, and his experiences with racial issues while playing baseball in the 1960's.

Fergie mentioned that he didn't start pitching until the age of 16! As a Canadian, he was mostly interested in hockey and also played a lot of basketball when he was young.

He did talk about the differences between a thrower and a pitcher--and how pitchers are able to change speed and location to get hitters out. He talked about how he would routinely throw 165 pitches a game--something unheard of today.

Finally, he shared a funny story about Willie McCovey--one of the great lefthanded hitters of his day. Fergie said that Willie McCovey was one of the hitters who he had a lot of trouble getting out. McCovey once hit a homerun in San Francisco off Jenkins that may have gone over 600 feet.

The next time that Ferguson Jenkins and the Cubs visited San Francisco, the phone rang in Fergie's hotel room. Fergie's roommate, the great Ernie Banks (known as Mr. Cub) answered the phone. Ernie told Fergie that the concierge wanted to let him know that his limo was ready. Fergie said that he didn't reserve a limo. Ernie then mentioned that Willie McCovey had the limo sent to the hotel so that Fergie wouldn't be late for the game. Jenkins was scheduled to be the starting pitcher that afternoon and McCovey wanted to be sure to hit against him!

Of course, Fergie wasn't the only pitcher who had trouble retiring Willie McCovey. McCovey eventually entered baseball's Hall of Fame. And, a section of the San Francisco Bay located just beyond the rightfield wall of the stadium is named after him (McCovey Bay).

Warriors Struggle in Third Scrimmage

In Friday night's scrimmage against the Hurricanes, the Warriors held a 2-0 lead with two outs in the fifth inning. From that point on, things fell apart. The Hurricanes scored 6 runs in the fifth and added 2 more in the sixth inning. The Warriors scored once more in the bottom of the seventh. The scrimmage ended with a score of 8-3 in favor of the Hurricanes.

The Warriors went with six pitchers in the scrimmage: Lance Cardinal, Ryan Novak, Jimmy Robley, C.J. Brucki (2 innings), Anthony Lauciello and Sam Marc. For the most part, the pitching was OK. Lance Cardinal walked three hitters in the first inning, but did not allow a run. After the first inning, the Warriors walked just three hitters over the next six innings. At least four defensive errors contributed to the eight runs allowed.

I expect our team to take its lumps as we allow pitchers with very little experience to develop their skills during these scrimmages. Overall, our pitching staff is showing more promise than I would have expected at this stage of the season. Our main objective at this point is to throw strikes--and we are accomplishing that.

The Hurricanes did hammer out 11 hits versus just 3 hits for the Warriors. Robbie Maxfield lined a double into leftfield to start the game and Sam Marc later drove him home with an infield grounder. Ryan Knightly lined a single in the centerfield to start the second inning and scored while C.J. Brucki was caught in a rundown. The final hit did not take place until the seventh inning when Ryan Novak singled sharply to centerfield. Clearly, it's going to take more than three hits to win ballgames. Our upcoming hitting clinic is one of the scheduled events that should help us out.

The defense fell apart during this game. Some basic fundamentals such as the drop step were not executed. Our infielders also had trouble fielding several ground balls.

Baserunning was a problem once again. Runners are having trouble with the timing of their secondary leads. We should not be taking a secondary lead until after the pitcher has committed to the plate. In the case of a lead off from first base, this means that the secondary lead should not take place until the righthanded pitcher breaks his left knee as he begins to move into the balanced position. Our runners are advancing too early and getting picked off as a result.

When we take our secondary leads, they are not usually aggressive enough--particularly when leading off second base. This causes runners to be thrown out a third base on plays that shouldn't really be close.

The last aspect that we talked about is the importance of maintaining intensity. We all want to have fun at the park. But, this time can't just be a social activity. Players need to be aware of what's happening on the field. This is important to accelerate a player's learning curve. And, it's also important for players to support their teammates who are out on the field.

I expect some team leaders to emerge from this group. There are at least seven or eight players who have exhibited the potential to lead. We need a few to step up and keep the team alert and positive when things start to breakdown on the field.

Blast from the Past

I came across this photo the other night. I can't believe it's been 19 years since I coached this particular team (the 1990 Santa Clara Royals). Every few years, I get the opportunity to coach a special team--and this was certainly one of them.

This team participated in a 12 team Pony League based in Santa Clara, California. I coached the team for three seasons. In sharp contrast to Chicago, this team did not experience a single rain out in that three year span!

The team played in a beautiful ballpark called Lou Vierra Field. The volunteer ground crew took pride in the grass infield. The infields were dragged and raked between every game. Only one game was played each night, so games typically drew good crowds--up to 150 people or so. It was an exciting atmosphere with an electronic scoreboard and announcer. It is a shame that our Orland Park players don't often get to experience that ballpark environment.

Just a few of the more unusual memories regarding this particular team:

• The coach (pictured top row left) with the beard, Earl Grace, enjoyed his experience so much that he stayed on for two years after his son Ryan was too old to play in the Pony League. His wife, who was an outstanding softball player, eventually joined the team as a bench coach. The players viewed Earl as some kind of hitting guru. Whether what he was saying was right or not, they believed in him and all he had to do was say a few words before the player was hitting again.
• Greg Minor, the third player to Coach Grace's right, once won a game with a remarkable catch. With two outs in the last inning of play, he ran full speed and slid into the fence while going after a pop up from his first base position. With one foot caught under the fencing, he reached out to make a sensational play to win the game.
• Michael Trautner, the coach directly in front of Coach Grace, was a very aggressive third base coach. One of his mistakes ultimately led to a league championship for this team. The Royals faced elimination in last game of the regular season. The team was down by one run with two outs and a runner on third. Coach Trautner thought that I had called for a steal of home plate (which I hadn't). I was shocked to see our runner running as hard as he could for home plate on the pitch. He slid in under strike two to tie the game. One pitch later...our batter struck out! But, the team was still alive and utlimately won the game in nine innings.
• Asa Waldstein (front row left), the team's centerfielder, led the League in hit by pitches. Asa was hit 15 times in one Pony League season. He took great pride in this. During one game against a tall, hard throwing pitcher, Asa stuck his elbow out for another hit batsman. The opposing manager, knowing his history, came running out to argue with the umpire--saying that he didn't try to get out of the way. The umpire replied that no one would be crazy enough to take a fastball like that off their arm. He did take the hit intentionally--but we told him to stop taking those hits before he broke his arm.
• Matt Osama (front row, second from the right) broke his arm in an off the field accident. For one game, the team needed Matt to play in order to avoid forfeit. Matt played rightfield...he made catches and then flipped the ball to the relay man who was just a few feet away. He also drew three walks in one game despite the fact that he couldn't swing! The opposing coach was screaming at his pitcher to "just throw strikes". And, the pitcher could not get the ball over as he was trying to hard to aim each pitch!

It's hard to believe that this all took place nearly 20 years ago!

Baseball Signs

During the past two scrimmages, we introduced some baseball signs to our players. Although a series of signals might initially look complicated, the system is really quite simple.

A series of signs will always include a number of decoy signs. The thing that differentiates the decoys from the actual sign is the indicator. Once the indicator is given, the very next signal is the one that counts. Let's say that the indicator is a swipe across the chest (that's not our's since I won't be giving our signs away over the internet!). The third base coach might start off by tapping the bill of his cap and then swiping his arm. But, until he swipes his chest, there has been no indicator (i.e., nothing counts).

Once the indicator is given, the very next signal counts. For example, if our signal for a "take" sign (i.e., don't swing) is a touch of the knee, then the sequence for a take sign might go something like this:

1) Tap to the bill of the cap (Decoy)
2) Swipe of the arm (Decoy)
3) Swipe across the chest (Indicator)
4) Touch of the knee (The Take Sign is On!)
5) Touch to the eye (Decoy)
6) Two claps (Decoy)

Note that players will look for the signs prior to every pitch. Otherwise, it will become clear that we only signal when a special play is on. Also, players will continue to look through the signs until the sequence is completed. Otherwise, the opponent can quickly identify the indicator.

Of course, it's always easy to change the indicator if the other team appears to be catching onto the signs. Creative indicators include--the sign only counts when the coach is walking forward while signalling. Or, the sign counts if the coach is saying a particular phrase while signalling. Or, ignore the right hand as only the left hand counts at all through the sequence. The number of options is endless.

This same system will be used (decoys/indicators/signs) for baserunning as well. We will also have some signs for defensive plays (e.g., pitch outs).

Why use signs?
Let's say we have a runner on first base with no outs and no count on the hitter. If we want to have the runner steal on the first pitch, we might give the hitter the take sign to allow the runner to advance without fear of a line drive or fly ball being hit. This eliminates our risk of hitting into a double play while getting our runner in scoring position before the hitter is ready to hit the second pitch.

Observing take signs can also be a safety issue. If one of our runners is stealing home, we don't want our hitter swinging while our runner is sliding through the strike zone!

You Make the Call (Part 3)

This is the third question in a series of baseball rule questions that will be posted on this website:

Q #3: The runner on first base is stealing on the pitch. The batter foul tips the pitch (directly into the catcher's glove) to make the count 1-1. Does the runner have to return to first or can he remain on second with a stolen base?

A #3: The runner remains on second base. There is nothing foul about a foul-tip. If the ball nicks the bat and goes sharp and direct to the catcher's hand or glove and is caught, this is a foul-tip by definition. A foul-tip is a strike and the ball is alive. It is the same as a swing-and-miss. If the ball is not caught, it is a foul ball. If the nicked pitch first hits the catcher somewhere other than the hand or glove, it is not a foul-tip, it is a foul ball.

The next baseball rule question will be posted in a few days...

Warriors to Participate in Baseball Clinics

The Warriors are very fortunate to participate in two baseball clinics customized specifically for our team! Both of these clinics will be held at Junior Diggins. CLICK HERE to access the Junior Diggins website.

On Saturday, April 25th, the team will attend a hitting clinic. This clinic will start at 7:00 pm and end at approximately 9:00 pm. Players should arrive at the facility no later than 6:50 pm as the session will start at 7:00 pm sharp.

On Saturday, May 2nd, players who are interested in pitching will attend a pitching clinic. This clinic will start at 4:00 pm and will go for 90 minutes.

I realize that everyone's schedules are hectic this time of year. But, it is important that these clinics take place early enough in the year for our players to get the most benefit from them.

I've invited Al Hasan, a former minor league professional baseball player, to be our instructor for both clinics. Mr. Hasan pitched and played third base at a professional level. We also plan to have a college baseball player on hand to help out. These clinic dates are subject to change if Mr. Hasan needs to reschedule due to business travel requirements.

Mr. Hasan is uniquely qualified to run these clinics. I watched him work with one of our OYA recreational players for over an hour the other night. Having observed countless hitting lessons and seminars, I was very impressed with his knowledge as well as his ability to communicate the concepts.

I was also impressed with Mr. Hasan's message of emphasis on the importance of education. Although he played baseball at a very high level, he continued to focus on his education and ultimately earned his PhD.

Metro League Scheduling Revisions...

As I mentioned in an earlier post, our opening Metro League game is now in question given that our opponent, Kennedy Park, has disbanded and withdrawn from the League.

I have extended a first-come, first-served invitation to 18 other Chicagoland Metro League teams to play the Warriors in Orland Park on April 19th. If we don't have a Metro League opponent by the end of today, I will then offer all of the OYA Pony League teams an opportunity to scrimmage against the Warriors on Sunday. I expect that at least one team will be interested in getting some extra playing time.

By now, players have probably noticed that it is not much fun going into games with 14 players on the roster. It leads to having five players on the bench at all times and players don't get to bat very often with the continuous batting order. As a result, we generally deactivate at two or three players for each Metro League game.

At the same time, we want to maximize the amount of playing time that each player gets. So, I'm attempting to book a couple more doubleheaders. The team is now scheduled to play a doubleheader on May 3rd. On May 3rd, the team hosts Evergreen Park in the morning and then travels to Oak Lawn in the afternoon.

For doubleheaders, we'll deactivate at least three players for each game. That way, six of our players will only play in one of the games on those Sundays. Seven or eight players will play both games of the doubleheaders. These doubleheaders provide our players with an opportunity to play more games and to experience new ballparks.

The team is looking for volunteers to help with logistics. Some players may need a ride getting from site to site. And, we'll also need some help coordinating lunch plans for those players/famlies interested in meeting at a location between games.

Kennedy Park Withdraws from Metro League

Our opponent for the first Sunday of Chicagoland Metro League play, Kennedy Park, has disbanded its team and withdrawn from the League. As a result, the Warriors are seeking a new opponent for the game on Sunday, April 19th.

After calling a few managers who were unable to play that day, I've sent an game invitation to another 18 teams. Hopefully, we'll get a replacement game scheduled. It's possible that the game time and location might get revised based upon the new opponent's schedule.

Warriors Continue to Play Solid Defense

The Warriors scored four runs while allowing just two runs in six innings of scrimmage play against the New Lenox Celtics on Saturday, April 11th.

Here's how the Warriors graded out during the scrimmage:

Overall (B)
Once again, the team performed better than I expected for its second scrimmage of the season.

Pitching (B-)
The Warriors used seven different pitchers in this scrimmage: Jason Waner, Lance Cardinal, C.J. Brucki, Ryan Tannebaum, Robbie Maxfield, Dennis Bresingham, and Ryan Novak. Our pitching staff allowed nine walks in six innings--far too many walks. The pitchers struck out only three Celtics' hitters. However, the Warriors' defense was once again up to the task--making several inning ending plays.

Jason Waner threw 12 pitches to retire the Celtics in the first inning. He has now thrown 22 pitches in two scoreless innings in his first two outings. Lance Cardinal did a great job working his way out of a jam (bases loaded with one out) in the second inning. Ryan Tannebaum retired the side quickly in the fourth inning.

Defense (A-)
Once again, the defense played a nearly flawless game. The Warriors made only one fielding error in the contest and that was on a very close play at first base. Several innings ended on excellent defensive plays--starting with C.J. Brucki throwing out a runner attempting to steal third base. Another inning ended when Anthony Lauciello quickly retrieved a wild pitch from the backstop and tagged the advancing runner. Tim Prendergast made the biggest play of the scrimmage in the final inning of play...fielding a hard hit ground ball at first base, tagging the base, and then firing a perfect throw to retire the runner at home plate to complete the double play! Even though this was only a scrimmage, Tim was recognized with a game ball for this play.

Tim Prendergast - Scrimmage MVP (Photo courtesy of Ann Bresingham)

Outfielders also did a much better job backing up throws in this scrimmage. A few outfielders (who generally play the infield) were not always baseball ready at the time of the pitch. And, our defensive grade dropped a little as pitchers are still slow to cover home on wild pitches as well as slow to cover first base on balls hit to the right side of the infield.

Hitting (C)
The good news in this category is that our hitters were generally patient and made the Celtics' pitchers earn their way out of most innings. Hitters laid off the bad pitches--drawing 7 walks and scoring 4 runs on just 2 hits. Robbie Maxfield had the big hit in this game with a line drive into leftfield in the first inning to score two runs. Anthony Lauciello continues to reach base on nearly every plate appearance.

The bad news is that our hitters made very little contact--striking out 12 times in five innings! Of course, the Celtics feature some very strong pitching including two former Warriors--Matthias Dietz and Mike Rafferty. We may have to start bunting more...especially with a runner on third base with one out (just to get the run home).

There are a few things we can do to improve the hitting situation. Hitting opportunities vary by player. We are working on scheduling a hitting clinic geared specifically for the Warriors with an excellent instructor who also played professionally to help address a few of these opportunities.

Baserunning (C+)
Our baserunning showed some improvement this scrimmage. The primary and secondary leads were extended. Sometimes, the primary leads were too aggressive which resulted in one pick off. Two examples of very good baserunning in this scrimmage were: Jack Lebert had some very good secondary leads which would have allowed him to easily score from third base on a ball in the dirt. Sam Marc ran hard through first base even though the first baseman had already recorded the out.

Our baserunners need to do a better job of reading pitchers so that we can get quicker jumps and greater secondary leads. We also need to run out all dropped third strikes.

Warriors Play Celtics on Saturday Morning

The Warriors will meet next on Saturday, April 11th in a scrimmage against the New Lenox Celtics. Players should arrive at Humphrey #2 by 9:15 am for pregame warm-ups. The scrimmage itself will start by 10:00 am.

It will probably be very cool at the field at 9:15 am, so please be sure to dress accordingly (Ryan Novak...this reminder is especially for you).

The Warriors look forward to seeing three of the Celtics' players who played with the Warriors over the past two seasons--Matthias Dietz, Jayson Lenzen and Mike Rafferty.

Mathematics: The Baseball Way

One of our team's three goals for the season is to learn more about baseball. For those who love the game, this process is a life long journey.

The thing I find most fascinating about the game is how the little things most often determine the outcome of a game. Many fans enjoy watching towering home runs or 95 mph fastballs. Yet, the scoring of a baseball game tends to reward somewhat less noticeable plays throughout the game.

The outcome of games often turn on plays that draw little attention. I'll be pointing out some of these plays during the course of the season. We already experienced a prime example during the first scrimmage game against the Hurricanes. With runners on second and third base and two outs, the Hurricanes hitter grounded a ball to shortstop. The shortstop fielded the ball, but fired the ball into the dirt. The first baseman, Ryan Knightly, cleanly picked the ball out of the dirt to retire the side.

Let's take a quick look at the baseball mathematics associated with this play. If Ryan wasn't able to field the errant throw, the Hurricanes score two runs on the play. The inning is also still alive with a runner on first base. Instead of trotting off the field with a 6-2 lead, the Warriors now face the tying run in a 6-4 game!

Another way of looking at this is that Ryan's play counts exactly the same (or potentially more because the inning would not have been over yet) as if he had hammered two towering home runs during the game! Just something to think about...

Ryan Knightly (photo courtesy of Ann Bresingham)

The Ted Williams Story Revisited

Earlier in the season, we talked about some valuable lessons that our hitters could learn from Ted Williams. After our first scrimmage game, I think it makes sense to revisit that discussion.

Great hitters don't get into the habit of swinging at pitches out of the strike zone. Instead, they force pitchers to throw strikes (i.e., hittable pitches). They also have a good understanding of the importance of the count. Great hitters become more selective when the count moves in their favor (e.g., 2-0, 3-1, etc.). That being said, hitters must adjust this selection based upon the umpire's strike zone and the count. Hitters cannot afford to be nearly as selective with a pitcher's count (e.g., 0-2, 1-2, etc.).

Being selective should not be confused with not being aggressive. Great hitters are very aggressive---but they realize that pitches in the strike zone are the easiest ones to hit. They aggressively look for a pitch in the strike zone and then pounce on it.

During a typical Metro League game, our more selective hitters will be sure to hear comments from the crowd such as "don't be waiting for a walk". Ted Williams, the greatest hitter of his time, was willing to take over 100 walks while playing High School baseball. He did this for two reasons: (1) pitchers had to then give him hittable pitches which he was capable of hammering for hits; and (2) a walk really is as good as a hit when it comes to winning ballgames.

Although I call this the "Ted Williams Story"...nearly every great hitter had the same hitting philosophy. If you are a Chicago White Sox fan, you could just as well call it the "Frank Thomas Story". Setting the steroid issue aside, there is no question that Barry Bonds had the exact same philosophy. In fact, Barry Bonds drew more walks (an amazing 2,558) than any other player in baseball history. He also holds the single season record of 232 walks. He's in good company. Next on the list is Babe Ruth---who holds the American League record for bases on balls during a career (2,042) and a single season (170).


During the Cubs game the other night, Cubs' announcer Bob Brenly mentioned how difficult the Astros' Lance Berkman was making it for Cubs' pitcher Carlos Marmol. Carlos was throwing some hard, nasty sliders--but Berkman wouldn't swing at any of the pitchers that were breaking down and outside the strike zone. Eventually, Berkman walked--despite the fact that Marmol was throwing his best stuff at him. Bob Brenly, a former Major League catcher and World Championship manager, pointed out that the great hitters are the ones who have the ability to hold off and not swing at pitches outside of the zone.

Great pitchers are just the opposite. They often strive to get hitters out with balls. They prefer to get ahead in the count and then get the batter to chase a bad pitch. Their philosophy is that it is much tougher for a batter to hit a ball than it is a strike!

Of course, it is fun to hit the ball. But, as a member of a baseball team, a player's first responsibility is to learn how to help his team win games. This team publishes a statistical leaderboard after each game--and the first statistic analyzed is On Base Percentage...not Batting Average.

So, the next time someone from the crowd yells "don't be waiting for a walk"--an appropriate response is "I'm just waiting for a strike!"

Scrimmage Reveals Opportunities

The Warriors held its first scrimmage against the Hurricanes earlier tonight. It was a good start to the season with the Warriors scoring eight times while allowing just two runs in seven full innings of play.

Here's how the Warriors graded out during the scrimmage:

Overall (B)
Overall, the team performed better than I expected for its first outing.

Pitching (A-)
The 2009 Warriors pitchers rely on mixing up speeds and locations to keep hitters off balance. The Warriors used seven different pitchers in this scrimmage: Jason Waner, C.J. Brucki, Tim Prendergast, Dennis Bresingham, Ryan Novak, Ryan Tannebaum and Sam Marc. These seven pitchers walked just four hitters in the contest. The pitching staff held the Hurricanes to two runs despite recording only four strikeouts. The pitchers let the Hurricanes put the ball in play and the defense stepped up to the challenge. One item of note is that Jason Waner retired the Hurricanes on just ten pitches in the first inning--thanks in part to two assists by Tim Carroll at shortstop.

Tim Carroll (Photo courtesy of Ann Bresingham)

Defense (B-)
The Warriors' defense did an outstanding job playing the ball. The team did not make a single error in seven innings! The infielders were aggressive fielding ground balls. The outfielders caught all the routine fly balls. Relays were flawless. The opportunities were in the area of back-ups and moving into position once the ball was hit. For example, our pitcher needs to be moving to cover home plate as soon as the ball gets past the catcher. And, the outfielders need to move quicker to back up bases on attempted steals.

Hitting (B)
The team did a nice job putting the ball into play. Several hitters hit the ball hard, but right at a fielder. An opportunity area for hitters is to be sure to pick up signs before stepping into the box. Also, some of our hitters had slow, long swings against the power pitchers. Hitters need to assume a proper stance (i.e., bat at a 45 degree angle and not laid out flat), proper grip and step back in the batter's box against faster pitching.

We also need to guard against extending the arms too early in the swing. Lead with the elbow...or drive with the handle of the bat...or keep the hands inside the ball, are all ways of thinking about not losing speed and power by extending the arms too soon.

Baserunning (D)
Aggressive baserunning must be a trademark of this team. One of our greatest assets is speed! We ran ourselves out of two very big innings by not getting good jumps off the pitcher. Players are generally not getting a big enough primary lead. And, the secondary leads are far worse.

There were a few examples of good baserunning during the scrimmage: Jack Lebert scored from third when the Hurricanes attempted to pick a runner off of second base. C.J. Brucki scored from second base when the Hurricanes had trouble fielding a thrown ball in the middle of the infield. Tim Carroll extended his lead off second base and then easily stole third base with one out.

Another opportunity area with baserunning was not running through first base on batted balls! The few runners who did go hard through first base prompted the Hurricanes to rush and make fielding errors. If the Warriors baserunning was improved, the team would have scored 13 or 14 runs rather than just 8 runs. In a closer ballgame, this will make the difference.

Coaching (C)
My coaching is still in its Spring Training stage! Signals were not always timely to our hitters and baserunners. And, pitchers were not always able to get enough warm-ups prior to entering the game (mostly because they happened to be batting during the previous inning).

H2 is not an ideal set up for seeing everything from the dugouts. As coaches, we have to figure out a more effective way to communicate with all the players on the bench to accelerate the learning curve when it comes to our baserunning and defensive opportunities.

Sunday's Scrimmage is Cancelled

The Warriors scrimmage for Sunday, April 5th has been cancelled due to the rain. The Warriors have now cancelled four consecutive events due to weather!

The team will play next on Wednesday, April 8th in a scrimmage against the Orland Park Hurricanes. Players should arrive at Humphrey #2 by 4:45 pm for pregame warm-ups.

The team will NOT be wearing its uniforms for this scrimmage. Players should wear baseball pants for this event.