The team has scheduled its second Fall workout. The workout will be held on Saturday, October 16th @ 9:30 am on Centennial #1. Please call the OYA Rain Line at 708-403-6290 in the event of questionable weather or field conditions. The session is expected to end by 11:00 am.
The following items are due no later than October 16th:- Copy of the player's birth certificate
- First installment ($150) of the registration fee
The first installment should be paid by check payable to the “Orland Youth Association.”
OYA has communicated an estimate of $900 for all baseball fees (including Warriors and OYA Pony League registration fees). The $150 due in October is the first installment. The remaining $750 will be due in two installments--$400 in late January and $350 in late February. We have some part-time players on the roster—and the fees for those players will be reduced.
Please contact me if you are unable to participate in a team event.
At our first practice, we talked about the importance accurate throws. With younger pitchers, just being able to throw a strike (any kind of a strike) is usually the goal. At the Bronco & Pony levels of play, it becomes important for pitchers to continue to throw strikes. However, pitchers must now start hitting more specific locations within the strike zone.I usually think of it like this. For Pinto and Mustang, the target is a big rectangle (the strike zone). For Bronco and Pony, the target is now a quadrant within the rectangle--in other words, take the strike zone and place a plus sign within it. A pitcher should be able to hit within at least one of four spots within the strike zone to be effective. At the highest level of play, the strike zone becomes divided into a tic-tac-toe type board. Pitchers with outstanding control (e.g., Greg Maddux) can target a pitch within one of the tic-tac-toe squares inside the strike zone--and he can do it at various speeds!To be truly effective, a pitcher must be able to mix speeds as well as location. Practicing change-up grips will enable a pitcher to change speeds without making it obvious to the hitter.Ferguson Jenkins is a Hall of Fame pitcher who was one of the best control pitchers in the history of baseball. In 1971, Fergie pitched over 300 innings, striking out 263 hitters while walking only 37. Nearly all of his 37 walks were either intentional or semi-intentional. In large part, he attributes constantly throwing to a specific target as a reason for his great control. During his off days, he insisted on throwing batting practice to hitters (this is unheard of today!)--so that he could continue to toss baseballs to a very specific target. This is one of the reasons it can be helpful to have our pitchers throw batting practice--rather than the coaches.
The team has scheduled its first workout. The workout will be held on Sunday, September 26th @ Noon on Centennial #3. Please call the OYA Rain Line at 708-403-6290 in the event of questionable weather or field conditions. The session is expected to end by 1:45 pm.
We plan to schedule a second workout in October. The Fall is our slowest time period—so we won’t have many practices over the next two or three months.
The following items are due no later than October 15th:- Copy of the player's birth certificate
- First installment ($150) of the registration fee
The first installment should be paid by check payable to the “Orland Youth Association.”
OYA has communicated an estimate of $900 for all baseball fees (including Warriors and OYA Pony League registration fees). The $150 due in October is the first installment. The remaining $750 (estimated) will be due in two installments--$400 in late January and $350 in late February. We have some part-time players on the roster—and the fees for those players will be reduced. It’s also very possible that the total fee will end up coming in lower than these estimates—but I can’t commit to a lower number until all the cost estimates (indoor facility fees, development sessions, tournament fees, umpires, etc.) are provided. Players who make their High School teams will qualify for a partial refund.
I look forward to the first team workout in September. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or comments.
Our team has three main goals for this season:
One goal is for our players to learn more about the game and to further develop their skills. We would like all of our players to gain an appreciation for the great game of baseball.
Next, we want everyone to have fun this season. It's fun to be part of a team. Every player should enjoy making a positive contribution to the team, regardless of his talent level.
Most importantly, we hope to take advantage of this experience to help our players develop a positive attitude. Players and coaches are expected to give it their very best effort every time they step on a baseball field. Players and coaches must also respect the game, the opponent, the umpires and each other.
The following five quotes capture a large part of what this experience is all about:
“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
"I can accept failure, but I can't accept not trying." - Michael Jordan
"My greatest concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure." - Abraham Lincoln
"If a man does his best, what else is there?" - General George S. Patton
"Excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better." - Pat Riley
"Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it." - George Halas
The Warriors are pleased to announce its roster for the 2011 season!Please CLICK HERE to view the roster.
